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MISSIONARY  TRAVELS 


AND 


RESEARCHES  IN  SOUTH  AERICA; 

INCLUDING  A SKETCH  OF 

SIXTEEN  YEARS’  RESIDENCE  IN  THE  INTERIOR  OF  AFRICA, 

AND  A JOURNEY  FROM  THE  CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE  TO  LOANDA  ON  THE  WEST 
COAST ; THENCE  ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT,  DOWN  THE  RIVER 
ZAMBESI,  TO  THE  EASTERN  OCEAN. 


BY  DAVID  LIVINGSTONE,  LL.D.,  D.C.L., 

FELLOW  OF  THE  FACULTY  OF  PHYSICIANS  AND  8URGEON8,  GLASGOW;  CORRESPONDING 
MEMBER  OF  THE  GEOGRAPHICAL  AND  STATISTICAL  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  YOEK  ; 

GOLD  MEDALIST  AND  CORRESPONDING  MEMBER  OF  THE  ROYAL 
GEOGRAPHICAL  SOCIETIES  OF  LONDON  AND  PARIS 
F.6.A.,  ETC.,  ETC. 


WITH  PORTRAIT;  MAPS  BY  ARROWSMITH ; AND  NUMEROUS  ILLCSTRATIONS. 


NEW  YORK: 

HARPER  & BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN  SQUARE. 


1858- 


DEDICATION. 


TO 

SIR  RODERICK  IMPEY  MURCHISON, 

PRESIDENT  ROYAL  GEOGRAPHICAL  SOCIETY,  F.R.8.,  V.P.G.S.,  CORE.  INST.  OF  FRANCE,  AND 
MEMBER  OF  THE  ACADEMIES  OF  ST.  PETERSBURG,  BERLIN,  STOCKHOLM, 
COPENHAGEN,  BRUSSELS,  ETC., 

(ft  Ij  i s ill  o r k 

is  affectionately  offered  as  a Token  of  Gratitude  for  the  kind  interest  he 
has  always  taken  in  the  Author’s  pursuits  and  welfare ; and  to  express 
admiration  of  his  eminent  scientific  attainments,  nowhere  more  strongly 
evidenced  than  by  the  striking  hypothesis  respecting  the  physical  con- 
formation of  the  African  continent,  promulgated  in  his  Presidential  Ad- 
dress to  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  in  1852,  and  verified  three 
years  afterward  by  the  Author  of  these  Travels. 

DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


London , Oct.,  1857. 


- • 


PREFACE. 


When  honored  with  a special  meeting  of  welcome  by  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society  a few  days  after  my  arrival  in  London  in 
December  last,  Sir  Roderick  Murchison,  the  President,  invited  me 
to  give  to  the  world  a narrative  of  my  travels ; and  at  a similar 
meeting  of  the  Directors  of  the  London  Missionary  Society  I pub- 
licly stated  my  intention  of  sending  a book  to  the  press,  instead 
of  making  many  of  those  public  appearances  which  were  urged 
upon  me.  The  preparation  of  this  narrative*  has  taken  much 
longer  time  than,  from  my  inexperience  in  authorship,  I had  an- 
ticipated. 

Greater  smoothness  of  diction  and  a saving  of  time  might  have 
been  secured  by  the  employment  of  a person  accustomed  to  com- 
pilation ; but  my  journals  having  been  kept  for  my  own  private 
purposes,  no  one  else  could  have  made  use  of  them,  or  have  en- 
tered with  intelligence  into  the  circumstances  in  which  I was  placed 
in  Africa,  far  from  any  European  companion.  Those  who  have 
never  carried  a book  through  the  press  can  form  no  idea  of  the 
amount  of  toil  it  involves.  The  process  has  increased  my  respect 
for  authors  and  authoresses  a thousand-fold. 

I can  not  refrain  from  referring,  with  sentiments  of  admiration 
and  gratitude,  to  my  friend  Thomas  Maclear,  Esq.,  the  accom- 
plished Astronomer  Royal  at  the  Cape.  I shall  never  cease  to 
remember  his  instructions  and  help  with  real  gratitude.  The  in- 
tercourse I had  the  privilege  to  enjoy  at  the  Observatory  enabled 
me  to  form  an  idea  of  the  almost  infinite  variety  of  acquirements 
necessary  to  form  a true  and  great  astronomer,  and  I was  led  to 
the  conviction  that  it  will  be  long  before  the  world  becomes  over- 
stocked with  accomplished  members  of  that  profession.  Let  them 
be  always  honored  according  to  their  deserts  ; and  long  may  Mac- 
lear, Herschel,  Airy,  and  others  live  to  make  known  the  wonders 
and  glory  of  creation,  and  to  aid  in  rendering  the  pathway  of  the 
world  safe  to  mariners,  and  the  dark  places  of  the  earth  open  to 
Christians ! 

* Several  attempts  having  been  made  to  impose  upon  the  public,  as  mine,  spuri- 
ous narratives  of  my  travels,  I beg  to  tender  my  thanks  to  the  editors  of  the  Times 
and  of  the  Athenceum  for  aiding  to  expose  them,  and  to  the  booksellers  of  London 
for  refusing  to  subscribe  for  any  copies. 


X 


PEEFACE. 


I beg  to  offer  my  hearty  thanks  to  my  friend  Sir  Roderick 
Murchison,  and  also  to  Dr.  Norton  Shaw,  the  secretary  of  the 
Royal  Geographical  Society,  for  aiding  my  researches  by  every 
means  in  their  power. 

His  faithful  majesty  Don  Pedro  V.,  having  kindly  sent  out  or- 
ders to  support  my  late  companions  until  my  return,  relieved  my 
mind  of  anxiety  on  their  account.  But  for  this  act  of  liberality, 
I should  certainly  have  been  compelled  to  leave  England  in  May 
last ; and  it  has  afforded  me  the  pleasure  of  traveling  over,  in  im- 
agination, every  scene  again,  and  recalling  the  feelings  which  actu- 
ated me  at  the  time.  I have  much  pleasure  in  acknowledging  my 
deep  obligations  to  the  hospitality  and  kindness  of  the  Portuguese 
on  many  occasions. 

I have  not  entered  into  the  early  labors,  trials,  and  successes  of 
the  missionaries  who  preceded  me  in  the  Bechuana  country,  be- 
cause that  has  been  done  by  the  much  abler  pen  of  my  father-in- 
law,  Rev.  Robert  Moffat,  of  Kuruman,  who  has  been  an  energetic 
and  devoted  actor  in  the  scene  for  upward  of  forty  years.  A slight 
sketch  only  is  given  of  my  own  attempts,  and  the  chief  part  of  the 
book  is  taken  up  with  a detail  of  the  efforts  made  to  open  up  a 
new  field  north  of  the  Bechuana  country  to  the  sympathies  of 
Christendom.  The  prospects  there  disclosed  are  fairer  than  I an- 
ticipated, and  the  capabilities  of  the  new  region  lead  me  to  hope 
that  by  the  production  of  the  raw  materials  of  our  manufactures, 
African  and  English  interests  will  become  more  closely  linked 
than  heretofore,  that  both  countries  will  be  eventually  benefited, 
and  that  the  cause  of  freedom  throughout  the  world  will  in  some 
measure  be  promoted. 

Dr.  Hooker,  of  Kew,  has  had  the  kindness  to  name  and  classify 
for  me,  as  far  as  possible,  some  of  the  new  botanical  specimens 
which  I brought  over ; Dr.  Andrew  Smith  (himself  an  African 
traveler)  has  aided  me  in  the  zoology  ; and  Captain  Need  has  laid 
open  for  my  use  his  portfolio  of  African  sketches,  for  all  which 
acts  of  liberality  my  thanks  are  deservedly  due,  as  well  as  to  my 
brother,  who  has  rendered  me  willing  aid  as  an  amanuensis. 

Although  I can  not  profess  to  be  a draughtsman,  I brought 
home  with  me  a few  rough  diagram-sketches,  from  one  of  which 
the  view  of  the  Falls  of  the  Zambesi  has  been  prepared  by  a more 
experienced  artist. 

October , 1857. 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Personal  Sketch. — Highland  Ancestors. — Family  Traditions. — Grandfather  removes 
to  the  Lowlands. — Parents. — Early  Labors  and  Efforts. — Evening  School. — Love 
of  Reading. — Religious  Impressions. — Medical  Education. — Youthful  Travels. — 
Geology. — Mental  Discipline. — Study  in  Glasgow. — London  Missionary  Society. — 
Native  Village. — Medical  Diploma. — Theological  Studies. — Departure  for  Africa. 
— No  Claim  to  Literary  Accomplishments Page  1 

CHAPTER  I. 

The  Bakwdin  Country. — Study  of  the  Language. — Native  Ideas  regarding  Comets. 
— Mabotsa  Station. — A Lion  Encounter. — Virus  of  the  Teeth  of  Lions. — Names 
of  the  Bechuana  Tribes. — Sechele. — His  Ancestors. — Obtains  the  Chieftainship. 
— His  Marriage  and  Government. — The  Kotla. — First  public  Religious  Services. 
— Sechele’s  Questions. — He  Learns  to  Read. — Novel  mode  for  Converting  his 
Tribe. — Surprise  at  their  Indifference. — Polygamy. — Baptism  of  Sechele. — Oppo- 
sition of  the  Natives. — Purchase  Land  at  Chonuane. — Relations  with  the  People. 
— Their  Intelligence. — Prolonged  Drought. — Consequent  Trials. — Rain-medi- 
cine.— God’s  Word  blamed. — Native  Reasoning. — Rain-maker. — Dispute  between 
Rain  Doctor  and  Medical  Doctor. — The  Hunting  Hopo. — Salt  or  animal  Food  a 
necessary  of  Life. — Duties  of  a Missionary 9 

CHAPTER  II. 

The  Boers. — Their  Treatment  of  the  Natives. — Seizure  of  native  Children  for 
Slaves. — English  Traders. — Alarm  of  the  Boers. — Native  Espionage. — The  Tale 
of  the  Cannon. — The  Boers  threaten  Sechele. — In  violation  of  Treaty,  they  stop 
English  Traders  and  expel  Missionaries. — They  attack  the  Bakwains. — Their 
Mode  of  Fighting. — The  Natives  killed  and  the  School-children  carried  into 
Slavery. — Destruction  of  English  Property. — African  Housebuilding  and  House- 
keeping.— Mode  of  Spending  the  Day. — Scarcity  of  Food. — Locusts. — Edible 
Frogs. — Scavenger  Beetle. — Continued  Hostility  of  the  Boers. — The  Journey 
north. — Preparations. — Fellow-travelers. — The  Kalahari  Desert. — V egetation. — 
Watermelons.  — The  Inhabitants.  — The  Bushmen. — Their  nomade  Mode  of 
Life. — Appearance. — The  Bakalahari. — Their  Love  for  Agriculture  and  for  do- 
mestic Animals. — Timid  Character. — Mode  of  obtaining  Water. — Female  Water- 
suckers. — The  Desert. — Water  hidden 35 

CHAPTER  III. 

Departure  from  Kolobeng,  1st  June,  1849. — Companions. — Our  Route. — Abund- 
ance of  Grass. — Serotli,  a Fountain  in  the  Desert. — Mode  of  digging  Wells. — 
The  Eland. — Animals  of  the  Desert. — The  Hyama. — The  Chief  Sekomi. — 
Dangers. — The  wandering  Guide. — Cross  Purposes. — Slow  Progress. — Want  of 


CONTENTS. 


xii 

Water. — Capture  of  a Bushwoman. — The  Salt-pan  at  Nchokotsa. — The  Mirage. 
— Beach  the  Biver  Zouga. — The  Quakers  of  Africa. — Discovery  of  Lake  Ngami, 
1st  August,  1849. — Its  Extent. — Small  Depth  of  Water. — Position  as  the  Eeser- 
voir  of  a great  Biver  System. — The  Bamangwato  and  their  Chief. — Desire  to 
visit  Sebituane,  the  Chief  of  the  Makololo. — Befusal  of  Lechulatebe  to  furnish 

us  with  Guides. — Besolve  to  return  to  the  Cape. — The  Banks  of  the  Zouga. 

Pitfalls. — Trees  of  the  District. — Elephants. — New  Species  of  Antelope. — Fish 
in  the  Zouga Page  61 

CHAPTEB  IV. 

Leave  Kolobeng  again  for  the  Country  of  Sebituane. — Beach  the  Zouga. — The 
Tsetse. — A Party  of  Englishmen. — Death  of  Mr.  Eider. — Obtain  Guides. — Chil- 
dren fall  sick  with  Fever. — Belinquish  the  Attempt  to  reach  Sebituane. — Mr. 
Oswell’s  Elephant-hunting. — Beturn  to  Kolobeng. — Make  a third  Start  thence. 
— Beach  Nchokotsa. — Salt-pans. — “Links,”  or  Springs. — Bushmen. — Our  Guide 
Shobo. — The  Banajda. — An  ugly  Chief. — The  Tsetse. — Bite  fatal  to  domestic 
Animals,  but  harmless  to  wild  Animals  and  Man. — Operation  of  the  Poison. — 
Losses  caused  by  it. — The  Makololo. — Our  Meeting  with  Sebituane. — Sketch  of 
his  Career. — His  Courage  and  Conquests. — Manoeuvres  of  the  Batoka. — He  out- 
wits them. — His  Wars  with  the  Matebele. — Predictions  of  a native  Prophet. — 
Successes  of  the  Makololo. — Eenewed  Attacks  of  the  Matebele. — The  Island  of 
Loyelo. — Defeat  of  the  Matebele. — Sebituane’s  Policy. — His  Kindness  to  Stran- 
gers and  to  the  Poor. — His  sudden  Illness  and  Death. — Succeeded  by  his  Daugh- 
ter.— Her  Friendliness  to  us. — Discovery,  in  June,  1851,  of  the  Zambesi  flowing 
in  the  Centre  of  the  Continent. — Its  Size. — The  Mambari. — The  Slave-trade. — 
Determine  to  send  Family  to  England. — Beturn  to  the  Cape  in  April,  1852. — 
Safe  Transit  through  the  Caffre  Country  during  Hostilities. — Need  of  a “ Spe- 
cial Correspondent.” — Kindness  of  the  London  Missionary  Society. — Assistance 
afforded  by  the  Astronomer  Koyal  at  the  Cape 88 

CHAPTEB  V. 

Start  in  June,  1852,  on  the  last  and  longest  Journey  from  Cape  Town. — Compan- 
ions.— Wagon-traveling. — Physical  Divisions  of  Africa. — The  Eastern,  Central, 
and  Western  Zones. — The  Kalahari  Desert. — Its  Vegetation. — Increasing  Value 
of  the  Interior  for  Colonization. — Our  Boute. — Dutch  Boers. — Their  Habits. — 
Sterile  Appearance  of  the  District. — Failure  of  Grass. — Succeeded  by  other 
Plants. — Vines. — Animals. — The  Boers  as  Farmers. — Migration  of  Springbucks. 
— Wariness  of  Animals. — The  Orange  Biver. — Territory  of  the  Griquas  and 
Bechuanas. — The  Griquas. — The  Chief  Waterboer. — His  wise  and  energetic 
Government. — His  Fidelity. — Ill-considered  Measures  of  the  Colonial  Govern- 
ment in  regard  to  Supplies  of  Gunpowder. — Success  of  the  Missionaries  among 
the  Griquas  and  Bechuanas. — Manifest  Improvement  of  the  native  Character. — 
Dress  of  the  Natives. — A full-dress  Costume. — A Native’s  Description  of  the  Na- 
tives.— Articles  of  Commerce  in  the  Country  of  the  Bechuanas. — Their  Unwil- 
lingness to  learn,  and  Beadiness  to  criticise 108 

CHAPTEB  VI. 

Kununan. — Its  fine  Fountain. — Vegetation  of  the  District. — Bemains  of  ancient 
Forests. — Vegetable  Poison. — The  Bible  translated  by  Mr.  Moffat. — Capabilities 
of  the  Language. — Christianity  among  the  Natives. — The  Missionaries  should 
extend  their  Labors  more  beyond  the  Cape  Colony. — Model  Christians. — Dis- 


CONTENTS. 


xiii 

graceful  Attack  of  the  Boers  on  the  Bakwains. — Letter  from  Sechele. — Details 
of  the  Attack. — Numbers  of  School-children  carried  away  into  Slavery. — De- 
struction of  House  and  Property  at  Kolobeng. — The  Boers  vow  Vengeance  against 
me. — Consequent  Difficulty  of  getting  Servants  to  accompany  me  on  my  Jour- 
ney.— Start  in  November,  1852. — Meet  Sechele  on  his  way  to  England  to  obtain 
Redress  from  the  Queen. — He  is  unable  to  proceed  beyond  the  Cape. — Meet 
Mr.  Macabe  on  his  Return  from  Lake  Ngami. — The  hot  Wind  of  the  Desert. — 
Electric  State  of  the  Atmosphere.  — Flock  of  Swifts. — Reach  Litubaruba. — 
The  Cave  Lepelole. — Superstitions  regarding  it. — Impoverished  State  of  the 
Bakwains. — Retaliation  on  the  Boers. — Slavery. — Attachment  of  the  Bechu- 
anas  to  Children. — Hydrophobia  unknown. — Diseases  of  the  Bakwains  few 
in  number.  — Yearly  Epidemics.  — Hasty  Burials.  — Ophthalmia.  — Native 
Doctors.  — Knowledge  of  Surgery  at  a very  low  Ebb.  — Little  Attendance 
given  to  Women  at  their  Confinements.  — The  “Child  Medicine.”  — Salu- 
brity of  the  Climate  well  adapted  for  Invalids  suffering  from  pulmonary  Com- 
plaints  Page  121 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Departure  from  the  Country  of  the  Bakwains. — Large  black  Ant. — Land  Tor- 
toises.— Diseases  of  wild  Animals. — Habits  of  old  Lions — Cowardice  of  the 
Lion. — Its  Dread  of  a Snare. — Major  Vardon’s  Note. — The  Roar  of  the  Lion  re- 
sembles the  Cry  of  the  Ostrich. — Seldom  attacks  full-grown  Animals. — Buffaloes 
and  Lions. — Mice. — Serpents. — Treading  on  one. — Venomous  and  harmless  Va- 
rieties.— Fascination. — Sekomi's  Ideas  of  Honesty. — Ceremony  of  the  Sechu  for 
Boys. — The  Boyale  for  young  Women. — Bamangwato  Hills. — The  Unicorn’s 
Pass. — The  Country  beyond. — Grain. — Scarcity  of  Water. — Honorable  Conduct 
of  English  Gentlemen. — Gordon  Cumming’s  hunting  Adventures. — A Word  of 


Advice  for  young  Sportsmen. — Bushwomen  drawing  Water.  — Ostrich. — Silly 
Habit. — Paces. — Eggs. — Food 148 


CHAPTER  Vm. 

Effects  of  Missionary  Efforts. — Belief  in  the  Deity. — Ideas  of  the  Bakwain3  on  Re- 
ligion.— Departure  from  their  Country. — Salt-pans. — Sour  Curd. — Nchokotsa. — 
Bitter  Waters. — Thirst  suffered  by  the  wild  Animals. — Wanton  Cruelty  in  Hunt- 
ing.— Ntwetwe. — Mowana-trees. — Their  extraordinary  Vitality. — The  Mopane- 
tree. — The  Morala. — The  Bushmen. — Their  Superstitions. — Elephant-hunting. — 
Superiority  of  civilized  over  barbarous  Sportsmen. — The  Chief  Kaisa. — His  Fear 
of  Responsibility. — Beauty  of  the  Country  at  Unku. — The  Mohonono  Bush. — 
Severe  Labor  in  cutting  our  Way. — Party  seized  with  Fever. — Escape  of  our 
Cattle. — Bakwain  Mode  of  recapturing  them. — Vagaries  of  sick  Servants. — Dis- 
covery of  grape-bearing  Vines. — An  Ant-eater. — Difficulty  of  passing  through 
the  Forest. — Sickness  of  my  Companion. — The  Bushmen. — Their  Mode  of  de- 
stroying Lions. — Poisons. — The  solitary  Hill. — A picturesque  Valley. — Beauty 
of  the  Country.  — Arrive  at  the  Sanshureh  River.  — The  flooded  Prairies. — A 
pontooning  Expedition. — A night  Bivouac. — The  Chobe. — Arrive  at  the  Village 
of  Moremi. — Surprise  of  the  Makololo  at  our  sudden  Appearance. — Cross  the 
Chobe  on  our  way  to  Linyanti 175 

, CHAPTER  IX. 

Reception  at  Linyanti.  — The  court  Herald. — Sekeletu  obtains  the  Chieftainship 


X1Y 


CONTENTS. 


from  his  Sister. — Mpepe’s  Plot. — Slave-trading  Mambari. — Their  sudden  Flight. 
— Sekeletu  narrowly  escapes  Assassination. — Execution  of  Mpepe. — The  Courts 
of  Law. — Mode  of  trying  Offenses. — Sekeletu’s  Reason  for  not  learning  to  read 
the  Bible. — The  Disposition  made  of  the  Wives  of  a deceased  Chief. — Makololo 
Women. — They  work  but  little. — Employ  Serfs. — Their  Drink,  Dress,  and  Orna- 
ments.— Public  Religious  Services  in  the  Kotla. — Unfavorable  Associations  of  the 
place. — Native  Doctors. — Proposals  to  teach  the  Makololo  to  read. — Sekeletu’s 
Present. — Reason  for  accepting  it. — Trading  in  Ivory. — Accidental  Fire. — Pres- 
ents for  Sekeletu. — Two  Breeds  of  native  Cattle. — Ornamenting  the  Cattle. — The 
Women  and  the  Looking-glass. — Mode  of  preparing  the  Skins  of  Oxen  for  Man- 
tles and  for  Shields. — Throwing  the  Spear Page  196 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Fever. — Its  Symptoms. — Remedies  of  the  native  Doctors. — Hospitality  of  Se- 
keletu and  his  People. — One  of  their  Reasons  for  Polygamy. — They  cultivate 
largely. — The  Makalaka  or  subject  Tribes. — Sebituane’s  Policy  respecting  them. 
— Their  Affection  for  him. — Products  of  the  Soil. — Instrument  of  Culture. — The 
Tribute. — Distributed  by  the  Chief. — A warlike  Demonstration. — Lechulatebe’s 
Provocations.  — The  Makololo  determine  to  punish  him.  — The  Bechuanas. — 
Meaning  of  the  Term. — Three  Divisions  of  the  great  Family  of  South  Afri- 
cans  212 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Departure  from  Linyanti  for  Sesheke. — Level  Country. — Ant-hills. — Wild  Date- 
trees. — Appearance  of  our  Attendants  on  the  March. — The  Chief’s  Guard. — They 
attempt  to  ride  on  Ox-back. — Vast  Herds  of  the  new  Antelopes,  Leches,  and  Na- 
kongs. — The  native  way  of  hunting  them. — Reception  at  the  Villages. — Presents 
of  Beer  and  Milk. — Eating  with  the  Hand. — The  Chief  provides  the  Oxen  for 
Slaughter. — Social  Mode  of  Eating. — The  Sugar-cane. — Sekeletu’s  novel  Test 
of  Character. — Cleanliness  of  Makololo  Huts. — Their  Construction  and  Appear- 
ance.— The  Beds. — Cross  the  Leeambye. — Aspect  of  this  part  of  the  Country. — 
The  small  Antelope  Tianyane  unknown  in  the  South. — Hunting  on  foot. — An 
Eland ; 221 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Procure  Canoes  and  ascend  the  Leeambye. — Beautiful  Islands. — Winter  Land- 
scape.— Industry  and  Skill  of  the  Banyeti. — Rapids. — Falls  of  Gonye. — Tradi- 
tion.— Annual  Inundations. — Fertility  of  the  great  Barotse  Vallejo. — Execution 
of  two  Conspirators. — The  Slave-dealer’s  Stockade. — Naliele,  the  Capital,  built 
on  an  artificial  Mound. — Santuru,  a great  Hunter. — The  Barotse  Method  of  com- 
memorating any  remarkable  Event. — Better  Treatment  of  Women. — More  relig- 
ious Feeling. — Belief  in  a future  State,  and  in  the  Existence  of  spiritual  Beings. 
— Gardens. — Fish,  Fruit,  and  Game. — Proceed  to  the  Limits  of  the  Barotse 
Country. — Sekeletu  provides  Rowers  and  a Herald. — The  River  and  Vicinity. — 
Hippopotamus-hunters. — No  healthy  Location. — Determine  to  go  to  Loanda.— 
Buffaloes,  Elands,  and  Lions  above  Libonta. — Interview  with  the  Mambari. — 
Two  Arabs  from  Zanzibar. — Their  Opinion  of  the  Portuguese  and  the  English. — 
Reach  the  Town  of  Ma-Sekeletu. — Joy  of  the  People  at  the  first  Visit  of  their 
Chief. — Return  to  Sesheke. — Heathenism 231 


CONTENTS. 


XV 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Preliminary  Arrangements  for  the  Journey. — A Picho. — Twenty-seven  Men  ap- 
pointed to  accompany  me  to  the  West. — Eagerness  of  the  Makololo  for  direct 
Trade  with  the  Coast. — Effects  of  Fever. — A Makololo  Question. — The  lost  Jour- 
nal.— Reflections. — The  Outfit  for  the  Journey. — 11th  November,  1853,  leave  Lin- 
yanti,  and  embark  on  the  Chobe. — Dangerous  Hippopotami. — Banks  of  Chobe. — 
Trees. — The  Course  of  the  River. — The  Island  Mparia  at  the  Confluence  of  the 
Chobe  and  the  Leeambye. — Anecdote. — Ascend  the  Leeambye. — A Makalaka 
Mother  defies  the  Authority  of  the  Makololo  Head  Man  at  Sesheke. — Punishment 
of  Thieves. — Observance  of  the  new  Moon. — Public  Addresses  at  Sesheke. — At- 
tention of  the  People. — Results. — Proceed  up  the  River. — The  Fruit  which  yields 
Nux  vomica. — Other  Fruits. — The  Rapids. — Birds. — Fish. — Hippopotami  and 
their  Young Page  247 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Increasing  Beauty  of  the  Country. — Mode  of  spending  the  Day. — The  People  and 
the  Falls  of  Gonye. — A Makololo  Foray. — A second  prevented,  and  Captives  de- 
livered up. — Politeness  and  Liberality  of  the  People. — The  Rains. — Present  of 
Oxen. — The  fugitive  Barotse. — Sekobinyane’s  Misgovernment. — Bee-eaters  and 
other  Birds. — Fresh-water  Sponges. — Current. — Death  from  a Lion’s  Bite  at 
Libonta. — Continued  Kindness. — Arrangements  for  spending  the  Night  during 
the  Journey. — Cooking  and  Washing. — Abundance  of  animal  Life. — Different 
Species  of  Birds. — Water-fowl. — Egyptian  Geese. — Alligators. — Narrow  Escape 
of  one  of  my  Men. — Superstitious  Feelings  respecting  the  Alligator. — Large 
Game. — The  most  vulnerable  Spot. — Gun  Medicine. — A Sunday. — Birds  of 
Song. — Depravity;  its  Treatment. — Wild  Fruits. — Green  Pigeons. — Shoals  of 
Fish. — Hippopotami 265 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Message  to  Masiko,  the  Barotse  Chief,  regarding  the  Captives. — Navigation  of  the 
Leeambye. — Capabilities  of  this  District. — The  Leeba. — Flowers  and  Bees. — 
Buffalo-hunt. — Field  for  a Botanist. — Young  Alligators  ; their  savage  Nature. — 
Suspicion  of  the  Balonda. — Sekelenke’s  Present. — A Man  and  his  two  Wives. — 
Hunters.  — Message  from  Manenko,  a female  Chief. — Mambari  Traders.  — A 
Dream. — Sheakondo  and  his  People. — Teeth-filing. — Desire  for  Butter. — Inter- 
view with  Nyamoana,  another  female  Chief. — Court  Etiquette. — Hair  versus 
Wool. — Increase  of  Superstition. — Arrival  of  Manenko;  her  Appearance  and 
Husband. — Mode  of  Salutation. — Anklets. — Embassy,  with  a Present  from  Ma- 
siko.— Roast  Beef.  — Manioc.  — Magic  Lantern. — Manenko  an  accomplished 
Scold  : compels  us  to  wait. — Unsuccessful  Zebra-hunt 285 

CHAPTER  XVT. 

Nyamoana’s  Present. — Charms. — Manenko’s  pedestrian  Powers. — An  Idol. — Ba- 
londa Arms.  — Rain.  — Hunger.  — Palisades. — Dense  Forests. — Artificial  Bee- 
hives.— Mushrooms. — Villagers  lend  the  Roofs  of  their  Houses. — Divination  and 
Idols. — Manenko’s  Whims. — A night  Alarm. — Shinte’s  Messengers  and  Present. 
— The  proper  Way  to  approach  a Village. — A Merman. — Enter  Shinte’s  Town: 
its  Appearance. — Meet  two  half-caste  Slave-traders. — The  Makololo  scorn  them. 
— The  Balonda  real  Negroes. — Grand  Reception  from  Shinte.  — His  Kotla. — 
Ceremony  of  Introduction. — The  Orators. — Women. — Musicians  and  Musical 


XVI 


CONTENTS. 


Instruments. — A disagreeable  Request. — Private  Interviews  with  Shinte. — Give 
him  an  Ox. — Fertility  of  Soil. — Manenko’s  new  Hut. — Conversation  with  Shinte. 
— Kolimbota’s  Proposal. — Balonda’s  Punctiliousness. — Selling  Children. — Kid- 
napping.— Shinte’s  Offer  of  a Slave. — Magic  Lantern. — Alarm  of  Women. — De- 
lay.— Sambanza  returns  intoxicated. — The  last  and  greatest  Proof  of  Shinte’s 
Friendship Page  303 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Leave  Shinte. — Manioc  Gardens.  — Mode  of  preparing  the  poisonous  kind. — 
Its  general  Use.  — Presents  of  Food.  — Punctiliousness  of  the  Balonda.  — 
Their  Idols  and  Superstition.  — Dress  of  the  Balonda.  — Villages  beyond 
Lonaje.  — Cazembe.  — Our  Guides  and  the  Makololo.  — Night  Rains. — Inqui- 
ries for  English  cotton  Goods. — Intemese’s  Fiction. — Visit  from  an  old  Man. — 
Theft.  — Industry  of  our  Guide.  — Loss  of  Pontoon.  — Plains  covered  with 
Water.  — Affection  of  the  Balonda  for  their  Mothers.  — A Night  on  an  Isl- 
and.— The  Grass  on  the  Plains. — Source  of  the  Rivers. — Loan  of  the  Roofs 
of  Huts.  — A Halt.  — Fertility  of  the  Country  through  which  the  Lokalueje 
flows. — Omnivorous  Fish. — Natives’  Mode  of  catching  them. — The  Village  of  a 
Half-brother  of  Katema,  his  Speech  and  Present. — Our  Guide’s  Perversity. — 
Mozenkwa’s  pleasant  Home  and  Family. — Clear  Water  of  the  flooded  Rivers. — 
A Messenger  from  Katema.  — Quendende’s  Village : his  Kindness.  — Crop  of 
Wool. — Meet  People  from  the  Town  of  Matiamvo. — Fireside  Talk. — Matiam- 
vo’s  Character  and  Conduct. — Presentation  at  Katema’s  Court:  his  Present, 
good  Sense,  and  Appearance. — Interview  on  the  following  Day.  — Cattle. — A 
Feast  and  a Makololo  Dance. — Arrest  of  a Fugitive. — Dignified  old  Courtier. — 
Katema’s  lax  Government. — Cold  Wind  from  the  North. — Canaries  and  other 
singing  Birds. — Spiders,  their  Nests  and  Webs. — Lake  Dilolo. — Tradition. — Sa- 
gacity of  Ants 326 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Watershed  between  the  northern  and  southern  Rivers.  — A deep  Valley.— 
Rustic  Bridge.  — Fountains  on  the  Slopes  of  the  Valleys. —Village  of  Iva- 
binje.— Good  Effects  of  the  Belief  in  the  Power  of  Charms.— Demand  for  Gun- 
powder and  English  Calico. — The  Kasai. — Vexatious  Trick.— Want  of  Food. — 
No  Game.— Katende’s  unreasonable  Demand.— A grave  Offense.— Toll-bridge 
Keeper.  — Greedy  Guides.  — Flooded  Valleys.  — Swim  the  Nuana  Loke.  — 
Prompt  Kindness  of  my  Men.  — Makololo  Remarks  on  the  rich  uncultivated 
Valleys. — Difference  in  the  Color  of  Africans. — Reach  a Village  of  the  Chi- 
boque.— The  Head  Man’s  impudent  Message.— Surrounds  our  Encampment  with 
his  Warriors. — The  Pretense. — Their  Demand. — Prospect  of  a Fight. — Way  in 
which  it  was  averted. — Change  our  Path. — Summer.— Fever.— Beehives  and  the 
Honey-guide.  — Instinct  of  Trees. — Climbers. — The  Ox  Sinbad. — Absence  of 
Thorns  in  the  Forests. — Plant  peculiar  to  a forsaken  Garden.— Bad  Guides. — 
Insubordination  suppressed.  — Beset  by  Enemies.  — A Robber  Party.  — More 
Troubles.— Detained  by  Ionga  Panza.  — His  Village.  — Annoyed  by  Bangala 
Traders.— My  Men  discouraged.— Their  Determination  and  Precaution 355 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Guides  prepaid.— Bark  Canoes.— Deserted  by  Guides.— Mistakes  respecting  the 
Coanza.— Feelings  of  freed  Slaves.— Gardens  and  Villages.— Native  Traders.— 


CONTENTS. 


xvu 


A Grave. — Valley  of  the  Quango. — Bamboo. — White  Larvre  used  as  Food. — 
Bashinje  Insolence. — A posing  Question. — The  Chief  Sansawe. — His  Hostility. 
— Pass  him  safely. — The  River  Quango. — Chiefs  mode  of  dressing  his  Hair. — 
Opposition. — Opportune  Aid  by  Cvpriano. — His  generous  Hospitality. — Ability  of 
Half-castes  to  read  and  write. — Books  and  Images. — Marauding  Party  burned 
in  the  Grass.  — Arrive  at  Cassange. — A good  Supper.  — Kindness  of  Captain 
Neves. — Portuguese  Curiosity  and  Questions. — Anniversary  of  the  Resurrection. 
— No  Prejudice  against  Color. — Country  around  Cassange. — Sell  Sekeletu’s  Ivory. 
— Makololo’s  Surprise  at  the  high  Price  obtained. — Proposal  to  return  Home,  and 
Reasons. — Soldier-guide. — Hill  Kasala. — Tala  Mungongo,  Village  of. — Civility  of 
Basongo. — True  Negroes. — A Field  of  Wheat. — Carriers. — Sleeping-places. — 
Fever. — Enter  District  of  Ambaca. — Good  Fruits  of  Jesuit  Teaching. — The  Tam- 
pan ; its  Bite. — Universal  Hospitality  of  the  Portuguese. — A Tale  of  the  Mam- 
bari. — Exhilarating  Effects  of  Highland  Scenery. — District  of  Golungo  Alto. — 
/Want  of  good  Roads. — Fertility. — Forests  of  gigantic  Timber. — Native  Carpen- 
ters.— Coffee  Estate. — Sterility  of  Country  near  the  Coast. — Musquitoes. — Fears 
of  the  Makololo. — Welcome  by  Mr.  Gabriel  to  Loanda Page  383 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Continued  Sickness. — Kindness  of  the  Bishop  of  Angola  and  her  Majesty’s  Offi- 
cers.— Mr.  Gabriel’s  unwearied  Hospitality. — Serious  Deportment  of  the  Mako- 
lolo.— They  visit  Ships  of  War. — Politeness  of  the  Officers  and  Men. — The  Ma- 
kololo attend  Mass  in  the  Cathedral. — Their  Remarks. — Find  Employment  in 
collecting  Firewood  and  unloading  Coal. — Their  superior  Judgment  respecting 
Goods. — Beneficial  Influence  of  the  Bishop  of  Angola. — The  City  of  St.  Paul 
de  Loanda. — The  Harbor. — Custom-house. — No  English  Merchants. — Sincerity 
of  the  Portuguese  Government  in  suppressing  the  Slave-trade. — Convict  Soldiers. 
— Presents  from  Bishop  and  Merchants  for  Sekeletu. — Outfit. — Leave  Loanda 
20th  September,  1854. — Accompanied  by  Mr.  Gabriel  as  far  as  Icollo  i Bongo. — 
Sugar  Manufactory. — Geology  of  this  part  of  the  Country. — Women  spinning 
Cotton. — Its  Price. — Native  Weavers. — Market-places. — Cazengo  ; its  Coffee 
Plantations. — South  American  Trees. — Ruins  of  Iron  Foundry. — Native  Miners. 
— The  Banks  of  the  Lucalla. — Cottages  with  Stages. — Tobacco-plants. — Town 
of  Massangano. — Sugar  and  Rice. — Superior  District  for  Cotton. — Portuguese 
Merchants  and  foreign  Enterprise. — Ruins. — The  Fort  and  its  ancient  Guns. — 
Former  Importance  of  Massangano. — Fires. — The  Tribe  Kisama. — Peculiar  Va- 
riety of  Domestic  Fowl. — Coffee  Plantations. — Return  to  Golungo  Alto. — Self- 
complacency  of  the  Makololo. — Fever. — Jaundice. — Insanity 422 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Visit  a deserted  Convent. — Favorable  Report  of  Jesuits  and  their  Teaching. — Gra- 
dations of  native  Society. — Punishment  of  Thieves. — Palm-toddv  ; its  baneful 
Effects. — Freemasons. — Marriages  and  Funerals. — Litigation. — Mr.  Canto’s  Ill- 
ness.— Bad  Behavior  of  his  Slaves. — An  Entertainment. — Ideas  on  Free  Labor. — 
Loss  of  American  Cotton-seed. — Abundance  of  Cotton  in  the  country. — Sickness 
of  Sekeletu’s  Horse. — Eclipse  of  the  Sun. — Insects  which  distill  Water. — Experi- 
ments with  them. — Proceed  to  Ambaca. — Sickly  Season. — Office  of  Commandant. 
— Punishment  of  official  Delinquents. — Present  from  Mr.  Schut  of  Loanda. — Visit 
Pungo  Andongo. — Its  good  Pasturage,  Grain,  Fruit,  etc. — The  Fort  and  columnar 
Rocks. — The  Queen  of  Jinga. — Salubrity  of  Pungo  Andongo. — Price  of  a Slave. — 

2 


CONTENTS. 


xviii 

A Merchant-prince. — His  Hospitality. — Hear  of  the  Loss  of  my  Papers  in  “ Fore- 
runner.”— Narrow  Escape  from  an  Alligator. — Ancient  Burial-places. — Neglect 
of  Agriculture  in  Angola. — Manioc  the  staple  Product. — Its  Cheapness. — Sickness. 
— Friendly  Visit  from  a colored  Priest. — The  Prince  of  Congo. — No  Priests  in  the 
Interior  of  Angola Page  444 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Leave  Pungo  Andongo. — Extent  of  Portuguese  Power. — Meet  Traders  and  Carri- 
ers.— Red  Ants;  their  fierce  Attack;  Usefulness;  Numbers.  — Descend  the 
Heights  of  Tala  Mungongo. — Fruit-trees  in  the.  Valley  of  Cassange. — Edible 
Muscle.— Birds. — Cassange  Village. — Quinine  and  Cathory. — Sickness  of  Cap- 
tain Neves’  Infant. — A Diviner  thrashed. — Death  of  the  Child. — Mourning. — 
Loss  of  Life  from  the  Ordeal. — Wide-spread  Superstitions. — The  Chieftainship. — 
Charms. — Receive  Copies  of  the  “Times.” — Trading  Pomheiros. — Present  for 
Matiamvo. — Fever  after  westerly  Winds. — Capabilities  of  Angola  for  producing 
the  raw  Materials  of  English  Manufacture.— Trading  Parties  with  Ivory. — More 
Fever. — A Hyama’s  Choice. — Makololo  Opinion  of  the  Portuguese. — Cypriano’s 
Debt. — A Funeral. — Dread  of  disembodied  Spirits. — Beautiful  Morning  Scenes. 
— Crossing  the  Quango. — Ambakistas  called  “The  Jews  of  Angola.” — Fashions 
of  theBashinje. — Approach  the  Village  of  Sansawe. — His  Idea  of  Dignity. — The 
Pombeiros’  Present. — Long  Detention. — A Blow  on  the  Beard. — Attacked  in  a 
Forest. — Sudden  Conversion  of  a fighting  Chief  to  Peace  Principles  by  means  of 
a Revolver. — No  Blood  shed  in  consequence. — Rate  of  Traveling. — Slave  Women. 
— Way  of  addressing  Slaves. — Their  thievish  Propensities. — Feeders  of  the  Con- 
go or  Zaire. — Obliged  to  refuse  Presents. — Cross  the  Loajima. — Appearance  of 
People ; Hair  Fashions 465 


CHAPTER  XXin. 

Make  a Detour  southward. — Peculiarities  of  the  Inhabitants. — Scarcity  of  An- 
imals.— Forests. — Geological  Structure  of  the  Country. — Abundance  and  Cheap- 
ness of  Food  near  the  Chihombo. — A Slave  lost. — The  Makololo  Opinion  of 
Slaveholders. — Funeral  Obsequies  in  Cabango.  — Send  a Sketch  of  the  Coun- 
try to  Mr.  Gabriel. — Native  Information  respecting  the  Kasai  and  Quango. — 
The  Trade  with  Luba. — Drainage  of  Londa. — Report  of  Matiamvo’s  Country 
and  Government. — Senhor  Faria’s  Present  to  a Chief. — The  Balonda  Mode  of 
spending  Time. — Faithless  Guide. — Makololo  lament  the  Ignorance  of  the  Ba- 
londa.— Eagerness  of  the  Villagers  for  Trade. — Civility  of  a Female  Chief. — 
The  Chief  Bango  and  his  People. — Refuse  to  eat  Beef. — Ambition  of  Africans 
to  have  a Village. — Winters  in  the  Interior. — Spring  at  Kolobeng. — White  Ants  : 
“Never  could  desire  to  eat  any  thing  better.” — Young  Herbage  and  Animals. — 
Valley  of  the  Loembwe. — The  white  Man  a Hobgoblin. — Specimen  of  Quarrel- 
ing.— Eager  Desire  for  Calico. — Want  of  Clothing  at  Kawawa’s. — Funeral  Ob- 
servances.— Agreeable  Intercourse  with  Kawawa. — His  impudent  Demand. — 
Unpleasant  Parting. — Kawawa  tries  to  prevent  our  crossing  the  River  Kasai. — 
Stratagem 489 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Level  Plains. — Vultures  and  other  Birds.— Diversity  of  Color  in  Flowers  of  the 
same  Species.— The  Sundew.— Twenty-seventh  Attack  of  Fever.— A River  which 
flows  in  opposite  Directions. — Lake  Dilolo  the  Watershed  between  the  Atlantic 


CONTENTS. 


xix 


and  Indian  Oceans. — Position  of  Rocks. — Sir  Roderick  Murchison’s  Explanation. 
— Characteristics  of  the  Rainy  Season  in  connection  with  the  Floods  of  the  Zam- 
besi and  the  Nile. — Probable  Reason  of  Difference  in  Amount  of  Rain  South  and 
North  of  the  Equator. — Arab  Reports  of  Region  east  of  Londa. — Probable  Wa- 
tershed of  the  Zambesi  and  the  Nile. — Lake  Dilolo. — Reach  Katema’s  Town  : 
his  renewed  Hospitality ; desire  to  appear  like  a White  Man ; ludicrous  Depart- 
ure.— Jackdaws. — Ford  southern  Branch  of  Lake  Dilolo. — Small  Fish. — Project 
for  a Makololo  Village  near  the  Confluence  of  the  Leeba  and  the  Leeambye. — 
Hearty  Welcome  from  Shinte. — Kolimbota’s  Wound. — Plant-seeds  and  Fruit- 
trees  brought  from  Angola. — Masiko  and  Limboa’s  Quarrel. — Nyamoana  now  a 
Widow. — Purchase  Canoes  and  descend  the  Leeba. — Herds  of  wild  Animals  on 
its  Banks. — Unsuccessful  Buffalo-lmnt. — Frogs. — Sinbad  and  the  Tsetse. — Dis- 
patch a Message  to  Manenko. — Arrival  of  her  Husband  Sambanza. — The  Cere- 
mony called  Kasendi. — Unexpected  Fee  for  performing  a surgical  Operation. — 
Social  Condition  of  the  Tribes. — Desertion  of  Mboenga. — Stratagem  of  Mam- 
bowe  Hunters. — Water-turtles. — Charged  by  a Buffalo. — Reception  from  the  Peo- 
ple of  Libonta. — Explain  the  Causes  of  our  long  Delay. — Pitsane’s  Speech. — 
Thanksgiving  Sendees. — Appearance  of  my  “ Braves.” — Wonderful  Kindness  of 
the  People Page  508 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Colony  of  Birds  called  Linkololo. — The  Village  of  Chitlane. — Murder  of  Mpololo’s 
Daughter. — Execution  of  the  Murderer  and  his  Wife. — My  Companions  find  that 
their  Wives  have  married  other  Husbands. — Sunday. — A Party  from  Masiko. — 
Freedom  of  Speech. — Canoe  struck  by  a Hippopotamus. — Gonye. — Appearance 
of  Trees  at  the  end  of  Winter. — Murky  Atmosphere. — Surprising  Amount  of 
organic  Life.  — Hornets. — The  Packages  forwarded  by  Mr.  Moffat. — Makololo 
Suspicions  and  Reply  to  the  Matebele  who  brought  them. — Convey  the  Goods  to 
an  Island  and  build  a Hut  over  them. — Ascertain  that  Sir  Ii.  Murchison  had  rec- 
ognized the  true  Form  of  African  Continent. — Arrival  at  Linyanti. — A grand 
Picho. — Shrewd  Inquiry. — Sekeletu  in  his  Uniform. — A Trading-party  sent  to 
Loanda  with  Ivory. — Mr.  Gabriel’s  Kindness  to  them. — Difficulties  in  Trading. — 
Two  Makololo  Forays  during  our  Absence. — Report  of  the  Country  to  the  N.E. 
— Death  of  influential  Men. — The  Makololo  desire  to  be  nearer  the  Market. — 
Opinions  upon  a Change  of  Residence. — Climate  of  Barotse  Valley. — Diseases. 
— Author’s  Fevers  not  a fair  Criterion  in  the  Matter. — The  Interior  an  inviting 
Field  for  the  Philanthropist. — Consultations  about  a Path  to  the  East  Coast. — 
Decide  on  descending  North  Bank  of  Zambesi. — Wait  for  the  Rainy  Season. — 
Native  way  of  spending  Time  during  the  period  of  greatest  Heat. — Favorable 
Opening  for  Missionary  Enterprise. — Ben  Habib  wishes  to  marry. — A Maiden’s 
Choice.  — Sekeletu’s  Hospitality. — Sulphureted  Hydrogen  and  Malaria. — Con- 
versations with  Makololo. — Their  moral  Character  and  Conduct. — Sekeletu  wish- 
es to  purchase  a Sugar-mill,  etc. — The  Donkeys. — Influence  among  the  Natives. 
— “Food  fit  for  a Chief.” — Parting  Words  of  Mamire. — Motibe’s  Excuses..  531 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Departure  from  Linyanti. — A Thunder-storm. — An  Act  of  genuine  Kindness. — 
Fitted  out  a second  time  by  the  Makololo. — Sail  down  the  Leeambye. — Sekote’s 
Kotla  and  human  Skulls ; his  Grave  adorned  with  Elephants’  Tusks. — Victoria 
Falls. — Native  Names.  — Columns  of  Vapor.  — Gigantic  Crack. — Wear  of  the 


XX 


CONTENTS. 


Rocks. — Shrines  of  the  Barimo. — “The  Pestle  of  the  Gods.” — Second  Visit  to 
the  Falls. — Island  Garden. — Store-house  Island. — Native  Diviners. — A Euro- 
pean Diviner. — Makololo  Foray. — Marauder  to  be  fined. — Mambari. — Makololo 
wish  to  stop  Mambari  Slave-trading. — Part  with  Sekeletu. — Night  Traveling. — 
River  Lekone. — Ancient  fresh- water  Lakes. — Formation  of  Lake  Ngami. — Na- 
tive Traditions. — Drainage  of  the  Great  Valley. — Native  Reports  of  the  Country 
to  the  North. — Maps. — Moyara’s  Village. — Savage  Customs  of  the  Batoka. — A 
Chain  of  Trading  Stations. — Remedy  against  Tsetse. — “The  Well  of  Joy.” — 
First  Traces  of  Trade  with  Europeans. — Knocking  out  the  front  Teeth. — Facetious 
Explanation. — Degradation  of  the  Batoka. — Description  of  the  Traveling  Party. 
— Cross  the  Unguesi. — Geological  Formation. — Ruins  of  a large  Town. — Pro- 
ductions of  the  Soil  similar  to  those  in  Angola. — Abundance  of  Fruit... Page  554 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Low  Hills. — Black  Soldier-Ants  ; their  Cannibalism. — The  Plasterer  and  its  Chlo- 
roform.— White  Ants;  their  Usefulness. — Mutokwaue-smoking ; its  Effects. — 
Border  Territory. — Healthy  Table-lands. — Geological  Formation. — Cicadse. — 
Trees. — Flowers. — River  Kalomo. — Physical  Conformation  of  Country. — Ridges, 
sanatoria.  — A wounded  Buffalo  assisted.  — Buffalo-bird. — Rhinoceros-bird. — 
Leaders  of  Herds. — The  Honey-guide. — The  White  Mountain. — Mozuma  River. 
— Sebituane’s  old  Home.— Hostile  Village. — Prophetic  Phrensy. — Food  of  the  El- 
ephant.— Ant-hills. — Friendly  Batoka. — Clothing  despised. — Method  of  Saluta- 
tion.— Wild  Fruits.  — The  Captive  released.  — Longings  for  Peace.  — Pingola’s 
Conquests. — The  Village  of  Monze. — Aspect  of  the  Country. — Visit  from  the 
Chief  Monze  and  his  Wife. — Central  healthy  Locations. — Friendly  Feelings  of 
the  People  in  reference  to  a white  Resident. — -Fertility  of  the  Soil. — Bashuku- 
lompo  Mode  of  dressing  their  Hair. — Gratitude  of  the  Prisoner  we  released. — 
Kindness  and  Remarks  of  Monze’s  Sister. — Dip  of  the  Rocks. — Vegetation. — 
Generosity  of  the  Inhabitants. — Their  Anxiety  for  Medicine. — Hooping-cough. 
— Birds  and  Rain .' 575 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Beautiful  Valley. — Buffalo. — My  young  Men  kill  two  Elephants. — The  Hunt. — 
Mode  of  measuring  Height  of  live  Elephants. — Wild  Animals  smaller  here  than 
in  the  South,  though  their  Food  is  more  abundant.  — The  Elephant  a dainty 
Feeder. — Semalembue. — His  Presents. — Joy  in  prospect  of  living  in  Peace. — 
Trade. — His  People’s  way  of  wearing  their  Hair. — Their  Mode  of  Salutation. — 
Old  Encampment. — Sebituane’s  former  Residence. — Ford  of  Kafue. — Hippopot- 
ami.— Hills  and  Villages. — Geological  Formation. — Prodigious  Quantities  of 
large  Game. — Their  Tameness. — Rains. — Less  Sickness  than  in  the  Journey  to 
Loanda. — Reason. — Charge  from  an  Elephant. — Vast  Amount  of  animal  Life 

on  the  Zambesi. — Water  of  River  discolored. An  Island  with  Buffaloes  and 

Men  on  it. — Native  Devices  for  killing  Game. — Tsetse  now  in  Country. — Agri- 
cultural Industry. — An  Albino  murdered  by  his  Mother. — “Guilty  of  Tlolo.” — 
Women  who  make  their  Mouths  “like  those  of  Ducks.” — First  Symptom  of  the 
Slave-trade  on  this  side. — Selole’s  Hostility. — An  armed  Party  hoaxed. — An 
Italian  Marauder  slain. — Elephant’s  Tenacity  of  Life. — A Word  to  young  Sports- 
men.— Mr.  Oswell’s  Adventure  with  an  Elephant ; narrow  Escape. — MburumaV 
Village. — Suspicious  Conduct  of  his  People. — Guides  attempt  to  detain  us. — The 
Village  and  People  of  Ma  Mburuma. — Character  our  Guides  give  of  us 599 


CONTENTS. 


XXI 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Confluence  of  Loangwa  and  Zambesi. — Hostile  Appearances. — Ruins  of  a Church. — 
Turmoil  of  Spirit. — Cross  the  River. — Friendly  Parting. — Ruins  of  stone  Houses. 
— The  Situation  of  Zumbo  for  Commerce. — Pleasant  Gardens. — Dr.  Lacerda’s 
Visit  to  Cazembe. — Pereira’s  Statement. — Unsuccessful  Attempt  to  establish  Trade 
with  the  People  of  Cazembe. — One  of  my  Men  tossed  by  a Buffalo. — Meet  a Man 
with  Jacket  and  Hat  on. — Hear  of  the  Portuguese  and  native  War. — Holms  and 
Terraces  on  the  Banks  of  a River. — Dancing  for  Corn. — Beautiful  Country. — 
Mpende’s  Hostility. — Incantations. — A Fight  anticipated. — Courage  and  Re- 
marks of  my  Men. — Visit  from  two  old  Councilors  of  Mpende. — Their  Opinion 
of  the  English. — Mpende  concludes  not  to  fight  us. — His  subsequent  Friendship. — 
Aids  us  to  cross  the  River. — The  Country. — Sweet  Potatoes. — Bakwain  Theory  of 
Rain  confirmed. — Thunder  without  Clouds. — Desertion  of  one  of  my  Men. — Other 
Natives’  Ideas  of  the  English. — Dalama  (gold).— Inhabitants  dislike  Slave-buyers. — 
Meet  native  Traders  with  American  Calico. — Game-laws. — Elephant  Medicine. — 
Salt  from  the  Sand. — Fertility  of  Soil. — Spotted  Hyoena. — Liberality  and  Polite- 
ness of  the  People. — Presents. — A stingy  white  Trader. — Natives’  Remarks  about 
him. — Effect  on  their  Minds. — Rain  and  Wind  now  from  an  opposite  Direction. — 
Scarcity  of  Fuel. — Trees  for  Boat-building. — Boroma.— Freshets. — Leave  the 
River. — Chicova,  its  Geological  Features. — Small  Rapid  nearTete. — Loquacious 
Guide. — Nyampungo,  the  Rain-charmer.  — An  old  Man. — No  Silver. — Gold- 
washing.— No  Cattle Page  625 

I 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

An  Elephant-hunt. — Offering  and  Prayers  to  the  Barimo  for  Success. — Native 
Mode  of  Expression. — Working  of  Game-laws. — A Feast. — Laughing  Hyamas. 
— Numerous  Insects. — Curious  Notes  of  Birds  of  Song. — Caterpillars. — Butter- 
flies.— Silica. — The  Fruit  Makoronga  and  Elephants. — Rhinoceros  Adventure. 
— Korwe  Bird. — Its  Nest. — A real  Confinement. — Honey  and  Beeswax. — Super- 
stitious Reverence  for  the  Lion. — Slow  Traveling. — Grapes. — The  Ue. — Monina’s 
Village. — Native  Names.  — Government  of  the  Banyai.  — Electing  a Chief. — 
Youths  instructed  in  “ Bonyai” — Suspected  of  Falsehood. — War-dance. — Insan- 
ity and  Disappearance  of  Monahin. — Fruitless  Search. — Monina’s  Sympathy. — 
The  Sand-river  Tangwe. — The  Ordeal  Muavi : its  Victims. — An  unreasonable 
Man.  — “Woman’s  Rights.” — Presents. — Temperance. — A winding  Course  to 
shun  Villages. — Banyai  Complexion  and  Hair. — Mushrooms. — The  Tubers,  Mo- 
kuri. — The  Tree  Shekabakadzi. — Face  of  the  Country. — Pot-holes. — Pursued  by 
a Party  of  Natives. — Unpleasant  Threat. — Aroused  by  a Company  of  Soldiers. — 
A civilized  Breakfast. — Arrival  at  Tete 650 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Kind  Reception  from  the  Commandant. — His  Generosity  to  my  Men. — The  Vil- 
lage of  Tete. — The  Population. — Distilled  Spirits. — The  Fort. — Cause  of  the  De- 
cadence of  Portuguese  Power. — Former  Trade. — Slaves  employed  in  Gold-wash- 
ing.— Slave-trade  drained  the  Country  of  Laborers. — The  Rebel  Nyaude’s  Stock- 
ade.— He  burns  Tete. — Kisaka’s  Revolt  and  Ravages. — Extensive  Field  of  Sugar- 
cane.— The  Commandant’s  good  Reputation  among  the  Natives. — Providential 
Guidance. — Seams  of  Coal. — A hot  Spring. — Picturesque  Country. — Water-car- 
riage to  the  Coal-fields. — Workmen’s  Wages. — Exports. — Price  of  Provisions. — 
Visit  Gold-washings. — The  Process  of  obtaining  the  precious  Metal. — Coal  within 


xxu 


CONTENTS. 


a Gold-field. — Present  from  Major  Sicard. — Natives  raise  Wheat,  etc. — Liberal- 
ity of  the  Commandant. — Geographical  Information  from  Senlior  Candido. — 
Earthquakes. — Native  Ideas  of  a Supreme  Being. — Also  of  the  Immortality  and 
Transmigration  of  Souls. — Fondness  for  Display  at  Funerals. — Trade  Restric- 
tions.— Former  Jesuit  Establishment. — State  of  Religion  and  Education  at  Tete. 
— Inundation  of  the  Zambesi. — Cotton  cultivated. — The  fibrous  Plants  Conge 
and  Buaze. — Detained  by  Fever. — The  Kumbanzo  Bark. — Native  Medicines. — 
Iron,  its  Quality. — Hear  of  Famine  at  Kilimane. — Death  of  a Portuguese  Lady. 
— The  Funeral. — Disinterested  Kindness  of  the  Portuguese Page  673 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Leave  Tete  and  proceed  down  the  River. — Pass  the  Stockade  of  Bonga. — Gorge 
of  Lupata. — “ Spine  of  the  "World.” — Width  of  River. — Islands. — War  Drum  at 
Shiramba. — Canoe  Navigation. — Reach  Senna. — Its  ruinous  State. — Landeens 
levy  Fines  upon  the  Inhabitants. — Cowardice  of  native  Militia. — State  of  the 
Revenue. — No  direct  Trade  with  Portugal. — Attempts  to  revive  the  Trade  of 
Eastern  Africa. — Country  round  Senna. — Gorongozo,  a Jesuit  Station. — Manica, 
the  best  Gold  Region  in  Eastern  Africa. — Boat-building  at  Senna. — Our  Depart- 
ure.— Capture  of  a Rebel  Stockade. — Plants  Alfacinya  and  Njefu  at  the  Conflu- 
ence of  the  Shire. — Landeen  Opinion  of  the  Whites. — Mazaro,  the  point  reached 
by  Captain  Parker. — His  Opinion  respecting  the  Navigation  of  the  River  from 
this  to  the  Ocean. — Lieutenant  Hoskins’  Remarks  on  the  same  subject. — Fever, 
its  Effects. — Kindly  received  into  the  House  of  Colonel  Nunes  at  Kilimane. — 
Forethought  of  Captain  Nolloth  and  Dr.  Walsh. — J oy  imbittered. — Deep  Obli- 
gations to  the  Earl  of  Clarendon,  etc. — On  developing  Resources  of  the  Interior. 
— Desirableness  of  Missionary  Societies  selecting  he'althy  Stations. — Arrange- 
ments on  leaving  my  Men. — Retrospect. — Probable  Influence  of  the  Discoveries 
on  Slavery. — Supply  of  Cotton,  Sugar,  etc.,  by  Free  Labor. — Commercial  Sta- 
tions.— Development  of  the  Resources  of  Africa  a Work  of  Time. — Site  of  Kili- 
mane.— Unhealthiness. — Death  of  a shipwrecked  Crew  from  Fever. — The  Cap- 
tain saved  by  Quinine. — Arrival  of  H.  M.  Brig  “ Frolic.” — Anxiety  of  one  of  my 
Men  to  go  to  England. — Rough  Passage  in  the  Boats  to  the  Ship. — Sekwebu’s 
Alarm. — Sail  for  Mauritius. — Sekwebu  on  board;  he  becomes  insane;  drowns 
himself. — Kindness  of  Major-General  C.  M.  Hay. — Escape  Shipwreck. — Reach 


Home 699 

Appendix 729 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


1.  The  Victoria  Falls  of  the  Leeambye  or  Zambesi  River Frontispiece. 

2.  Author’s  Portrait To  face  page  1 

3.  The  Missionary’s  Escape  from  the  Lion Page  13 

4.  The  Hopo,  or  Trap  for  driving  Game 29 

5.  The  Pit  at  the  Extremity  of  the  IIopo . 32 

C.  Bakalahari  Women  filling  their  Egg-shells  and  Water-skins  at  a Pool  in 

the  Desert 58 

7.  Hottentots. — Women  returning  from  the  Water,  and  Men  around  a dead 

Hartebeest 65 

8.  Lake  Ngami,  discovered  by  Oswell,  Murray,  and  Livingstone 77 

9.  New  African  Antelopes  (Poku  and  Leche) 84 

10.  Three  Lions  attempting  to  drag  down  a Buffalo , 155 

11.  Buffalo  Cow  defending  her  Calf '. 159 

12.  Mopane  or  Bauhinia  Leaves,  with  the  Insect  and  its  edible  Secretions 182 

13.  Egyptian  Pestle  and  Mortar,  Sieves,  Corn-vessels,  and  Kilt 213 

14.  A Batoka  Hoe 21C 

15.  A new  or  striped  variety  of  Eland,  found  north  of  Sesheke 229 

16.  Mode  in  which  the  female  Hippopotamus  carries  her  Calf  while  young.  ...  263 

17.  Reception  of  the  Mission  by  Shinte 314 

18.  The  Marimba,  or  Musical  Instrument  of  the  Balonda 317 

19.  Shell,  and  Ornament  made  of  its  End 324 

20.  Bechuana  Reed-dance  by  Moonlight 1 346 

21.  River  Scenery  on  the  West  Coast 359 

22.  Seed-vessel  of  the  Grapple-plant 374 

23.  Bashinje  Chief’s  mode  of  wearing  the  Hair 393 

24.  Scene  in  Angola. — The  Angolese  Palanquin  under  a Baobab  and  Euphor- 

bias   403 

25.  Scene  at  a Sleeping-place  in  Angola 411 

26.  St.  Paul  de  Loanda — the  Fort  of  San  Miguel  on  the  right 427 

27.  Ancient  Spinning  and  Weaving,  perpetuated  in  Africa  at  the  present  day. 

From  Wilkinson’s  “ Ancient  Egyptians” 434 

28.  Double-handled  Angola  Hoe 442 

29.  Group  of  Native  Women  under  the  Mokolane  Palms 447 

30.  A few  of  the  Rocks  of  Pungo  Andongo 457 

31-33.  Londa  Ladies’  modes  of  wearing  the  Hair 486,  487 

34.  A young  Man’s  Fashion 488 

35.  An  African  Chief’s  Notion  of  Dignity 518 

36.  Boat  capsized  by  a Hippopotamus  robbed  of  her  Young 536 

37.  Bashukuloinpo  mode  of  wearing  the  Hair 596 

38.  Female  Elephant  pursued  with  Javelins,  protecting  her  Young 602 


XXIV 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


39.  Coins  of  Faustina  the  Elder  and  Septiraius  Severus Page  G05 

40.  Ideal  Section  across  South  Central  Africa To  face  page  GIO 

41.  The  Tsetse Page  612 

42.  The  Traveling  Procession  interrupted 630 

43.  Presentation  at  Court  (to  Mosilikatse)  of  two  successful  young  Lion- 

hunters  664 

44.  The  Buaze 691 

45.  The  Kumbanzo  Leaves,  Pods,  and  Seeds 693 

46.  Map  of  South  Africa ) . , , 

. _ -»«-  ,» ■»-  • • , ) t)  J oil  u Allow  smith.  ••••«••••••••••••• , .t  the  end . 

47.  Map  of  Dr.  Livingstone  s Route..) 


/ 


mm, »r. 


a 


JOURNEYS  AND  RESEARCHES 

IN 


SOUTH  AFRICA. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Personal  Sketch. — Highland  Ancestors. — Family  Traditions. — Grandfather  removes 
to  the  Lowlands. — Parents. — Early  Labors  and  Efforts. — Evening  School. — Love 
of  Reading. — Religious  Impressions. — Medical  Education. — Youthful  Travels. — 
Geology. — Mental  Discipline. — Study  in  Glasgow. — London  Missionary  Society. — 
Native  Village. — Medical  Diploma. — Theological  Studies. — Departure  for  Africa. 
— No  Claim  to  Literary  Accomplishments. 

My  own  inclination  would  lead  me  to  say  as  little  as  possible 
about  myself ; but  several  friends,  in  whose  judgment  I have 
confidence,  have  suggested  that,  as  the  reader  likes  to  know 
something  about  the  author,  a short  account  of  his  origin  and 
early  life  would  lend  additional  interest  to  this  book.  Such  is 
my  excuse  for  the  following  egotism ; and,  if  an  apology  be 
necessary  for  giving  a genealogy,  I find  it  in  the  fact  that  it  is 
not  very  long,  and  contains  only  one  incident  of  which  I have 
reason  to  be  proud. 

Our  great-grandfather  fell  at  the  battle  of  Culloden,  fighting 
for  the  old  line  of  kings ; and  our  grandfather  was  a small  farmer 
in  Ulva,  where  my  father  was  born.  It  is  one  of  that  cluster  of 
the  Hebrides  thus  alluded  to  by  Walter  Scott : 

“ And  Ulva  dark,  and  Colonsay, 

And  all  the  group  of  islets  gay 
That  guard  famed  Staffa  round.”* 

Our  grandfather  was  intimately  acquainted  with  all  the  tradi- 
tionary legends  which  that  great  writer  has  since  made  use  of  in 
* Lord  of  the  Isles,  canto  iv. 

A 


2 


THE  AUTHOR’S  ANCESTORS. 


the  “Tales  of  a Grandfather”  and  other  works.  As  a boy  I re- 
member listening  to  him  with  delight,  for  his  memory  was  stored 
with  a never-ending  stock  of  stories,  many  of  which  were  wonder- 
fully like  those  I have  since  heard  while  sitting  by  the  African 
evening  fires.  Our  grandmother,  too,  used  to  sing  Gaelic  songs, 
some  of  which,  as  she  believed,  had  been  composed  by  captive 
islanders  languishing  hopelessly  among  the  Turks. 

Grandfather  could  give  particulars  of  the  lives  of  his  ancestors 
for  six  generations  of  the  family  before  him ; and  the  only  point 
of  the  tradition  I feel  proud  of  is  this : One  of  these  poor  hardy 
islanders  was  renowned  in  the  district  for  great  wisdom  and 
prudence ; and  it  is  related  that,  when  he  was  on  his  death-bed, 
he  called  all  his  children  around  him  and  said,  “ Now,  in  my 
lifetime,  I have  searched  most  carefully  through  all  the  traditions 
I could  find  of  our  family,  and  I never  could  discover  that  there 
was  a dishonest  man  among  our  forefathers.  If,  therefore,  any 
of  you  or  any  of  your  children  should  take  to  dishonest  ways, 
it  will  not  be  because  it  runs  in  our  blood : it  does  not  belong 
to  you.  I leave  this  precept  with  you:  Be  honest.”  If,  there- 
fore, in  the  following  pages  I fall  into  any  errors,  I hope  they 
will  be  dealt  with  as  honest  mistakes,  and  not  as  indicating  that 
I have  forgotten  our  ancient  motto.  This  event  took  place  at  a 
time  when  the  Highlanders,  according  to  Macaulay,  were  much 
like  the  Cape  Caffres,  and  any  one,  it  was  said,  could  escape  pun- 
ishment for  cattle-stealing  by  presenting  a share  of  the  plunder  to 
his  chieftain.  Our  ancestors  were  Boman  Catholics ; they  were 
made  Protestants  by  the  laird  coming  round  with  a man  having 
a yellow  staff,  which  would  seem  to  have  attracted  more  attention 
than  his  teaching,  for  the  new  religion  went  long  afterward,  per- 
haps it  does  so  still,  by  the  name  of  “ the  religion  of  the  yellow 
stick.” 

Finding  his  farm  in  Ulva  insufficient  to  support  a numerous 
family,  my  grandfather  removed  to  Blantyre  Works,  a large 
cotton  manufactory  on  the  beautiful  Clyde,  above  Glasgow ; and 
his  sons,  having  had  the  best  education  the  Hebrides  afforded, 
were  gladly  received  as  clerks  by  the  proprietors,  Monteith  and 
Co.  He  himself,  highly  esteemed  for  his  unflinching  honesty, 
was  employed  in  the  conveyance  of  large  sums  of  money  from 
Glasgow  to  the  works,  and  in  old  age  was,  according  to  the 


EARLY  LABORS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS.  3 

custom  of  that  company,  pensioned  off,  so  as  to  spend  his  declin- 
ing years  in  ease  and  comfort. 

Our  uncles  all  entered  his  majesty’s  service  during  the  last 
French  war,  either  as  soldiers  or  sailors  ; hut  my  father  remained 
at  home,  and,  though  too  conscientious  ever  to  become  rich  as  a 
small  tea-dealer,  by  his  kindliness  of  manner  and  winning  ways 
he  made  the  heart-strings  of  his  children  twine  around  him  as 
firmly  as  if  he  had  possessed,  and  could  have  bestowed  upon 
them,  every  worldly  advantage.  He  reared  his  children  in  con- 
nection with  the  Kirk  of  Scotland  — a religious  establishment 
which  has  been  an  incalculable  blessing  to  that  country — but  he 
afterward  left  it,  and  during  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life  held 
the  office  of  deacon  of  an  independent  church  in  Hamilton,  and 
deserved  my  lasting  gratitude  and  homage  for  presenting  me, 
from  my  infancy,  with  a continuously  consistent  pious  example, 
such  as  that  the  ideal  of  which  is  so  beautifully  and  truthfully 
portrayed  in  Burns’s  “ Cottar’s  Saturday  Night.”  He  died  in 
February,  1856,  in  peaceful  hope  of  that  mercy  which  we  all  ex- 
pect through  the  death  of  our  Lord  and  Savior.  I was  at  the 
time  on  my  way  below  Zumbo,  expecting  no  greater  pleasure  in 
this  country  than  sitting  by  our  cottage  fire  and  telling  him  my 
travels.  I revere  his  memory. 

The  earliest  recollection  of  my  mother  recalls  a pictui’e  so  oft- 
en seen  among  the  Scottish  poor — that  of  the  anxious  housewife 
striving  to  make  both  ends  meet.  At  the  age  of  ten  I was  put 
into  the  factory  as  a “ piecer,”  to  aid  by  my  earnings  in  lessening 
her  anxiety.  With  a part  of  my  first  week’s  wages  I purchased 
Ruddiman’s  “Rudiments  of  Latin,”  and  pursued  the  study  of  that 
language  for  many  years  afterward,  with  unabated  ardor,  at  an 
evening  school,  which  met  between  the  hours  of  eight  and  ten. 
The  dictionary  part  of  my  labors  was  followed  up  till  twelve 
o’clock,  or  later,  if  my  mother  did  not  interfere  by  jumping  up 
and  snatching  the  books  out  of  my  hands.  I had  to  be  back  in 
the  factory  by  six  in  the  morning,  and  continue  my  work,  with 
intervals  for  breakfast  and  dinner,  till  eight  o’clock  at  night.  I 
read  in  this  way  many  of  the  classical  authors,  and  knew  Virgil 
and  Horace  better  at  sixteen  than  I do  now.  Our  schoolmaster 
— happily  still  alive — was  supported  in  part  by  the  company;  he 
was  attentive  and  kind,  and  so  moderate  in  his  charges  that  all 


4 


RELIGIOUS  IMPRESSIONS. 


who  wished  for  education  might  have  obtained  it.  Many  availed 
themselves  of  the  privilege ; and  some  of  my  schoolfellows  now 
rank  in  positions  far  above  what  they  appeared  ever  likely  to 
come  to  when  in  the  village  school.  If  such  a system  were  es- 
tablished in  England,  it  would  prove  a never-ending  blessing  to 
the  poor. 

In  reading,  every  thing  that  I could  lay  my  hands  on  was  de- 
voured except  novels.  Scientific  works  and  books  of  travels  were 
my  especial  delight ; though  my  father,  believing,  with  many  of 
his  time  who  ought  to  have  known  better,  that  the  former  ■were 
inimical  to  religion,  would  have  preferred  to  have  seen  me  poring 
over  the  “Cloud  of  Witnesses,”  or  Boston’s  “Fourfold  State.” 
Our  difference  of  opinion  reached  the  point  of  open  rebellion  on 
my  part,  and  his  last  application  of  the  rod  was  on  my  refusal  to 
peruse  Wilberforce’s  “ Practical  Christianity.”  This  dislike  to 
dry  doctrinal  reading,  and  to  religious  reading  of  every  sort,  con- 
tinued for  years  afterward  ; but  having  lighted  on  those  admirable 
works  of  Dr.  Thomas  Dick,  “ The  Philosophy  of  Religion”  and 
“ The  Philosophy  of  a Future  State,”  it  was  gratifying  to  find  my 
own  ideas,  that  religion  and  science  are  not  hostile,  but  friendly  to 
each  other,  fully  proved  and  enforced. 

Great  pains  had  been  taken  by  my  parents  to  instill  the  doc- 
trines of  Christianity  into  my  mind,  and  I had  no  difficulty  in  un- 
derstanding the  theory  of  our  free  salvation  by  the  atonement  of 
our  Savior,  but  it  was  only  about  this  time  that  I really  began  to 
feel  the  necessity  and  value  of  a personal  application  of  the  pro- 
visions of  that  atonement  to  my  own  case.  The  change  was 
like  what  may  be  supposed  would  take  place  were  it  possible  to 
cure  a case  of  “color  blindness.”  The  perfect  freeness  with 
which  the  pardon  of  all  our  guilt  is  offered  in  God’s  book  drew 
forth  feelings  of  affectionate  love  to  Him  who  bought  us  with  his 
blood,  and  a sense  of  deep  obligation  to  Him  for  his  mercy  has 
influenced,  in  some  small  measure,  my  conduct  ever  since.  But 
I shall  not  again  refer  to  the  inner  spiritual  life  which  I believe 
then  began,  nor  do  I intend  to  specify  with  any  prominence  the 
evangelistic  labors  to  which  the  love  of  Christ  has  since  impelled 
me.  This  book  will  speak,  not  so  much  of  what  has  been  done, 
as  of  what  still  remains  to  be  performed,  before  the  Gospel  can  be 
said  to  be  preached  to  all  nations. 


YOUTHFUL  EXCURSIONS. 


In  the  glow  of  love  which  Christianity  inspires,  I soon  resolved 
to  devote  my  life  to  the  alleviation  of  human  misery.  Turning 
this  idea  over  in  my  mind,  I felt  that  to  be  a pioneer  of  Chris- 
tianity in  China  might  lead  to  the  material  benefit  of  some  por- 
tions of  that  immense  empire ; and  therefore  set  myself  to  ob- 
tain a medical  education,  in  order  to  be  qualified  for  that  en- 
terprise. 

In  recognizing  the  plants  pointed  out  in  my  first  medical  book, 
that  extraordinary  old  work  on  astrological  medicine,  Culpeper’s 
“ Herbal,”  I had  the  guidance  of  a book  on  the  plants  of  Lanark- 
shire, by  Patrick.  Limited  as  my  time  was,  I found  opportunities 
to  scour  the  whole  country-side,  “ collecting  simples.”  Deep  and 
anxious  were  my  studies  on  the  still  deeper  and  more  perplexing- 
profundities  of  astrology,  and  I believe  I got  as  far  into  that  abyss 
of  phantasies  as  my  author  said  lie  dared  to  lead  me.  It  seemed 
perilous  ground  to  tread  on  farther,  for  the  dark  hint  seemed  to 
my  youthful  mind  to  loom  toward  “ selling  soul  and  body  to 
the  devil,”  as  the  price  of  the  unfathomable  knowledge  of  the 
stars.  These  excursions,  often  in  company  with  brothers,  one 
now  in  Canada,  and  the  other  a clergyman  in  the  United  States, 
gratified  my  intense  love  of  nature ; and  though  we  generally  re- 
turned so  unmercifully  hungry  and  fatigued  that  the  embryo  par- 
son shed  tears,  yet  we  discovered,  to  us,  so  many  new  and  inter- 
esting things,  that  he  was  always  as  eager  to  join  us  next  time  as 
he  was  the  last. 

On  one  of  these  exploring  tours  we  entered  a limestone  quarry 
— long  before  geology  was  so  popular  as  it  is  now.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  describe  the  delight  and  wonder  with  which  I began  to 
collect  the  shells  found  in  the  carboniferous  limestone  which  crops 
out  in  High  Blantyre  and  Cambuslang.  A quarry-man,  seeing 
a little  boy  so  engaged,  looked  with  that  pitying  eye  which  the 
benevolent  assume  when  viewing  the  insane.  Addressing  him 
with,  “ How  ever  did  these  shells  come  into  these  rocks  ?” 
“ When  God  made  the  rocks,  he  made  the  shells  in  them,”  was 
the  damping  reply.  What  a deal  of  trouble  geologists  might  have 
saved  themselves  by  adopting  the  Turk-like  philosophy  of  this 
Scotchman ! 

My  reading  while  at  work  was  carried  on  by  placing  the  book 
on  a portion  of  the  spinning-jenny,  so  that  I could  catch  sentence 


6 


THE  AUTHOR’S  NATIVE  VILLAGE. 


after  sentence  as  I passed  at  my  work ; I thus  kept  up  a pretty 
constant  study  undisturbed  by  the  roar  of  the  machinery.  To 
this  part  of  my  education  I owe  my  present  power  of  completely 
abstracting  the  mind  from  surrounding  noises,  so  as  to  read  and 
write  with  perfect  comfort  amid  the  play  of  children  or  near  the 
dancing  and  songs  of  savages.  The  toil  of  cotton-spinning,  to 
which  I was  promoted  in  my  nineteenth  year,  was  excessively 
severe  on  a slim,  loose-jointed  lad,  but  it  was  well  paid  for ; and 
it  enabled  me  to  support  myself  while  attending  medical  and 
Greek  classes  in  Glasgow  in  winter,  as  also  the  divinity  lectures 
of  Dr.  Wardlaw,  by  working  with  my  hands  in  summer.  I never 
received  a farthing  of  aid  from  any  one,  and  should  have  accom- 
plished my  project  of  going  to  China  as  a medical  missionary,  in 
the  course  of  time,  by  my  own  efforts,  had  not  some  friends  ad- 
vised my  joining  the  London  Missionary  Society  on  account  oi 
its  perfectly  unsectarian  character.  It  “ sends  neither  Episcopacy, 
nor  Presbyterianism,  nor  Independency,  but  the  Gospel  of  Christ 
to  the  heathen.”  This  exactly  agreed  with  my  ideas  of  what  a 
missionary  society  ought  to  do ; but  it  was  not  without  a pang 
that  I offered  myself,  for  it  was  not  quite  agreeable  to  one  accus- 
tomed to  work  his  own  way  to  become  in  a measure  dependent  on 
others ; and  I would  not  have  been  much  put  about  though  my 
offer  had  been  rejected. 

Looking  back  now  on  that  life  of  toil,  I can  not  but  feel  thank- 
ful that  it  formed  such  a material  part  of  my  early  education  : 
and,  were  it  possible,  I should  like  to  begin  life  over  again  in  the 
same  lowly  style,  and  to  pass  through  the  same  hardy  training. 

Time  and  travel  have  not  effaced  the  feelings  of  respect  I 
imbibed  for  the  humble  inhabitants  of  my  native  village.  For 
morality,  honesty,  and  intelligence,  they  wrere,  in  general,  good 
specimens  of  the  Scottish  poor.  In  a population  of  more  than 
two  thousand  souls,  we  had,  of  course,  a variety  of  character.  In 
addition  to  the  common  run  of  men,  there  were  some  characters 
of  sterling  worth  and  ability,  who  exerted  a most  beneficial 
influence  on  the  children  and  youth  of  the  place  by  imparting 
gratuitous  religious  instruction.*  Much  intelligent  interest  was 

* The  reader  will  pardon  my  mentioning  the  names  of  two  of  these  most  wor- 
thy men — David  Hogg,  who  addressed  me  on  his  death-bed  with  the  words,  “ Now. 
lad,  make  religion  the  every-day  business  of  your  life,  and  not  a thing  of  fits  and 


MEDICAL  DIPLOMA.  7 

felt  by  the  villagers  in  all  public  questions,  and  they  furnished  a 
proof  that  the  possession  of  the  means  of  education  did  not  render 
them  an  unsafe  portion  of  the  population.  They  felt  kindly  to- 
ward each  other,  and  much  respected  those  of  the  neighboring 
gentry  who,  like  the  late  Lord  Douglas,  placed  some  confidence 
in  their  sense  of  honor.  Through  the  kindness  of  that  nobleman, 
the  poorest  among  us  could  stroll  at  pleasure  over  the  ancient 
domains  of  Bothwell,  and  other  spots  hallowed  by  the  venerable 
associations  of  which  our  school-books  and  local  traditions  made 
us  well  aware ; and  few  of  us  could  view  the  dear  memorials  of 
the  past  without  feeling  that  these  carefully  kept  monuments  were 
our  own.  The  masses  of  the  working-people  of  Scotland  have 
read  history,  and  are  no  revolutionary  levelers.  They  rejoice  in 
the  memories  of  “Wallace  and  Bruce  and  a’  the  lave,”  who  are 
still  much  revered  as  the  former  champions  of  freedom.  And 
while  foreigners  imagine  that  we  want  the  spirit  only  to  overturn 
capitalists  and  aristocracy,  we  are  content  to  respect  our  laws  till 
we  can  change  them,  and  hate  those  stupid  revolutions  which 
might  sweep  away  time-honored  institutions,  dear  alike  to  rich 
and  poor. 

Having  finished  the  medical  curriculum  and  presented  a thesis 
on  a subject  which  required  the  use  of  the  stethoscope  for  its 
diagnosis,  I unwittingly  procured  for  myself  an  examination  rath- 
er more  severe  and  prolonged  than  usual  among  examining  bod- 
ies. The  reason  was,  that  between  me  and  the  examiners  a 
slight  difference  of  opinion  existed  as  to  whether  this  instrument 
could  do  what  was  asserted.  The  wiser  plan  would  have  been  to 
have  had  no  opinion  of  my  own.  However,  I was  admitted  a 
Licentiate  of  Faculty  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons.  It  was  with 
unfeigned  delight  I became  a member  of  a profession  which  is 
pre-eminently  devoted  to  practical  benevolence,  and  which  with 
unwearied  energy  pursues  from  age  to  age  its  endeavors  to  lessen 
human  woe. 

But  though  now  qualified  for  my  original  plan,  the  opium  war 
was  then  raging,  and  it  was  deemed  inexpedient  for  me  to  proceed 

starts;  for  if  yon  do  not,  temptation  and  other  things  will  get  the  better  of  you 
and  Thomas  Burke,  an  old  Forty-second  Peninsula  soldier,  who  has  been  incessant 
and  never  weary  in  good  works  for  about  forty  years.  I was  delighted  to  find  him 
still  alive ; men  like  these  are  an  honor  to  their  country  and  profession. 


8 


NO  CLAIM  TO  LITERARY  MERIT. 


to  China.  I had  fondly  hoped  to  have  gained  access  to  that  then 
closed  empire  by  means  of  the  healing  art ; but  there  being  no 
prospect  of  an  early  peace  with  the  Chinese,  and  as  another  in- 
viting field  was  opening  out  through  the  labors  of  Mr.  Moffat, 
I was  induced  to  turn  my  thoughts  to  Africa ; and  after  a more 
extended  course  of  theological  training  in  England  than  I had 
enjoyed  in  Glasgow,  I embarked  for  Africa  in  1840,  and,  after  a 
voyage  of  three  months,  reached  Cape  Town.  Spending  but  a 
short  time  there,  I started  for  the  interior  by  going  round  to  Al- 
goa  Bay,  and  soon  proceeded  inland,  and  have  spent  the  follow- 
ing sixteen  years  of  my  life,  namely,  from  1840  to  1856,  in  med- 
ical and  missionary  labors  there  without  cost  to  the  inhabitants. 

As  to  those  literary  qualifications  which  are  acquired  by  habits 
of  writing,  and  which  are  so  important  to  an  author,  my  African 
life  has  not  only  not  been  favorable  to  the  growth  of  such  accom- 
plishments, but  quite  the  reverse ; it  has  made  composition  irk- 
some and  laborious.  I think  I would  rather  cross  the  African 
continent  again  than  undertake  to  write  another  book.  It  is  far 
easier  to  travel  than  to  write  about  it.  I intended  on  going  to 
Africa  to  continue  my  studies ; but  as  I could  not  brook  the  idea 
of  simply  entering  into  other  men’s  labors  made  ready  to  my  hands, 
I entailed  on  myself,  in  addition  to  teaching,  manual  labor  in 
building  and  other  handicraft  work,  which  made  me  generally  as 
much  exhausted  and  unfit  for  study  in  the  evenings  as  ever  I had 
been  when  a cotton-spinner.  The  want  of  time  for  self-improve- 
ment was  the  only  source  of  regret  that  I experienced  during  my 
African  career.  The  reader,  remembering  this,  will  make  allow- 
ances for  the  mere  gropings  for  light  of  a student  who  has  the 
vanity  to  think  himself  “ not  yet  too  old  to  learn."’  More  precise 
information  on  several  subjects  has  necessarily  been  omitted  in  a 
popular  work  like  the  present ; but  I hope  to  give  such  details  to 
the  scientific  reader  through  some  other  channel. 


THE  BAKWAIN  COUNTRY. 


9 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Bakwain  Country. — Study  of  the  Language. — Native  Ideas  regarding  Comets. 
— Mabotsa  Station. — A Lion  Encounter. — Virus  of  the  Teeth  of  Lions. — Names 
of  the  Bechuana  Tribes. — Sechele. — His  Ancestors. — Obtains  the  Chieftainship. 
— His  Marriage  and  Government. — The  Kotla. — First  public  Religious  Sen-ices. 
— Sechele’s  Questions. — He  Learns  to  Read. — Novel  mode  for  Converting  his 
Tribe. — Surprise  at  their  Indifference. — Polygamy.— Baptism  of  Sechele. — Oppo- 
sition of  the  Natives. — Purchase  Land  at  Chonuane. — Relations  with  the  People. 
— Jfheir  Intelligence. — Prolonged  Drought. — Consequent  Trials. — Rain-medi- 
cine.— God’s  Word  blamed. — Native  Reasoning. — Rain-maker. — Dispute  between 
Rain  Doctor  and  Medical  Doctor. — The  Hunting  Hopo. — Salt  or  animal  Food  a 
necessary  of  Life. — Duties  of  a Missionary. 

The  general  instructions  I received  from  the  Directors  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society  led  me,  as  soon  as  I reached  Kuru- 
man  or  Lattakoo,  then,  as  it  is  now,  their  farthest  inland  station 
from  the  Cape,  to  turn  my  attention  to  the  north.  Without  wait- 
ing longer  at  Kuruman  than  was  necessary  to  recruit  the  oxen, 
which  were  pretty  well  tired  by  the  long  journey  from  Algo  a Bay, 
I proceeded,  in  company  with  another  missionary,  to  the  Bakuena 
or  Bakwain  country,  and  found  Sechele,  with  his  tribe,  located  at 
Shokuane.  We  shortly  after  retraced  our  steps  to  Kuruman ; 
but  as  the  objects  in  view  were  by  no  means  to  be  attained  by  a 
temporary  excursion  of  this  sort,  I determined  to  make  a fresh 
start  into  the  interior  as  soon  as  possible.  Accordingly,  after 
resting  three  months  at  Kuruman,  which  is  a kind  of  head  station 
in  the  country,  I returned  to  a spot  about  fifteen  miles  south  of 
Shokuane,  called  Lepelole  (now  Litubaruba).  Here,  in  order  to 
obtain  an  accurate  knowledge  of  the  language,  I cut  myself  off 
from  all  European  society  for  about  six  months,  and  gained  by 
this  ordeal  an  insight  into  the  habits,  ways  of  thinking,  laws,  and 
language  of  that  section  of  the  Bechuanas  called  Bakwains,  which 
lias  proved  of  incalculable  advantage  in  my  intercourse  with  them 
ever  since. 

In  this  second  journey  to  Lepelole — so  called  from  a cavern  of 
that  name — I began  preparations  for  a settlement,  by  making  a 
canal  to  irrigate  gardens,  lrom  a stream  then  flowing  copiously. 


10 


IDEAS  REGARDING  COMETS. 


but  now  quite  dry.  When  these  preparations  were  well  ad- 
vanced, I went  northward  to  visit  the  Bakaa  and  Bamangwato, 
and  the  Makalaka,  living  between  22°  and  23°  south  latitude. 
The  Bakaa  Mountains  had  been  visited  before  by  a trader,  who, 
with  his  people,  all  perished  from  fever.  In  going  round  the 
northern  part  of  these  basaltic  hills  near  Letloche  I was  only  ten 
days  distant  from  the  lower  part  of  the  Zouga,  which  passed  by 
the  same  name  as  Lake  Ngami  ;*  and  I might  then  (in  1842) 
have  discovered  that  lake,  had  discovery  alone  been  my  object. 
Most  part  of  this  journey  beyond  Shokuane  was  performed  on 
foot,  in  consequence  of  the  draught  oxen  having  become  sick. 
Some  of  my  companions  who  had  recently  joined  us,  and  did  not 
know  that  I understood  a little  of  their  speech,  were  overheard  by 
me  discussing  my  appearance  and  powers : “ He  is  not  strong ; 
he  is  quite  slim,  and  only  appears  stout  because  he  puts  himself 
into  those  bags  (trowsers)  ; he  will  soon  knock  up.”  This  caused 
my  Highland  blood  to  rise,  and  made  me  despise  the  fatigue  of 
keeping  them  all  at  the  top  of  their  speed  for  days  together,  and 
until  I heard  them  expressing  proper  opinions  of  my  pedestrian 
powers. 

Returning  to  Kuruman,  in  order  to  bring  my  luggage  to  our 
proposed  settlement,  I was  followed  by  the  news  that  the  tribe  of 
Bakwains,  who  had  shown  themselves  so  friendly  toward  me,  had 
been  driven  from  Lepelole  by  the  Barolongs,  so  that  my  prospects 
for  the  time  of  forming  a settlement  there  were  at  an  end.  One 
of  those  periodical  outbreaks  of  war,  which  seem  to  have  occurred 
from  time  immemorial,  for  the  possession  of  cattle,  had  burst  forth 
in  the  land,  and  had  so  changed  the  relations  of  the  tribes  to  each 
other,  that  I was  obliged  to  set  out  anew  to  look  for  a suitable 
locality  for  a mission  station. 

In  going  north  again,  a comet  blazed  on  our  sight,  exciting 
the  wonder  of  every  tribe  we  visited.  That  of  1816  had  been 
followed  by  an  irruption  of  the  Matebele,  the  most  cruel  enemies 

* Several  words  in  the  African  languages  begin  with  the  ringing  sound  heard  in 
the  end  of  the  word  “coming.”  If  the  reader  puts  an  i to  the  beginning  of  the 
name  of  the  lake,  as  Ingami,  and  then  sounds  the  i as  little  as  possible,  he  will 
have  the  correct  pronunciation.  The  Spanish  n is  employed  to  denote  this  sound, 
and  Ngami  is  spelt  Kami — naka  means  a tusk,  naka  a doctor.  Every  vowel  is 
sounded  in  all  native  words,  and  the  emphasis  in  pronunciation  is  put  upon  the  pe- 
nultimate. 


RAVAGES  OF  LIONS. 


11 


the  Bechuanas  ever  knew,  and  this  they  thought  might  portend 
something  as  bad,  or  it  might  only  foreshadow  the  death  of  some 
great  chief.  On  this  subject  of  comets  I knew  little  more  than 
they  did  themselves,  but  I had  that  confidence  in  a kind,  over- 
ruling Providence,  which  makes  such  a difference  between  Chris- 
tians and  both  the  ancient  and  modern  heathen. 

As  some  of  the  Bamangwato  people  had  accompanied  me  to 
Kuruman,  I was  obliged  to  restore  them  and  their  goods  to  their 
chief  Sekomi.  This  made  a journey  to  the  residence  of  that  chief 
again  necessary,  and,  for  the  first  time,  I performed  a distance  of 
some  hundred  miles  on  ox-back. 

Returning  toward  Kuruman,  I selected  the  beautiful  valley 
of  Mabotsa  (lat.  25°  14'  south,  long.  26°  30/?)  as  the  site  of  a 
missionary  station,  and  thither  I removed  in  1843.  Here  an 
occurrence  took  place  concerning  which  I have  frequently  been 
questioned  in  England,  and  which,  but  for  the  importunities  of 
friends,  I meant  to  have  kept  in  store  to  tell  my  children  when 
in  my  dotage.  The  Bakatla  of  the  village  Mabotsa  were  much 
troubled  by  lions,  which  leaped  into  the  cattle-pens  by  night,  and 
destroyed  their  cows.  They  even  attacked  the  herds  in  open 
day.  This  was  so  unusual  an  occurrence  that  the  people  be- 
lieved that  they  were  bewitched — “given,”  as  they  said,  “into  the 
power  of  the  lions  by  a neighboring  tribe.”  They  went  once  to 
attack  the  animals,  but,  being  rather  a cowardly  people  compared 
to  Bechuanas  in  general  on  such  occasions,  they  returned  without 
killing  any. 

It  is  well  known  that  if  one  of  a troop  of  lions  is  killed,  the 
others  take  the  hint  and  leave  that  part  of  the  country.  So,  the 
next  time  the  herds  were  attacked,  I went  with  the  people,  in 
order  to  encourage  them  to  rid  themselves  of  the  annoyance  by 
destroying  one  of  the  marauders.  We  found  the  lions  on  a small 
hill  about  a quarter  of  a mile  in  length,  and  covered  with  trees. 
A circle  of  men  was  formed  round  it,  and  they  gradually  closed 
up,  ascending  pretty  near  to  each  other.  Being  down  below  on 
the  plain  with  a native  schoolmaster,  named  Mebalwe,  a most 
excellent  man,  I saw  one  of  the  lions  sitting  on  a piece  of  rock 
within  the  now  closed  circle  of  men.  Mebalwe  fired  at  him  be- 
fore I could,  and  the  ball  struck  the  rock  on  which  the  animal 
was  sitting.  He  bit  at  the  spot  struck,  as  a dog  does  at  a stick 


12 


A LION  ENCOUNTER. 


or  stone  thrown  at  him ; then  leaping  away,  broke  through  the 
opening  circle  and  escaped  unhurt.  The  men  were  afraid  to  at- 
tack him,  perhaps  on  account  of  their  belief  in  witchcraft.  When 
the  circle  was  re-formed,  we  saw  two  other  lions  in  it ; but  we 
were  afraid  to  fire  lest  we  should  strike  the  men,  and  they  allow- 
ed the  beasts  to  burst  through  also.  If  the  Bakatla  had  acted  ac- 
cording to  the  custom  of  the  country,  they  would  have  speared  the 
lions  in  their  attempt  to  get  out.  Seeing  we  could  not  get  them 
to  kill  one  of  the  lions,  we  bent  our  footsteps  toward  the  village ; 
in  going  round  the  end  of  the  hill,  however,  I saw  one  of  the 
beasts  sitting  on  a piece  of  rock  as  before,  but  this  time  he  had  a 
little  bush  in  front.  Being  about  thirty  yards  oft’,  I took  a good 
aim  at  his  body  through  the  bush,  and  fired  both  barrels  into  it. 
The  men  then  called  out,  “He  is  shot,  he  is  shot!”  Others 
cried,  “He  has  been  shot  by  another  man  too ; let  us  go  to  him !” 
I did  not  see  any  one  else  shoot  at  him,  but  I saw  the  lion’s  tail 
erected  in  anger  behind  the  bush,  and,  turning  to  the  people, 
said,  “ Stop  a little,  till  I load  again.”  When  in  the  act  of 
ramming  down  the  bullets,  I heard  a shout.  Starting,  and 
looking  half  round,  I saw  the  lion  just  in  the  act  of  springing 
upon  me.  I was  upon  a little  height ; he  caught  my  shoulder 
as  he  sprang,  and  we  both  came  to  the  ground  below  together. 
Growling  horribly  close  to  my  ear,  he  shook  me  as  a terrier  dog 
does  a rat.  The  shock  produced  a stupor  similar  to  that  which 
seems  to  be  felt  by  a mouse  after  the  first  shake  of  the  cat. 
It  caused  a sort  of  dreaminess,  in  which  there  was  no  sense 
of  pain  nor  feeling  of  terror,  though  quite  conscious  of  all  that 
was  happening.  It  was  like  what  patients  partially  under  the 
influence  of  chloroform  describe,  who  see  all  the  operation,  but 
feel  not  the  knife.  This  singular  condition  was  not  the  result 
of  any  mental  process.  The  shake  annihilated  fear,  and  allowed 
no  sense  of  horror  in  looking  round  at  the  beast.  This  pecul- 
iar state  is  probably  produced  in  all  animals  killed  by  the 
carnivora;  and  if  so,  is  a merciful  provision  by  our  benev- 
olent Creator  for  lessening  the  pain  of  death.  Turning  round 
to  relieve  myself  of  the  weight,  as  he  had  one  paw  on  the  back 
of  my  head,  I saw  his  eyes  directed  to  Mebalwe,  who  was  trying 
to  shoot  him  at  a distance  of  ten  or  fifteen  yards.  His  gun,  a 
flint  one,  missed  fire  in  both  barrels ; the  lion  immediately  left 


TIIK  MISSIONARY’S  ESCAPE  FROM  T1IK  LION. 


, 


V 


NAMES  OF  BECHUANA  TRIBES. 


15 


me,  and,  attacking  Mebalwe,  bit  liis  thigh.  Another  man,  whose 
life  I had  saved  before,  after  he  had  been  tossed  by  a buffalo, 
attempted  to  spear  the  lion  while  he  was  biting  Mebalwe.  He 
left  Mebalwe  and  caught  this  man  by  the  shoulder,  but  at  that 
moment  the  bullets  he  had  received  took  effect,  and  he  fell  down 
dead.  The  whole  was  the  work  of  a few  moments,  and  must  have 
been  his  paroxysms  of  dying  rage.  In  order  to  take  out  the  charm 
from  him,  the  Bakatla  on  the  following  day  made  a huge  bonfire 
over  the  carcass,  which  was  declared  to  be  that  of  the  largest  lion 
they  had  ever  seen.  Besides  crunching  the  bone  into  splinters, 
he  left  eleven  teeth  wounds  on  the  upper  part  of  my  arm. 

A wound  from  this  animal's  tooth  resembles  a gun-shot  wound; 
it  is  generally  followed  by  a great  deal  of  sloughing  and  discharge, 
and  pains  are  felt  in  the  part  periodically  ever  afterward.  I had 
on  a tartan  jacket  on  the  occasion,  and  I believe  that  it  wiped 
off  all  the  virus  from  the  teetli  that  pierced  the  flesh,  for  my  two 
companions  in  this  affray  have  both  suffered  from  the  peculiar 
pains,  while  I have  escaped  with  only  the  inconvenience  of  a false 
joint  in  my  limb.  The  man  whose  shoulder  was  wounded  showed 
me  his  wound  actually  burst  forth  afresh  on  the  same  month  of 
the  following  year.  This  curious  point  deserves  the  attention  of 
inquirers. 

The  different  Bechuana  tribes  are  named  after  certain  animals, 
showing  probably  that  in  former  times  they  were  addicted  to 
animal-worship  like  the  ancient  Egyptians.  The  term  Bakatla 
means  “they  of  the  monkey;”  Bakuena,  “they  of  the  alligator;” 
Batlapi,  “ they  of  the  fish each  tribe  having  a superstitious 
dread  of  the  animal  after  which  it  is  called.  They  also  use  the 
word  “bina,”  to  dance,  in  reference  to  the  custom  of  thus  naming 
themselves,  so  that,  when  you  wish  to  ascertain  what  tribe  they 
belong  to,  you  say,  “ What  do  you  dance  ?”  It  would  seem  as 
if  that  had  been  a part  of  the  worship  of  old.  A tribe  never  eats 
the  animal  which  is  its  namesake,  using  the  term  “ila,”  hate  or 
dread,  in  reference  to  killing  it.  We  find  traces  of  many  ancient 
tribes  in  the  country  in  individual  members  of  those  now  extinct, 
as  the  Batau,  “ they  of  the  lion  ;”  the  Banoga,  “ they  of  the  ser- 
pent ;”  though  no  such  tribes  now  exist.  The  use  of  the  personal 
pronoun  they,  Ba-Ma,  Wa,  Ara  or  Ova,  Am-Ki,  &c.,  prevails  very 
extensively  in  the  names  of  tribes  in  Africa.  A single  individual 


16 


SECHELE. 


is  indicated  by  the  terms  Mo  or  Le.  Thus  Mokwain  is  a single 
person  of  the  Bakwain  tribe,  and  Lekoa  is  a single  white  man  or 
Englishman — Makoa  being  Englishmen. 

I attached  myself  to  the  tribe  called  Bakuena  or  Bakwains,  the 
chief  of  which,  named  Sechele,  was  then  living  with  his  people 
at  a place  called  Shokuane.  I was  from  the  first  struck  by  his 
intelligence,  and  by  the  marked  manner  in  which  we  both  felt 
drawn  to  each  other.  As  this  remarkable  man  has  not  only 
embraced  Christianity,  but  expounds  its  doctrines  to  his  people, 
I will  here  give  a brief  sketch  of  his  career. 

His  great-grandfather  Mochoasele  was  a great  traveler,  and  the 
first  that  ever  told  the  Bakwains  of  the  existence  of  white  men. 
In  his  father’s  lifetime  two  white  travelers,  whom  I suppose  to 
have  been  Dr.  Cowan  and  Captain  Donovan,  passed  through  the 
country  (in  1808),  and,  descending  the  River  Limpopo,  were,  with 
their  party,  all  cut  off  by  fever.  The  rain-makers  there,  fearing 
lest  their  wagons  might  drive  away  the  rain,  ordered  them  to 
be  thrown  into  the  river.  This  is  the  true  account  of  the  end 
of  that  expedition,  as  related  to  me  by  the  son  of  the  chief  at 
whose  village  they  perished.  He  remembered,  when  a boy, 
eating  part  of  one  of  the  horses,  and  said  it  tasted  like  zebra’s 
flesh.  Thus  they  were  not  killed  by  the  Bangwaketse,  as  re- 
ported, for  they  passed  the  Bakwains  all  well.  The  Bakwains 
were  then  rich  in  cattle ; and  as  one  of  the  many  evidences  of  the 
desiccation  of  the  country,  streams  are  pointed  out  where  thousands 
and  thousands  of  cattle  formerly -drank,  but  in  which  water  now 
never  flows,  and  where  a single  herd  could  not  find  fluid  for  its 
support. 

When  Sechele  was  still  a boy,  his  father,  also  called  Mochoasele, 
was  murdered  by  his  own  people  for  taking  to  himselt  the  wives 
of  his  rich  under-chiefs.  The  children  being  spared,  their  friends 
invited  Sebituane,  the  chief  of  the  Makololo,  who  was  then  in 
those  parts,  to  reinstate  them  in  the  chieftainship.  Sebituane 
surrounded  the  town  of  the  Bakwains  by  night ; and  just  as  it 
beo-an  to  dawn,  his  herald  proclaimed  in  a loud  voice  that  he  haa 
come  to  revenge  the  death  of  Mochoasele.  This  was  followed  by 
Sebituane’s  people  beating  loudly  on  their  shields  all  round  the 
town.  The  panic  was  tremendous,  and  the  rush  like  that  from 
a theatre  on  fire,  while  the  Makololo  used  their  javelins  on  the 


HIS  CHIEFTAINSHIP. 


17 


terrified  Bakwains  with  a dexterity  which  they  alone  can  employ. 
Sebituane  had  given  orders  to  his  men  to  spare  the  sons  of  the 
chief;  and  one  of  them,  meeting  Sechele,  put  him  in  ward  by 
giving  him  such  a blow  on  the  head  with  a club  as  to  render  him 
insensible.  The  usurper  was  put  to  death ; and  Sechele,  reinstated 
in  his  chieftainship,  felt  much  attached  to  Sebituane.  The  cir- 
cumstances here  noticed  ultimately  led  me,  as  will  be  seen  by- 
and-by,  into  the  new,  well-watered  country  to  which  this  same 
Sebituane  had  preceded  me  by  many  years. 

Sechele  married  the  daughters  of  three  of  his  under-chiefs,  who 
had,  on  account  of  then'  blood  relationship,  stood  by  him  in  his 
adversity.  This  is  one  of  the  modes  adopted  for  cementing  the 
allegiance  of  a tribe.  The  government  is  patriarchal,  each  man 
being,  by  virtue  of  paternity,  chief  of  his  own  children.  They 
build  their  huts  around  his,  and  the  greater  the  number  of 
children,  the  more  his  importance  increases.  Hence  children  are 
esteemed  one  of  the  greatest  blessings,  and  are  always  treated 
kindly.  Near  the  centre  of  each  circle  of  huts  there  is  a spot 
called  a “ kotla,”  with  a fireplace ; here  they  work,  eat,  or  sit 
and  gossip  over  the  news  of  the  day.  A poor  man  attaches  him- 
self to  the  kotla  of  a rich  one,  and  is  considered  a child  of  the 
latter.  An  under-chief  has  a number  of  these  circles  around  his  ; 
and  the  collection  of  kotlas  around  the  great  one  in  the  middle 
of  the  whole,  that  of  the  principal  chief,  constitutes  the  town. 
The  circle  of  huts  immediately  around  the  kotla  of  the  chief  is 
composed  of  the  huts  of  his  wfives  and  those  of  his  blood  rela- 
tions. He  attaches  the  under-chiefs  to  himself  and  his  govern- 
ment by  marrying,  as  Sechele  did,  their  daughters,  or  inducing  his 
brothers  to  do  so.  They  are  fond  of  the  relationship  to  great  fam- 
ilies. If  you  meet  a party  of  strangers,  and  the  head  man’s  rela- 
tionship to  some  uncle  of  a certain  chief  is  not  at  once  proclaimed 
by  his  attendants,  you  may  hear  him  whispering,  “ Tell  him  who 
I am.”  This  usually  involves  a counting  on  the  fingers  of  a part 
of  his  genealogical  tree,  and  ends  in  the  important  announce- 
ment that  the  head  of  the  party  is  half-cousin  to  some  well-known 
ruler. 

Sechele  was  thus  seated  in  his  chieftainship  when  I made  his 
acquaintance.  On  the  first  occasion  in  which  I ever  attempted 
to  hold  a public  religious  service,  he  remarked  that  it  was  the 

B 


18 


SECHELE  LEAENS  TO  EEAD. 


custom  of  his  nation,  when  any  new  subject  was  brought  before 
them,  to  put  questions  on  it ; and  he  begged  me  to  allow  him  to 
do  the  same  in  this  case.  On  expressing  my  entire  willingness 
to  answer  his  questions,  he  inquired  if  my  forefathers  knew  of 
a future  judgment.  I replied  in  the  affirmative,  and  began  to 
describe  the  scene  of  the  “ great  white  throne,  and  Him  who 
shall  sit  on  it,  from  whose  face  the  heaven  and  earth  shall  flee 
away,”  &c.  He  said,  “ You  startle  me : these  words  make  all 
my  bones  to  shake ; I have  no  more  strength  in  me  ; but  my  fore- 
fathers were  living  at  the  same  time  yours  were,  and  how  is  it 
that  they  did  not  send  them  word  about  these  terrible  things  soon- 
er ? They  all  passed  away  into  darkness  without  knowing  whither 
they  were  going.”  I got  out  of  the  difficulty  by  explaining  the 
geographical  barriers  in  the  North,  and  the  gradual  spread  of 
knowledge  from  the  South,  to  which  we  first  had  access  by  means 
of  ships ; and  I expressed  my  belief  that,  as  Christ  had  said,  the 
whole  world  would  yet  be  enlightened  by  the  Gospel.  Pointing 
to  the  great  Kalahari  desert,  he  said,  “You  never  can  cross  that 
country  to  the  tribes  beyond ; it  is  utterly  impossible  even  for  us 
black  men,  except  in  certain  seasons,  when  more  than  the  usual 
supply  of  rain  falls,  and  an  extraordinary  growth  of  watermelons 
follows.  Even  we  who  know  the  country  would  certainly  perish 
without  them.”  Reasserting  my  belief  in  the  words  of  Christ,  we 
parted ; and  it  will  be  seen  farther  on  that  Sechele  himself  assisted 
me  in  crossing  that  desert  which  had  previously  proved  an  insur- 
mountable barrier  to  so  many  adventurers. 

As  soon  as  he  had  an  opportunity  of  learning,  he  set  himself 
to  read  with  such  close  application  that,  from  being  compara- 
tively thin,  the  effect  of  having  been  fond  of  the  chase,  he 
became  quite  corpulent  from  want  of  exercise.  Sir.  Oswell  gave 
him  his  first  lesson  in  figures,  and  he  acquired  the  alphabet  on 
the  first  day  of  my  residence  at  Chonuane.  He  was  by  no 
means  an  ordinary  specimen  of  the  people,  for  I never  went  into 
the  town  but  I was  pressed  to  hear  him  read  some  chapters  of 
the  Bible.  Isaiah  was  a great  favorite  with  him ; and  he  was 
wont  to  use  the  same  phrase  nearly  which  the  professor  of 
Greek  at  Glasgow,  Sir  D.  K.  Sandford,  once  used  respecting  the 
Apostle  Paul,  when  reading  his  speeches  in  the  Acts  : “ He  was 
a fine  fellow,  that  Paul!”  “He  was  a fine  man,  that  Isaiah; 


HIS  DESIRE  TO  CONVERT  HIS  TRIBE.  29 

he  knew  how  to  speak.”  Sechele  invariably  offered  me  some- 
thing to  eat  on  every  occasion  of  my  visiting  him. 

Seeing  me  anxious  that  his  people  should  believe  the  words 
of  Christ,  he  once  said,  “Do  you  imagine  these  people  will  ever 
believe  by  your  merely  talking  to  them  ? I can  make  them  do 
nothing  except  by  thrashing  them ; and  if  you  like,  I shall  call 
my  head  men,  and  with  our  litupa  (whips  of  rhinoceros  hide)  we 
will  soon  make  them  all  believe  together.”  The  idea  of  using 
entreaty  and  persuasion  to  subjects  to  become  Christians — whose 
opinion  on  no  other  matter  would  he  condescencf  to  ask — was 
especially  surprising  to  him.  He  considered  that  they  ought 
only  to  be  too  happy  to  embrace  Christianity  at  his  command. 
During  the  space  of  two  years  and  a half  he  continued  to  profess 
to  his  people  his  full  conviction  of  the  truth  of  Christianity ; and 
in  all  discussions  on  the  subject  he  took  that  side,  acting  at  the 
same  time  in  an  upright  manner  in  all  the  relations  of  life.  He 
felt  the  difficulties  of  his  situation  long  before  I did,  and  often 
said,  “ Oh,  I wish  you  had  come  to  this  country  before  I became 
entangled  in  the  meshes  of  our  customs!”  In  fact,  he  could  not 
get  rid  of  his  superfluous  wives,  without  appearing  to  be  ungrateful 
to  their  parents,  who  had  done  so  much  for  him  in  his  adversity. 

In  the  hope  that  others  would  be  induced  to  join  him  in  his 
attachment  to  Christianity,  he  asked  me  to  begin  family  worship 
with  him  in  his  house.  I did  so ; and  by-and-by  was  surprised 
to  hear  how  well  he  conducted  the  prayer  in  his  own  simple  and 
beautiful  style,  for  he  was  quite  a master  of  his  own  language. 
At  this  time  we  were  suffering  from  the  effects  of  a drought, 
which  will  be  described  further  on,  and  none  except  his  family, 
whom  he  ordered  to  attend,  came  near  his  meeting.  “ In  former 
times,”  said  he,  “when  a chief  was  fond  of  hunting,  all  his 
people  got  dogs,  and  became  fond  of  hunting  too.  If  he  was 
fond  of  dancing  or  music,  all  showed  a liking  to  these  amuse- 
ments too.  If  the  chief  loved  beer,  they  all  rejoiced  in  strong 
drink.  But  in  this  case  it  is  different.  I love  the  Word  of  God, 
and  not  one  of  my  brethren  will  join  me.”  One  reason  why  we 
had  no  volunteer  hypocrites  was  the  hunger  from  drought,  which 
was  associated  in  their  minds  with  the  presence  of  Christian  in- 
struction ; and  hypocrisy  is  not  prone  to  profess  a creed  which 
seems  to  insure  an  empty  stomach. 


20 


BAPTISM  OF  SECHELE. 


Sechele  continued  to  make  a consistent  profession  for  about 
three  years ; and  perceiving  at  last  some  of  the  difficulties  of  Ins 
case,  and  also  feeling  compassion  for  the  poor  women,  who  were 
by  far  the  best  of  our  scholars,  I had  no  desire  that  he  should 
be  in  any  hurry  to  make  a full  profession  by  baptism,  and 
putting  away  all  his  wives  but  one.  His  principal  wife,  too, 
was  about  the  most  unlikely  subject  in  the  tribe  ever  to  become 
any  thing  else  than  an  out-and-out  greasy  disciple  of  the  old 
school.  She  has  since  become  greatly  altered,  I hear,  for  the 
better;  but  again  and  again  have  I seen  Sechele  send  her  out 
of  church  to  put  her  gown  on,  and  away  she  would  go  with  her 
lips  shot  out,  the  very  picture  of  unutterable  disgust  at  his  new- 
fangled notions. 

When  he  at  last  applied  for  baptism,  I simply  asked  him  how 
he,  having  the  Bible  in  his  hand,  and  able  to  read  it,  thought  ho 
ought  to  act.  He  went  home,  gave  each  of  his  superfluous  wives 
new  clothing,  and  all  his  own  goods,  which  they  had  been  ac- 
customed to  keep  in  their  huts  for  him,  and  sent  them  to  their 
parents  with  an  intimation  that  he  had  no  fault  to  find  with  them, 
but  that  in  parting  with  them  he  wished  to  follow  the  will  of  God, 
On  the  day  on  which  he  and  his  children  were  baptized,  great 
numbers  came  to  see  the  ceremony.  Some  thought,  from,  a 
stupid  calumny  circulated  by  enemies  to  Christianity  in  the 
south,  that  the  converts  would  be  made  to  drink  an  infusion  of 
“ dead  men’s  brains,”  and  were  astonished  to  find  that  water  only 
was  used  at  baptism.  Seeing  several  of  the  old  men  actually  in 
tears  during  the  service,  I asked  them  afterward  the  cause  of 
their  weeping ; they  were  crying  to  see  their  father,  as  the  Scotch 
remark  over  a case  of  suicide,  “so  far  left  to  himself.”  They 
seemed  to  think  that  I had  thrown  the  glamour  over  him,  and 
that  he  had  become  mine.  Here  commenced  an  opposition  which 
we  had  not  previously  experienced.  All  the  friends  of  the 
divorced  wives  became  the  opponents  of  our  religion.  The  at- 
tendance at  school  and  church  diminished  to  very  few  besides 
the  chief’s  own  family.  They  all  treated  us  still  with  respectful 
kindness,  but  to  Sechele  himself  they  said  things  which,  as  he 
often  remarked,  had  they  ventured  on  in  former  times,  would 
have  cost  them  their  lives.  It  was  trying,  after  all  we  had  done, 
to  see  our  labors  so  little  appreciated;  but  we  had  sown  the 


RELATIONS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE. 


21 


good  seed,  and  have  no  doubt  but  it  will  yet  spring  up,  though 
we  may  not  live  to  see  the  fruits. 

Leaving  this  sketch  of  the  chief,  I proceed  to  give  an  equally 
rapid  one  of  our  dealing  with  his  people,  the  Bakena,  or  Bak- 
wains.  A small  piece  of  land,  sufficient  for  a garden,  was  pur- 
chased when  we  first  went  to  live  with  them,  though  that  was 
scarcely  necessary  in  a country  where  the  idea  of  buying  land 
was  quite  new.  It  was  expected  that  a request  for  a suitable 
spot  would  have  been  made,  and  that  we  should  have  proceeded 
to  occupy  it  as  any  other  member  of  the  tribe  would.  But  we 
explained  to  them  that  we  wished  to  avoid  any  cause  of  future 
dispute  when  land  had  become  more  valuable ; or  when  a foolish 
chief  began  to  reign,  and  we  had  erected  large  or  expensive  build- 
ings, he  might  wish  to  claim  the  whole.  These  reasons  were  con- 
sidered satisfactory.  About  £5  worth  of  goods  were  given  for  a 
piece  of  land,  and  an  arrangement  was  come  to  that  a similar  piece 
should  be  allotted  to  any  other  missionary,  at  any  other  place  to 
which  the  tribe  might  remove.  The  particulars  of  the  sale  sound- 
ed strangely  in  the  ears  of  the  tribe,  but  were  nevertheless  readily 
agreed  to. 

In  our  relations  with  this  people  we  were  simply  strangers 
exercising  no  authority  or  control  whatever.  Our  influence  de- 
pended entirely  on  persuasion ; and  having  taught  them  by  kind 
conversation  as  well  as  by  public  instruction,  I expected  them  to 
do  what  their  own  sense  of  right  and  wrong  dictated.  We  never 
wished  them  to  do  right  merely  because  it  would  be  pleasing  to 
us,  nor  thought  ourselves  to  blame  when  they  did  wrong,  although 
we  were  quite  aware  of  the  absurd  idea  to  that  effect.  We  saw 
that  our  teaching  did  good  to  the  general  mind  of  the  people  by 
bringing  new  and  better  motives  into  play.  Five  instances  are 
positively  known  to  me  in  which,  by  our  influence  on  public 
opinion,  war  was  prevented  ; and  where,  in  individual  cases,  we 
failed,  the  people  did  no  worse  than  they  did  before  we  came 
into  the  country.  In  general  they  were  slow,  like  all  the  African 
people  hereafter  to  be  'described,  in  coming  to  a decision  on  re- 
ligious subjects ; but  in  questions  affecting  their  worldly  affairs 
they  were  keenly  alive  to  their  own  interests.  They  might  be 
called  stupid  in  matters  which  had  not  come  within  the  sphere 
of  their  observation,  but  in  other  things  they  showed  more  intel- 


22 


PROLONGED  DROUGHT. 


ligence  than  is  to  be  met  with  in  our  own  uneducated  peasantry. 
They  are  remarkably  accurate  in  their  knowledge  of  cattle,  sheep, 
and  goats,  knowing  exactly  the  kind  of  pasturage  suited  to  each ; 
and  they  select  with  great  judgment  the  varieties  of  soil  best  suit- 
ed to  different  kinds  of  grain.  They  are  also  familiar  with  the 
habits  of  wild  animals,  and  in  general  are  well  up  in  the  maxims 
which  embody  their  ideas  of  political  wisdom. 

The  place  where  we  first  settled  with  the  Bakwains  is  called 
Chonuane,  and  it  happened  to  be  visited,  during  the  first  year  of 
our  residence  there,  by  one  of  those  droughts  which  occur  from 
time  to  time  in  even  the  most  favored  districts  of  Africa. 

The  belief  in  the  gift  or  power  of  rain-making  is  one  of  the 
most  deeply-rooted  articles  of  faith  in  this  country.  The  chief 
Sechele  was  himself  a noted  rain-doctor,  and  believed  in  it  im- 
plicitly. He  has  often  assured  me  that  he  found  it  more  difficult 
to  give  up  his  faith  in  that  than  in  any  thing  else  which  Chris- 
tianity required  him  to  abjure.  I pointed  out  to  him  that  the 
only  feasible  way  of  watering  the  gardens  was  to  select  some 
good,  never-failing  river,  make  a canal,  and  irrigate  the  adjacent 
lands.  This  suggestion  was  immediately  adopted,  and  soon  the 
whole  tribe  was  on  the  move  to  the  Kolobeng,  a stream  about 
forty  miles  distant.  The  experiment  succeeded  admirably  during 
the  first  year.  The  Bakwains  made  the  canal  and  dam  in  ex- 
change for  my  labor  in  assisting  to  build  a square  house  for 
their  chief.  They  also  built  their  own  school  under  my  superin- 
tendence. Our  house  at  the  River  Kolobeng,  which  gave  a name 
to  the  settlement,  was  the  third  which  I had  reared  with  my  own 
hands.  A native  smith  taught  me  to  weld  iron  ; and  having  im- 
proved by  scraps  of  information  in  that  line  from  Mr.  Moffat,  and 
also  in  carpentering  and  gardening,  I was  becoming  handy  at 
almost  any  trade,  besides  doctoring  and  preaching ; and  as  my 
wife  could  make  candles,  soap,  and  clothes,  we  came  nearly  up 
to  what  may  be  considered  as  indispensable  in  the  accomplish- 
ments of  a missionary  family  in  Central  Africa,  namely,  the 
husband  to  be  a jack-of-all-trades  without  doors,  and  the  wife  a 
maid-of-all-work  within.  But  in  our  second  year  again  no  rain 
fell.  In  the  third  the  same  extraordinary  drought  followed.  In- 
deed, not  ten  inches  of  water  fell  during  these  two  years,  and  the 
Kolobeng  ran  dry ; so  many  fish  were  killed  that  the  hyamas 


ACTIVITY  OF  THE  ANT. 


23 


from  the  whole  country  round  collected  to  the  feast,  and  were 
unable  to  finish  the  putrid  masses.  A large  old  alligator,  which 
had  never  been  known  to  commit  any  depredations,  was  found 
left  high  and  dry  in  the  mud  among  the  victims.  The  fourth 
year  was  equally  unpropitious,  the  fall  of  rain  being  insufficient 
to  bring  the  grain  to  maturity.  Nothing  could  be  more  trying. 
We  dug  down  in  the  bed  of  the  river  deeper  and  deeper  as  the 
water  receded,  striving  to  get  a little  to  keep  the  fruit-trees  alive 
for  better  times,  but  in  vain.  Needles  lying  out  of  doors  for 
months  did  not  rust ; and  a mixture  of  sulphuric  acid  and  water, 
used  in  a galvanic  battery,  parted  with  all  its  water  to  the  air, 
instead  of  imbibing  more  from  it,  as  it  would  have  done  in  En- 
gland. The  leaves  of  indigenous  trees  were  all  drooping,  soft, 
and  shriveled,  though  not  dead ; and  those  of  the  mimosa?  were 
closed  at  midday,  the  same  as  they  are  at  night.  In  the  midst 
of  this  dreary  drought,  it  was  wonderful  to  see  those  tiny  crea- 
tures, the  ants,  running  about  with  their  accustomed  vivacity.  I 
put  the  bulb  of  a thermometer  three  inches  under  the  soil,  in  the 
sun,  at  midday,  and  found  the  mercury  to  stand  at  132°  to  134° ; 
and  if  certain  kinds  of  beetles  were  placed  on  the  surface,  they 
ran  about  a few  seconds  and  expired.  But  this  broiling  heat  only 
augmented  the  activity  of  the  long-legged  black  ants  : they  never 
tire;  their  organs  of  motion  seem  endowed  with. the  same  power 
as  is  ascribed  by  physiologists  to  the  muscles  of  the  human  heart, 
by  which  that  part  of  the  frame  never  becomes  fatigued,  and 
which  may  be  imparted  to  all  our  bodily  organs  in  that  higher 
sphere  to  which  we  fondly  hope  to  rise.  Where  do  these  ants  get 
their  moisture  ? Our  house  was  built  on  a hard  ferruginous  con- 
glomerate, in  order  to  be  out  of  the  way  of  the  white  ant,  but 
they  came  in  despite  the  precaution ; and  not  only  were  they,  in 
this  sultry  weather,  able  individually  to  moisten  soil  to  the  con- 
sistency of  mortar  for  the  formation  of  galleries,  which,  in  their 
way  of  working,  is  done  by  night  (so  that  they  are  screened  from 
the  observation  of  birds  by  day  in  passing  and  repassing  toward 
any  vegetable  matter  they  may  wish  to  devour),  but,  when  their 
inner  chambers  were  laid  open,  these  were  also  surprisingly  hu- 
mid. Yet  there  was  no  dew,  and,  the  house  being  placed  on  a 
rock,  they  could  have  no  subterranean  passage  to  the  bed  of  the 
river,  which  ran  about  three  hundred  yards  below  the  hill.  Can 


24 


RAIN-MEDICINE. 


it  be  that  they  have  the  power  of  combining  the  oxygen  and 
hydrogen  of  their  vegetable  food  by  vital  force  so  as  to  form 
water  ?* 

Rain,  however,  would  not  fall.  The  Bakwains  believed  that  I 
had  bound  Sechele  with  some  magic  spell,  and  I received  depu- 
tations, in  the  evenings,  of  the  old  counselors,  entreating  me  to 
allow  him  to  make  only  a few  showers : “ The  corn  will  die  if 
you  refuse,  and  we  shall  become  scattered.  Only  let  him  make 
rain  this  once,  and  we  shall  all,  men,  women,  and  children,  come 
to  the  school,  and  sing  and  pray  as  long  as  you  please.”  It  was 
in  vain  to  protest  that  I wished  Sechele  to  act  just  according  to 
his  own  ideas  of  what  was  right,  as  he  found  the  law  laid  down 
in  the  Bible,  and  it  was  distressing  to  appear  hard-hearted  to  them. 
The  clouds  often  collected  promisingly  over  us,  and  rolling  thun- 
der seemed  to  portend  refreshing  showers,  but  next  morning  the 
sun  would  rise  in  a clear,  cloudless  sky ; indeed,  even  these  low- 
ering appearances  were  less  frequent  by  far  than  days  of  sunshine 
are  in  London. 

The  natives,  finding  it  irksome  to  sit  and  wait  helplessly  until 
God  gives  them  rain  from  heaven,  entertain  the  more  comforta- 
ble idea  that  they  can  help  themselves  by  a variety  of  prepara- 
tions, such  as  charcoal  made  of  burned  bats,  inspissated  renal 
deposit  of  the  .mountain  cony  — Hyrax  capensis  — (which,  by 
the  way,  is  used,  in  the  form  of  pills,  as  a good  antispasmodic, 
under  the  name  of  “ stone-sweat”f),  the  internal  parts  of  differ- 
ent animals  — as  jackals’  livers,  baboons’  and  lions’  hearts,  and 
hairy  calculi  from  the  bowels  of  old  cows — serpents’  skins  and 
vertebrae,  and  every  kind  of  tuber,  bulb,  root,  and  plant  to  be 
found  in  the  country.  Although  you  disbelieve  their  efficacy  in 
charming  the  clouds  to  pour  out  their  refreshing  treasures,  yet, 
conscious  that  civility  is  useful  every  where,  you  kindly  state  that 
you  think  they  are  mistaken  as  to  their  power.  The  rain-doctor 
selects  a particular  bulbous  root,  pounds  it,  and  administers  a 
cold  infusion  to  a sheep,  which  in  five  minutes  afterward  expires 

* When  we  come  to  Angola,  I shall  describe  an  insect  there  which  distills  several 
pints  of  water  every  night. 

f The  name  arises  from  its  being  always  voided  on  one  spot,  in  the  manner  prac- 
ticed by  others  of  the  rliinocerontine  family ; and,  by  the  action  of  the  sun,  it  be- 
comes a black,  pitchy  substance. 


CONVERSATION  ON  RAIN-MAKING. 


25 


in  convulsions.  Part  of  the  same  bulb  is  converted  into  smoke, 
and  ascends  toward  the  sky ; rain  follows  in  a day  or  two.  The 
inference  is  obvious.  Were  we  as  much  harassed  by  droughts, 
the  logic  would  be  irresistible  in  England  in  1857. 

As  the  Bakwains  believed  that  there  must  be  some  connection 
between  the  presence  of  “God’s  Word”  in  their  town  and  these 
successive  and  distressing  droughts,  they  looked  with  no  good  will 
at  the  church  bell,  but  still  they  invariably  treated  us  with  kind- 
ness and  respect.  I am  not  aware  of  ever  having  had  an  enemy 
in  the  tribe.  The  only  avowed  cause  of  dislike  was  expressed  by 
a very  influential  and  sensible  man,  the  uncle  of  Sechele.  “ We 
like  you  as  well  as  if  you  had  been  born  among  us ; you  are  the 
only  white  man  we  can  become  familiar  with  (thoaela)  ; but  we 
wish  you  to  give  up  that  everlasting  preaching  and  praying ; we 
can  not  become  familiar  with  that  at  all.  You  see  we  never  get 
rain,  while  those  tribes  who  never  pray  as  we  do  obtain  abund- 
ance.” This  was  a fact ; and  we  often  saw  it  raining  on  the  hills 
ten  miles  off,  while  it  would  not  look  at  us  “even  with  one  eye.” 
If  the  Prince  of  the  power  of  the  air  had  no  hand  in  scorching  us 
up,  I fear  I often  gave  him  the  credit  of  doing  so. 

As  for  the  rain-makers,  they  carried  the  sympathies  of  the  peo- 
ple along  with  them,  and  not  without  reason.  With  the  follow- 
ing arguments  they  were  all  acquainted,  and  in  order  to  under- 
stand their  force,  we  must  place  ourselves  in  their  position,  and 
believe,  as  they  do,  that  all  medicines  act  by  a mysterious  charm. 
The  term  for  cure  may  be  translated  “ charm”  ( alaha ). 

Medical  Doctor.  Hail,  friend ! How  very  many  medicines  you 
have  about  you  this  morning ! Why,  you  have  every  medicine  in 
the  country  here. 

. Rain  Doctor.  Very  true,  my  friend;  and  I ought;  for  the 
whole  country  needs  the  rain  which  I am  making. 

M.  D.  So  you  really  believe  that  you  can  command  the  clouds? 
I think  that  can  be  done  by  God  alone. 

R.  D.  We  both  believe  the  very  same  thing.  It  is  God  that 
makes  the  rain,  but  I pray  to  him  by  means  of  these  medicines, 
and,  the  rain  coming,  of  course  it  is  then  mine.  It  was  I who 
made  it  for  the  Bakwains  for  many  years,  when  they  were  at 
Shokuane  ; through  my  wisdom,  too,  their  women  became  fat  and 
shining.  Ask  them  ; they  will  tell  you  the  same  as  I do. 


26 


CONVERSATION  ON  RAIN-MAKING. 


M.  D.  But  we  ax-e  distinctly  told  in  the  parting  words  of  our 
Savior  that  we  can  pray  to  God  acceptably  in  his  name  alone, 
and  not  by  means  of  medicines. 

R.  I).  Truly ! but  God  told  us  differently.  He  made  black 
men  first,  and  did  not  love  us  as  he  did  the  white  men.  He 
made  you  beautiful,  and  gave  you  clothing,  and  guns,  and  gun- 
powder, and  horses,  and  wagons,  and  many  other  things  about 
which  we  know  nothing.  But  toward  us  he  had  no  heart. 
He  gave  us  nothing  except  the  assegai,  and  cattle,  and  rain- 
making; and  he  did  not  give  us  hearts  like  yours.  We  never 
love  each  other.  Other  tribes  place  medicines  about  our  country 
to  prevent  the  rain,  so  that  we  may  be  dispersed  by  hunger,  and 
go  to  them,  and  augment  their  power.  We  must  dissolve  their 
charms  by  our  medicines.  God  has  given  us  one  little  thing, 
which  you  know  nothing  of.  He  has  given  us  the  knowledge 
of  certain  medicines  by  which  we  can  make  rain.  We  do  not  de- 
spise those  things  which  you  possess,  though  we  are  ignorant  of 
them.  We  don’t  understand  your  book,  yet  we  don’t  despise  it. 
You  ought  not  to  despise  our  little  knowledge,  though  you  are  ig- 
norant of  it. 

JM.  D.  I don’t  despise  what  I am  ignorant  of ; I only  think  you 
are  mistaken  in  saying  that  you  have  medicines  which  can  influ- 
ence the  rain  at  all. 

R.  1).  That’s  just  the  way  people  speak  when  they  talk  on  a 
subject  of  which  they  have  no  knowledge.  When  we  first  opened 
our  eyes,  we  found  our  forefathers  making  rain,  and  we  follow  in 
their  footsteps.  You,  who  send  to  Kuruman  for  corn,  and  irrigate 
your  garden,  may  do  without  rain ; we  can  not  manage  in  that 
way.  If  we  had  no  rain,  the  cattle  would  have  no  pasture,  the 
cows  give  no  milk,  our  children  become  lean  and  die,  our  wives 
run  away  to  other  tribes  who  do  make  rain  and  have  corn,  and  the 
whole  tribe  become  dispersed  and  lost ; our  fire  would  go  out. 

M.  D.  I quite  agree  with  you  as  to  the  value  of  the  rain ; but 
you  can  not  charm  the  clouds  by  medicines.  You  wait  till  you 
see  the  clouds  come,  then  you  use  your  medicines,  and  take  the 
credit  which  belongs  to  God  only. 

R.  D.  I use  my  medicines,  and  you  employ  yours ; we  are 
both  doctors,  and  doctors  are  not  deceivers.  You  give  a patient 
medicine.  Sometimes  God  is  pleased  to  heal  him  by  means  of 


CONVERSATION  ON  RAIN-MAKING. 


27 


your  medicine ; sometimes  not — he  dies.  When  he  is  cured,  you 
take  the  credit  of  what  God  does.  I do  the  same.  Sometimes 
God  grants  us  rain,  sometimes  not.  When  he  does,  we  take  the 
credit  of  the  charm.  When  a patient  dies,  you  don’t  give  up  trust 
in  your  medicine,  neither  do  I when  rain  fails.  If  you  wish  me  to 
leave  off  my  medicines,  why  continue  your  own  ? 

M.  D.  I give  medicine  to  living  creatures  within  my  reach, 
and  can  see  the  effects,  though  no  cure  follows ; you  pretend  to 
charm  the  clouds,  which  are  so  far  above  us  that  your  medicines 
never  reach  them.  The  clouds  usually  lie  in  one  direction,  and 
your  smoke  goes  in  another.  God  alone  can  command  the  clouds. 
Only  try  and  wait  patiently ; God  will  give  us  rain  without  your 
medicines. 

R.  D.  Mahala-ma-kapa-a-a ! ! Well,  I always  thought  white 
men  were  wise  till  this  morning.  Who  ever  thought  of  making 
trial  of  starvation  ? Is  death  pleasant,  then  ? 

M.  D.  Could  you  make  it  rain  on  one  spot  and  not  on  an- 
other ? 

R.  D.  I wouldn’t  think  of  trying.  I like  to  see  the  whole 
country  green,  and  all  the  people  glad ; the  women  clapping  their 
hands,  and  giving  me  their  ornaments  for  thankfulness,  and  lulli- 
looing  for  joy. 

M.  D.  I think  you  deceive  both  them  and  yourself. 

R.  D.  Well,  then,  there  is  a pair  of  us  (meaning  both  are 
rogues). 

The  above  is  only  a specimen  of  their  way  of  reasoning,  in 
which,  when  the  language  is  well  understood,  they  are  perceived 
to  be  remarkably  acute.  These  arguments  are  generally  known, 
and  I never  succeeded  in  convincing  a single  individual  of  their 
fallacy,  though  I tried  to  do  so  in  every  way  I could  think  of. 
Their-  faith  in  medicines  as  charms  is  unbounded.  The  general 
effect  of  argument  is  to  produce  the  impression  that  you  are  not 
anxious  for  rain  at  all ; and  it  is  very  undesirable  to  allow  the 
idea  to  spread  that  you  do  not  take  a generous  interest  in  their 
welfare.  An  angry  opponent  of  rain-making  in  a tribe  would  be 
looked  upon  as  were  some  Greek  merchants  in  England  during 
the  Russian  war. 

The  conduct  of  the  people  during  this  long-continued  drought 
was  remarkably  good.  The  women  parted  with  most  of  their 


28 


THE  HOPO. 


ornaments  to  purchase  corn  from  more  fortunate  tribes.  The 
children  scoured  the  country  in  search  of  the  numerous  bulbs 
and  roots  which  can  sustain  life,  and  the  men  engaged  in  hunting. 
Very  great  numbers  of  the  large  game,  buffaloes,  zebras,  giraffes, 
tsessebes,  kamas  or  hartebeests,  kokongs  or  gnus,  pallahs,  rhinoce- 
roses, etc.,  congregated  at  some  fountains  near  Kolobeng,  and  the 
trap  called  “Aoyw”  was  constructed,  in  the  lands  adjacent,  for 
their  destruction.  The  hopo  consists  of  two  hedges  in  the  form 
of  the  letter  Y,  which  are  very  high  and  thick  near  the  angle. 
Instead  of  the  hedges  being  joined  there,  they  are  made  to  form 
a lane  of  about  fifty  yards  in  length,  at  the  extremity  of  which  a 
pit  is  formed,  six  or  eight  feet  deep,  and  about  twelve  or  fifteen 
in  breadth  and  length.  Trunks  of  trees  are  laid  across  the  mar- 
gins of  the  pit,  and  more  especially  over  that  nearest  the  lane 
where  the  animals  are  expected  to  leap  in,  and  over  that  farthest 
from  the  lane  where  it  is  supposed  they  will  attempt  to  escape 
after  they  are  in.  The  trees  form  an  overlapping  border,  and  ren- 
der escape  almost  impossible.  The  whole  is  carefully  decked  with 
short  green  rushes,  making  the  pit  like  a concealed  pitfall.  As 
the  hedges  are  frequently  about  a mile  long,  and  about  as  much 
apart  at  their  extremities,  a tribe  making  a circle  three  or  four 
miles  round  the  country  adjacent  to  the  opening,  and  gradually 
closing  up,  are  almost  sure  to  inclose  a large  body  of  game. 
Driving  it  up  with  shouts  to  the  narrow  part  of  the  hopo,  men 
secreted  there  throw  their  javelins  into  the  affrighted  herds,  and 
on  the  animals  rush  to  the  opening  presented  at  the  converging 
hedges,  and  into  the  pit,  till  that  is  full  of  a living  mass.  Some 
escape  by  running  over  the  others,  as  a Smithfield  market-dog 
does  over  the  sheep’s  backs.  It  is  a frightful  scene.  The  men, 
wild  with  excitement,  spear  the  lovely  animals  with  mad  de- 
light ; others  of  the  poor  creatures,  borne  down  by  the  weight  of 
their  dead  and  dying  companions,  every  now  and  then  make  the 
whole  mass  heave  in  their  smothering  agonies. 

The  Bakwains  often  killed  between  sixty  and  seventy  head  of 
large  game  at  the  different  hopos  in  a single  week;  and  as 
every  one,  both  rich  and  poor,  partook  of  the  prey,  the  meat 
counteracted  the  bad  effects  of  an  exclusively  vegetable  diet. 
When  the  poor,  who  had  no  salt,  were  forced  to  live  entirely  on 
roots,  they  were  often  troubled  with  indigestion.  Such  cases  we 


THE  IIOPO,  OR  TRAP  FOR  DRIVING  GAWK. 


\ 


THE  TIT  AT  THE  EXTREMITY  OP  THE  HOPO. 


SALT  A CURE  FOR  INDIGESTION. 


33 


had  frequent  opportunities  of  seeing  at  other  times,  for,  the  dis- 
trict being  destitute  of  salt,  the  rich  alone  could  afford  to  buy  it. 
The  native  doctors,  aware  of  the  cause  of  the  malady,  usually 
prescribed  some  of  that  ingredient  with  their  medicines.  The 
doctors  themselves  had  none,  so  the  poor  resorted  to  us  for  aid. 
We  took  the  hint,  and  henceforth  cured  the  disease  by  giving  a 
teaspoonful  of  salt,  minus  the  other  remedies.  Either  milk  or 
meat  had  the  same  effect,  though  not  so  rapidly  as  salt.  Long 
afterward,  when  I was  myself  deprived  of  salt  for  four  months, 
at  two  distinct  periods,  I felt  no  desire  for  that  condiment,  but  I 
was  plagued  by  very  great  longing  for  the  above  articles  of  food. 
This  continued  as  long  as  I was  confined  to  an  exclusively  vege- 
table diet,  and  when  I procured  a meal  of  flesh,  though  boiled 
in  perfectly  fresh  rain-water,  it  tasted  as  pleasantly  saltish  as  if 
slightly  impregnated  with  the  condiment.  Milk  or  meat,  obtained 
in  however  small  quantities,  removed  entirely  the  excessive  long- 
ing and  dreaming  about  roasted  ribs  of  fat  oxen,  and  bowls  of  cool 
thick  milk  gurgling  forth  from  the  big-bellied  calabashes ; and  I 
could  then  understand  the  thankfulness  to  Mrs.  L.  often  expressed 
by  poor  Bakwain  women,  in  the  interesting  condition,  for  a very 
little  of  either. 

In  addition  to  other  adverse  influences,  the  general  uncertainty, 
though  not  absolute  want  of  food,  and  the  necessity  of  frequent 
absence  for  the  purpose  of  either  hunting  game  or  collecting  roots 
and  fruits,  proved  a serious  barrier  to  the  progress  of  the  people 
in  knowledge.  Our  own  education  in  England  is  carried  on  at 
the  comfortable  breakfast  and  dinner  table,  and  by  the  cosy  fire, 
as  well  as  in  the  church  and  school.  Few  English  people  with 
stomachs  painfully  empty  would  be  decorous  at  church  any  more 
than  they  are  when  these  organs  are  overcharged.  Bagged  schools 
would  have  been  a failure  had  not  the  teachers  wisely  provided 
food  for  the  body  as  well  as  food  for  the  mind  ; and  not  only  must 
we  show  a friendly  interest  in  the  bodily  comfort  of  the  objects 
of  our  sympathy  as  a Christian  duty,  but  we  can  no  more  hope 
for  healthy  feelings  among  the  poor,  either  at  home  or  abroad, 
without  feeding  them  into  them,  than  we  can  hope  to  see  an 
ordinary  working-bee  reared  into  a queen-mother  by  the  ordinary 
food  of  the  hive. 

Sending  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen  must,  if  this  view  be  correct, 

C 


34 


MEANS  TO  PROMOTE  CIVILIZATION. 


include  much  more  than  is  implied  in  the  usual  picture  of  a mis- 
sionary, namely,  a man  going  about  with  a Bible  under  his  arm. 
The  promotion  of  commerce  ought  to  be  specially  attended  to,  as 
this,  more  speedily  than  any  thing  else,  demolishes  that  sense  of 
isolation  which  heathenism  engenders,  and  makes  the  tribes  feel 
themselves  mutually  dependent  on,  and  mutually  beneficial  to  each 
other.  With  a view  to  this,  the  missionaries  at  Kuruman  got  per- 
mission from  the  government  for  a trader  to  reside  at  the  station, 
and  a considerable  trade  has  been  the  result ; the  trader  himself 
has  become  rich  enough  to  retire  with  a competence.  Those  laws 
which  still  prevent  free  commercial  intercourse  among  the  civil- 
ized nations  seem  to  be  nothing  else  but  the  remains  of  our  own 
heathenism.  My  observations  on  this  subject  make  me  extremely 
desirous  to  promote  the  preparation  of  the  raw  materials  of  Euro- 
pean manufactures  in  Africa,  for  by  that  means  we  may  not  only 
put  a stop  to  the  slave-trade,  but  introduce  the  negro  family  into 
the  body  corporate  of  nations,  no  one  member  of  which  can  suffer 
without  ‘the  others  suffering  with  it.  Success  in  this,  in  both 
Eastern  and  Western  Africa,  would  lead,  in  the  course  of  time, 
to  a much  larger  diffusion  of  the  blessings  of  civilization  than 
efforts  exclusively  spiritual  and  educational  confined  to  any  one 
small  tribe.  These,  however,  it  would  of  course  be  extremely 
desirable  to  carry  on  at  the  same  time  at  large  central  and  healthy 
stations,  for  neither  civilization  nor  Christianity  can  be  promoted 
alone.  In  fact,  they  are  inseparable. 


BOEES  ADVERSE  TO  IMPROVEMENT. 


35 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Boers.— Their  Treatment  of  the  Natives. — Seizure  of  native  Children  for 
Slaves— English  Traders.— Alarm  of  the  Boers.— Native  Espionage.— The  Tale 
of  the  Cannon.— The  Boers  threaten  Sechele.— In  violation  of  Treaty,  they  stop 
English  Traders  and  expel  Missionaries. — They  attack  the  Bakwains. — Their 
Mode  of  Fighting.— The  Natives  killed  and  the  School-children  carried  into 
Slavery.— Destruction  of  English  Property. — African  Housebuilding  and  House- 
keeping.— Mode  of  Spending  the  Day. — Scarcity  of  Food. — Locusts. — Edible 
Frogs. — Scavenger  Beetle. — Continued  Hostility  of  the  Boers. — The  Journey 
north. — Preparations. — Fellow-travelers. — The  Kalahari  Desert. — V egetation. — 
Watermelons. — The  Inhabitants. — The  Bushmen. — Their  nomade  Mode  of 
Life. — Appearance. — The  Bakalaliari. — Their  Love  for  Agriculture  and  for  do- 
mestic Animals. — Timid  Character. — Mode  of  obtaining  Water. — Female  Water- 
suckers. — The  Desert. — Water  hidden. 

Another  adverse  influence  with  which  the  mission  had  to  con- 
tend was  the  vicinity  of  the  Boers  of  the  Caslian  Mountains,  oth- 
erwise named  “ Magaliesberg.”  These  are  not  to  be  confounded 
with  the  Cape  colonists,  who  sometimes  pass  by  the  name.  The 
word  Boer  simply  means  “ farmer,”  and  is  not  synonymous  with 
our  word  boor.  Indeed,  to  the  Boers  generally  the  latter  term 
would  be  quite  inappropriate,  for  they  are  a sober,  industrious, 
and  most  hospitable  body  of  peasantry.  Those,  however,  who 
have  fled  from  English  law  on  various  pretexts,  and  have  been 
joined  by  English  deserters  and  every  other  variety  of  bad  charac- 
ter in  their  distant  localities,  are  unfortunately  of  a very  different 
stamp.  The  great  objection  many  of  the  Boers  had,  and  still 
have,  to  English  law,  is  that  it  makes  no  distinction  between  black 
men  and  white.  They  felt  aggrieved  by  their  supposed  losses  in 
the  emancipation  of  their  Hottentot  slaves,  and  determined  to 
erect  themselves  into  a republic,  in  which  they  might  pursue,  with- 
out molestation,  the  “ proper  treatment  of  the  blacks.”  It  is  al- 
most needless  to  add  that  the  “ proper  treatment”  has  always  com 
tained  in  it  the  essential  element  of  slavery,  namely,  compulsory 
unpaid  labor. 

One  section  of  this  body,  under  the  late  Mr.  Hendrick  Potgeiter, 
penetrated  the  interior  as  far  as  the  Cashan  Mountains,  whence  a 


36 


TREATMENT  OF  NATIVES  BY  BOERS. 


Zulu  or  Caff  re  chief,  named  Mosilikatze,  had  been  expelled  "by 
the  well-known  Caffre  Dingaan ; and  a glad  welcome  was  given 
them  by  the  Bechuana  tribes,  who  had  just  escaped  the  hard  sway 
of  that  cruel  chieftain.  They  came  with  the  prestige  of  white 
men  and  deliverers ; but  the  Bechuanas  soon  found,  as  they  ex- 
pressed it,  “ that  Mosilikatze  was  cruel  to  his  enemies,  and  kind 
to  those  he  conquered ; but  that  the  Boers  destroyed  their  ene- 
mies, and  made  slaves  of  their  friends.”  The  tribes  who  still 
retain  the  semblance  of  independence  are  forced  to  perform  all  the 
labor  of  the  fields,  such  as  manuring  the  land,  weeding,  reaping, 
building,  making  dams  and  canals,  and  at  the  same  time  to  sup- 
port themselves.  I have  myself  been  an  eye-witness  of  Boers 
coming  to  a village,  and,  according  to  their  usual  custom,  demand- 
ing twenty  or  thirty  women  to  weed  their  gardens,  and  have  seen 
these  women  proceed  to  the  scene  of  unrequited  toil,  carrying  their 
own  food  on  their  heads,  their  children  on  their  backs,  and  instru- 
ments of  labor  on  their  shoulders.  Nor  have  the  Boers  any  wish 
to  conceal  the  meanness  of  thus  employing  unpaid  labor ; on  the 
contrary,  every  one  of  them,  from  Mr.  Potgeiter  and  Mr.  Gert 
Krieger,  the  commandants,  downward,  lauded  his  own  humanity 
and  justice  in  making  such  an  equitable  regulation.  “We  make 
the  people  work  for  us,  in  consideration  of  allowing  them  to  live 
in  our  country.” 

I can  appeal  to  the  Commandant  Krieger  if  the  foregoing  is  not 
a fair  and  impartial  statement  of  the  views  of  himself  and  his 
people.  I am  sensible  of  no  mental  bias  toward  or  against  these 
Boers ; and  during  the  several  journeys  I made  to  the  poor  en- 
slaved tribes,  I never  avoided  the  whites,  but  tried  to  cure  and  did 
administer  remedies  to  their  sick,  without  money  and  without  price. 
It  is  due  to  them  to  state  that  I was  invariably  treated  with  re- 
spect ; but  it  is  most  unfortunate  that  they  should  have  been  left 
by  their  own  Church  for  so  many  years  to  deteriorate  and  become 
as  degraded  as  the  blacks,  whom  the  stupid  prejudice  against  color 
leads  them  to  detest. 

This  new  species  of  slavery  which  they  have  adopted  serves 
to  supply  the  lack  of  field-labor  only.  The  demand  for  domes- 
tic servants  must  be  met  by  forays  on  tribes  which  have  good 
supplies  of  cattle.  The  Portuguese  can  quote  instances  in  which 
blacks  become  so  degraded  by  the  love  of  strong  drink  as  actually 


TREATMENT  OF  NATIVES  BY  BOERS. 


37 


to  sell  themselves ; but  never  in  any  one  case,  within  the  mem- 
ory of  man,  has  a Bechuana  chief  sold  any  of  his  people,  or  a 
Bechuana  man  his  child.  Hence  the  necessity  for  a foray  to 
seize  children.  And  those  individual  Boers  who  would  not  en- 
gage in  it  for  the  sake  of  slaves  can  seldom  resist  the  two-fold 
plea  of  a well-told  story  of  an  intended  uprising  of  the  devoted 
tribe,  and  the  prospect  of  handsome  pay  in  the  division  of  the 
captured  cattle  besides. 

It  is  difficult  for  a person  in  a civilized  country  to  conceive 
that  any  body  of  men  possessing  the  common  attributes  of  hu- 
manity (and  these  Boers  are  by  no  means  destitute  of  the  better 
feelings  of  our  nature)  should  with  one  accord  set  out,  after  load- 
ing their  own  wives  and  children  with  caresses,  and  proceed  to 
shoot  down  in  cold  blood  men  and  women,  of  a different  color, 
it  is  true,  but  possessed  of  domestic  feelings  and  affections  equal 
to  their  own.  I saw  and  conversed  with  children  in  the  houses 
of  Boers  who  had,  by  their  own  and  their  masters’  account,  been 
captured,  and  in  several  instances  I traced  the  parents  of  these 
unfortunates,  though  the  plan  approved  by  the  long-headed  among 
the  burghers  is  to  take  children  so  young  that  they  soon  forget 
their  parents  and  their  native  language  also.  It  was  long  be- 
fore I could  give  credit  to  the  tales  of  bloodshed  told  by  native 
witnesses,  and  had  I received  no  other  testimony  but  theirs  I 
should  probably  have  continued  skeptical  to  this  day  as  to  the 
truth  of  the  accounts ; but  when  I found  the  Boers  themselves, 
some  bewailing  and  denouncing,  others  glorying  in  the  bloody 
scenes  in  which  they  had  been  themselves  the  actors,  I was  com- 
pelled to  admit  the  validity  of  the  testimony,  and  try  to  account 
for  the  cruel  anomaly.  They  are  all  traditionally  religious,  trac- 
ing their  descent  from  some  of  the  best  men  (Huguenots  and 
Dutch)  the  world  ever  saw.  Hence  they  claim  to  themselves  the 
title  of  “ Christians,”  and  all  the  colored  race  are  “ black  proper- 
ty” or  “ creatures.”  They  being  the  chosen  people  of  God,  the 
heathen  are  given  to  them  for  an  inheritance,  and  they  are  the 
rod  of  divine  vengeance  on  the  heathen,  as  were  the  Jews  of  old. 
Living  in  the  midst  of  a native  population  much  larger  than 
themselves,  and  at  fountains  removed  many  miles  from  each  oth- 
er, they  feel  somewhat  in  the  same  insecure  position  as  do  the 
Americans  in  the  Southern  States.  The  first  question  put  by 


38 


BOERS  AFRAID  OF  THE  CAFFRES. 


them  to  strangers  is  respecting  peace ; and  when  they  receive 
reports  from  disaffected  or  envious  natives  against  any  tribe,  the 
case  assumes  all  the  appearance  and  proportions  of  a regular  in- 
surrection. Severe  measures  then  appear  to  the  most  mildly  dis- 
posed among  them  as  imperatively  called  for,  and,  however  bloody 
the  massacre  that  follows,  no  qualms  of  conscience  ensue : it  is  a 
dire  necessity  for  the  sake  of  peace.  Indeed,  the  late  Mr.  Hen- 
drick Potgeiter  most  devoutly  believed  himself  to  be  the  great 
peacemaker  of  the  country. 

But  how  is  it  that  the  natives,  being  so  vastly  superior  in  num- 
bers to  the  Boers,  do  not  rise  and  annihilate  them  ? The  people 
among  whom  they  live  are  Bechuanas,  not  Caffres,  though  no  one 
would  ever  learn  that  distinction  from  a Boer ; and  history  does 
not  contain  one  single  instance  in  which  the  Bechuanas,  even 
those  of  them  who  possess  fire-arms,  have  attacked  either  the 
Boers  or  the  English.  If  there  is  such  an  instance,  I am  certain 
it  is  not  generally  known,  either  beyond  or  in  the  Cape  Colony. 
They  have  defended  themselves  when  attacked,  as  in  the  case  of 
Sechele,  but  have  never  engaged  in  offensive  war  with  Euro- 
peans. We  have  a very  different  tale  to  tell  of  the  Caffres,  and 
the  difference  has  always  been  so  evident  to  these  border  Boers 
that,  ever  since  those  “magnificent  savages”*  obtained  possession 
of  fire-arms,  not  one  Boer  has  ever  attempted  to  settle  in  Caffre- 
land,  or  even  face  them  as  an  enemy  in  the  field.  The  Boers 
have  generally  manifested  a marked  antipathy  to  any  thing  but 
“ long-shot”  warfare,  and,  sidling  away  in  their  emigrations  to- 
ward the  more  effeminate  Bechuanas,  have  left  their  quarrels  with 
the  Caffres  to  be  settled  by  the  English,  and  their  wars  to  be  paid 
for  by  English  gold. 

The  Bakwains  at  Kolobeng  had  the  spectacle  of  various  tribes 
enslaved  before  their  eyes — the  Bakatla,  the  Batlokua,  the  Bahu- 
keng,  the  Bamosetla,  and  two  other  tribes  of  Bakwains  were  all 
groaning  under  the  oppression  of  unrequited  labor.  This  would 
not  have  been  felt  as  so  great  an  evil  but  that  the  young  men 
of  those  tribes,  anxious  to  obtain  cattle,  the  only  means  of  rising 
to  respectability  and  importance  among  their  own  people,  were 
in  the  habit  of  sallying  forth,  like  our  Irish  and  Highland 


* The  “United  Sendee  Journal”  so  styles  them. 


EFFECTS  OF  SLAVE-SYSTEM. 


39 


reapers,  to  procure  work  in  the  Cape  Colony.  After  laboring 
there  three  or  four  years,  in  building  stone  dikes  and  dams 
for  the  Dutch  farmers,  they  were  well  content  if  at  the  end  of 
that  time  they  could  return  with  as  many  cows.  On  presenting 
one  to  their  chief,  they  ranked  as  respectable  men  in  the  tribe 
ever  afterward.  These  volunteers  were  highly  esteemed  among 
the  Dutch,  under  the  name  of  Mantatees.  They  were  paid  at 
the  rate  of  one  shilling  a day  and  a large  loaf  of  bread  between 
six  of  them.  Numbers  of  them,  who  had  formerly  seen  me  about 
twelve  hundred  miles  inland  from  the  Cape,  recognized  me  with 
the  loud  laughter  of  joy  when  I was  passing  them  at  their  work 
in  the  Roggefelt  and  Bokkefelt,  within  a few  days  of  Cape  Town. 
I conversed  with  them  and  with  elders  of  the  Dutch  Church, 
for  whom  they  were  working,  and  found  that  the  system  was 
thoroughly  satisfactory  to  both  parties.  I do  not  believe  that 
there  is  one  Boer,  in  the  Cashan  or  Magaliesberg  country,  who 
would  deny  that  a law  was  made,  in  consequence  of  this  labor 
passing  to  the  colony,  to  deprive  these  laborers  of  their  hardly- 
earned  cattle,  for  the  very  cogent  reason  that,  “ if  they  want  to 
work,  let  them  work  for  us  their  masters,”  though  boasting  that 
in  their  case  it  would  not  be  paid  for.  I can  never  cease  to  be 
most  unfeignedly  thankful  that  I was  not  born  in  a land  of  slaves. 
No  one  can  understand  the  effect  of  the  unutterable  meanness  of 
the  slave-system  on  the  minds  of  those  who,  but  for  the  strange 
obliquity  which  prevents  them  from  feeling  the  degradation  of  not 
being  gentlemen  enough  to  pay  for  services  rendered,  would  be 
equal  in  virtue  to  ourselves.  Fraud  becomes  as  natural  to  them 
as  “ paying  one’s  way”  is  to  the  rest  of  mankind. 

Wherever  a missionary  lives,  traders  are  sure  to  come ; they 
are  mutually  dependent,  and  each  aids  in  the  work  of  the  other ; 
but  experience  shows  that  the  two  employments  can  not  veiy  well 
be  combined  in  the  same  person.  Such  a combination  would  not 
be  morally  wrong,  for  nothing  would  be  more  fair,  and  apostolical 
too,  than  that  the  man  who  devotes  his  time  to  the  spiritual  wel- 
fare of  a people  should  derive  temporal  advantage  from  upright 
commerce,  which  traders,  who  aim  exclusively  at  their  own  en- 
richment, modestly  imagine  ought  to  be  left  to  them.  But, 
though  it  is  right  for  missionaries  to  trade,  the  present  system  of 
missions  renders  it  inexpedient  to  spend  time  in  so  doing.  No 


40 


JESUIT  AND  PROTESTANT  MISSIONARIES. 


missionary  with  whom  I ever  came  in  contact,  traded ; and  while 
the  traders,  whom  we  introduced  and  rendered  secure  in  the 
country,  waxed  rich,  the  missionaries  have  invariably  remained 
poor,  and  have  died  so.  The  Jesuits,  in  Africa  at  least,  were  wiser 
in  their  generation  than  we  ; theirs  were  large,  influential  commu- 
nities, proceeding  on  the  system  of  turning  the  abilities  of  every 
brother  into  that  channel  in  which  he  was  most  likely  to  excel ; 
one,  fond  of  natural  history,  was  allowed  to  follow  his  bent ; anoth- 
er, fond  of  literature,  found  leisure  to  pursue  his  studies ; and  he 
who  was  great  in  barter  was  sent  in  search  of  ivory  and  gold-dust ; 
so  that  while  in  the  course  of  performing  the  religious  acts  of  his 
mission  to  distant  tribes,  he  found  the  means  of  aiding  effectually 
the  brethren  whom  he  had  left  in  the  central  settlement.*  We 
Protestants,  with  the  comfortable  conviction  of  superiority,  have 
sent  out  missionaries  with  a bare  subsistence  only,  and  are  un- 
sparing in  our  laudations  of  some  for  not  being  worldly-minded 
whom  our  niggardliness  made  to  live  as  did  the  prodigal  son.  I 
do  not  speak  of  myself,  nor  need  I to  do  so,  but  for  that  very 
reason  I feel  at  liberty  to  interpose  a word  in  behalf  of  others.  I 
have  before  my  mind  at  this  moment  facts  and  instances  which 
warrant  my  putting  the  case  in  this  way:  The  command  to  “go 
into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature”  must 
be  obeyed  by  Christians  either  personally  or  by  substitute.  Now 
it  is  quite  possible  to  find  men  whose  love  for  the  heathen  and 
devotion  to  the  work  will  make  them  ready  to  go  forth  on  the 
terms  “bare  subsistence,”  but  what  can  be  thought  of  the  just- 
ice, to  say  nothing  of  the  generosity,  of  Christians  and  churches 
who  not  only  work  their  substitutes  at  the  lowest  terms,  but 
regard  what  they  give  as  charity ! The  matter  is  the  more 
grave  in  respect  to  the  Protestant  missionary,  who  may  have  a 
wife  and  family.  The  fact  is,  there  are  many  cases  in  which  it 
is  right,  virtuous,  and  praiseworthy  for  a man  to  sacrifice  every 
thing  for  a great  object,  but  in  which  it  would  be  very  wrong  for 

* The  Dutch  clergy,  too,  are  not  wanting  in  worldly  wisdom.  A fountain  is 
bought,  and  the  lands  which  it  can  irrigate  parceled  out  and  let  to  villagers.  As 
they  increase  in  numbers,  the  rents  rise  and  the  church  becomes  rich.  With  £200 
per  annum  in  addition  from  government,  the  salary  amounts  to  £400  or  £500  a 
year.  The  clergymen  then  preach  abstinence  from  politics  as  a Christian  duty. 
It  is  quite  clear  that,  with  £400  a year,  but  little  else  except  pure  spirituality  is 
required. 


KAKE’S  REBELLION.  41 

others,  interested  in  the  object  as  much  as  he,  to  suffer  or  accept 
the  sacrifice,  if  they  can  prevent  it. 

English  traders  sold  those  articles  which  the  Boers  most  dread, 
namely,  arms  and  ammunition ; and  when  the  number  of  guns 
amounted  to  five,  so  much  alarm  was  excited  among  our  neigh- 
bors that  an  expedition  of  several  hundred  Boers  was  seriously 
planned  to  deprive  the  Bakwains  of  their  guns.  Knowing  that 
the  latter  would  rather  have  fled  to  the  Kalahari  Desert  than  de- 
liver up  their  weapons  and  become  slaves,  I pi'oceeded  to  the  com- 
mandant, Mr.  Gert  Krieger,  and,  representing  the  evils  of  any  such 
expedition,  prevailed  upon  him  to  defer  it ; but  that  point  being 
granted,  the  Boer  wished  to  gain  another,  which  was  that  I should 
act  as  a spy  over  the  Bakwains. 

I explained  the  impossibility  of  my  complying  with  his  wish, 
even  though  my  principles  as  an  Englishman  had  not  stood  in 
the  way,  by  referring  to  an  instance  in  which  Sechele  had  gone 
with  his  whole  force  to  punish  an  under-chief  without  my  knowl- 
edge. This  man,  whose  name  was  Kake,  rebelled,  and  was  led 
on  in  his  rebellion  by  his  father-in-law,  who  had  been  regicide  in 
the  case  of  Sechele’s  father.  Several  of  those  who  remained  faith- 
ful to  that  chief  were  maltreated  by  Kake  while  passing  to  the 
Desert  in  search  of  skins.  We  had  just  come  to  live  with  the 
Bakwains  when  this  happened,  and  Sechele  consulted  me.  I ad- 
vised mild  measures,  but  the  messengers  he  sent  to  Kake  were 
taunted  with  the  words,  “He  only  pretends  to  wish  to  follow  the 
advice  of  the  teacher : Sechele  is  a coward ; let  him  come  and 
fight  if  he  dare.”  The  next  time  the  offense  was  repeated, 
Sechele  told  me  he  was  going  to  hunt  elephants ; and  as  I knew 
the  system  of  espionage  which  prevails  among  all  the  tribes,  1 
never  made  inquiries  that  would  convey  the  opinion  that  I dis- 
trusted them.  I gave  credit  to  his  statement.  lie  asked  the 
loan  of  a black-metal  pot  to  cook  with,  as  theirs  of  pottery  are 
brittle.  I gave  it  and  a handful  of  salt,  and  desired  him  to  send 
back  two  tit-bits,  the  proboscis  and  fore-foot  of  the  elephant.  He 
set  off,  and  I heard  nothing  more  until  we  saw  the  Bakwains  car- 
rying home  their  wounded,  and  heard  some  of  the  women  uttering 
the  loud  wail  of  sorrow  for  the  dead,  and  others  pealing  forth  the 
clear  scream  of  victory.  It  was  then  clear  that  Sechele  had  at- 
tacked and  driven  away  the  rebel. 


42 


ESPIONAGE.— TALE  OF  THE  CANNON. 


Mentioning  this  to  the  commandant  in  proof  of  the  impossibil- 
ity of  granting  his  request,  I had  soon  an  example  how  quickly 
a story  can  grow  among  idle  people.  The  five  guns  were,  with- 
in one  month,  multiplied  into  a tale  of  five  hundred,  and  the 
cooking-pot,  now  in  a museum  at  Cape  Town,  was  magnified  into 
a cannon;  “ I had  myself  confessed  to  the  loan.”  Where  the  five 
hundred  guns  came  from,  it  was  easy  to  divine  ; for,  knowing  that 
I used  a sextant,  my  connection  with  government  was  a thing  of 
course ; and,  as  I must  know  all  her  majesty’s  counsels,  I was 
questioned  on  the  subject  of  the  indistinct  rumors  which  had 
reached  them  of  Lord  Rosse’s  telescope.  “ What  right  has  your 
government  to  set  up  that  large  glass  at  the  Cape  to  look  after  us 
behind  the  Caslian  Mountains  ?” 

Many  of  the  Boers  visited  us  afterward  at  Kolobeng,  some  for 
medical  advice,  and  others  to  trade  in  those  very  articles  which 
their  own  laws  and  policy  forbid.  When  I happened  to  stumble 
upon  any  of  them  in  the  town,  with  his  muskets  and  powder  dis- 
played, he  would  begin  an  apology,  on  the  ground  that  he  was  a 
poor  man,  etc.,  which  I always  cut  short  by  frankly  saying  that  I 
had  nothing  to  do  with  either  the  Boers  or  their  laws.  Many 
attempts  were  made  during  these  visits  to  elicit  the  truth  about 
the  guns  and  cannon ; and  ignorant  of  the  system  of  espionage 
which  prevails,  eager  inquiries  were  made  by  them  among  those 
who  could  jabber  a little  Dutch.  It  is  noticeable  that  the  system 
of  espionage  is  as  well  developed  among  the  savage  tribes  as  in 
Austria  or  Russia.  It  is  a proof  of  barbarism.  Every  man  in  a 
tribe  feels  himself  bound  to  tell  the  chief  every  thing  that  comes 
to  his  knowledge,  and,  when  questioned  by  a stranger,  either  gives 
answers  which  exhibit  the  utmost  stupidity,  or  such  as  he  knows 
will  be  agreeable  to  his  chief.  I believe  that  in  this  way  have 
arisen  tales  of  their  inability  to  count  more  than  ten,  as  was  as- 
serted of  the  Bechuanas  about  the  very  time  when  Sechele’s  fa- 
ther counted  out  one  thousand  head  of  cattle  as  a beginning  of  the 
stock  of  his  young  son.  . 

In  the  present  case,  Sechele,  knowing  every  question  put  to  his 
people,  asked  me  how  they  ought  to  answer.  My  reply  was, 
“ Tell  the  truth.”  Every  one  then  declared  that  no  cannon 
existed  there ; and  our  friends,  judging  the  answer  by  what  they 
themselves  would  in  the  circumstances  have  said,  were  confirmed 


HOSTILITY  OF  THE  BOERS. 


43 


in  the  opinion  that  the  Bakwains  actually  possessed  artillery. 
This  was  in  some  degree  beneficial  to  us,  inasmuch  as  fear  pre- 
vented any  foray  in  our  direction  for  eight  years.  During  that 
time  no  winter  passed  without  one  or  two  tribes  in  the  East 
country  being  plundered  of  both  cattle  and  children  by  the  Boers. 
The  plan  pursued  is  the  following : one  or  two  friendly  tribes  are 
forced  to  accompany  a party  of  mounted  Boers,  and  these  expe- 
ditions can  be  got  up  only  in  the  winter,  when  horses  may  be 
used  without  danger  of  being  lost  by  disease.  When  they  reach 
the  tribe  to  be  attacked,  the  friendly  natives  are  ranged  in  front, 
to  form,  as  they  say,  “ a shield the  Boers  then  coolly  fire  over 
their  heads  till  the  devoted  people  flee  and  leave  cattle,  wives, 
and  children  to  the  captors.  This  was  done  in  nine  cases  during 
my  residence  in  the  interior,  and  on  no  occasion  was  a drop  of 
Boer’s  blood  shed.  News  of  these  deeds  spread  quickly  among 
the  Bakwains,  and  letters  were  repeatedly  sent  by  the  Boers  to 
Sechele,  ordering  him  to  come  and  surrender  himself  as  their  vas- 
sal, and  stop  English  traders  from  proceeding  into  the  country 
with  fire-arms  for  sale.  But  the  discovery  of  Lake  Ngami,  here- 
after to  be  described,  made  the  traders  come  in  five-fold  greater 
numbers,  and  Sechele  replied,  “ I was  made  an  independent  chief 
and  placed  here  by  God,  and  not  by  you.  I was  never  conquer- 
ed by  Mosilikatze,  as  those  tribes  whom  you  rule  over ; and  the 
English  are  my  friends.  I get  every  thing  I wish  from  them.  I 
can  not  hinder  them  from  going  where  they  like.”  Those  who  are 
old  enough  to  remember  the  threatened  invasion  of  our  own  island 
may  understand  the  effect  which  the  constant  danger  of  a Boerish 
invasion  had  on  the  minds  of  the  Bakwains  ; but  no  others  can 
conceive  how  worrying  were  the  messages  and  threats  from  the 
endless  self-constituted  authorities  of  the  Magaliesberg  Boers ; and 
when  to  all  this  harassing  annoyance  was  added  the  scarcity  pro- 
duced by  the  drought,  we  could  not  wonder  at,  though  we  felt  sorry 
for,  their  indisposition  to  receive  instruction. 

The  myth  of  the  black  pot  assumed  serious  proportions.  I 
attempted  to  benefit  the  tribes  among  the  Boers  of  Magaliesberg 
by  placing  native  teachers  at  different  points.  “ You  must  teach 
the  blacks,”  said  Mr.  Hendrick  Potgeiter,  the  commandant  in 
chief,  “that  they  are  not  equal  to  us.”  Other  Boers  told  me,  “I 
might  as  well  teach  the  baboons  on  the  rocks  as  the  Africans,” 


44 


BOERS  COMPARED  TO  BUSHMEN. 


but  declined  the  test  which  I proposed,  namely,  to  examine  whether 
they  or  my  native  attendants  could  read  best.  Two  of  their  clergy- 
men came  to  baptize  the  children  of  the  Boers ; so,  supposing  these 
good  men  would  assist  me  in  overcoming  the  repugnance  of  their 
flock  to  the  education  of  the  blacks,  I called  on  them ; but  my 
visit  ended  in  a ruse  practiced  by  the  Boerish  commandant,  where- 
by I was  led,  by  professions  of  the  greatest  friendship,  to  retire  to 
Kolobeng,  while  a letter  passed  me  by  another  way  to  the  other 
missionaries  in  the  south,  demanding  my  instant  recall  “for  lend- 
ing a cannon  to  their  enemies.”  The  colonial  government  was  also 
gravely  informed  that  the  story  was  true,  and  I came  to  be  look- 
ed upon  as  a most  suspicious  character  in  consequence. 

These  notices  of  the  Boers  are  not  intended  to  produce  a sneer 
at  their  ignorance,  but  to  excite  the  compassion  of  their  friends. 
They  are  perpetually  talking  about  their  laws ; but  practically 
theirs  is  only  the  law  of  the  strongest.  The  Bechuanas  could 
never  understand  the  changes  which  took  place  in  their  com- 
mandants. “Why,  one  can  never  know  who  is  the  chief  among 
these  Boers.  Like  the  Bushmen,  they  have  no  king — they  must 
be  the  Bushmen  of  the  English.”  The  idea  that  any  tribe  of  men 
could  be  so  senseless  as  not  to  have  an  hereditary  chief  was  so 
absurd  to  these  people,  that,  in  order  not  to  appear  equally  stu- 
pid, I was  obliged  to  tell  them  that  we  English  were  so  anxious 
to  preserve  the  royal  blood,  that  we  had  made  a young  lady  our 
chief.  This  seemed  to  them  a most  convincing  proof  of  our  sound 
sense.  We  shall  see  farther  on  the  confidence  my  account  of  our 
queen  inspired. 

The  Boers,  encouraged  by  the  accession  of  Mr.  Pretorius,  determ- 
ined at  last  to  put  a stop  to  English  traders  going  past  Kolobeng, 
by  dispersing  the  tribe  of  Bakwains,  and  expelling  all  the  mis- 
sionaries. Sir  George  Cathcart  proclaimed  the  independence  of 
the  Boers,  the  best  thing  that  could  have  been  done  had  they 
been  between  us  and  the  Caffres.  A treaty  was  entered  into 
with  these  Boers ; an  article  for  the  free  passage  of  Englishmen 
to  the  country  beyond,  and  also  another,  that  no  slavery  should 
be  allowed  in  the  independent  territory,  were  duly  inserted,  as 
expressive  of  the  views  of  her  majesty’s  government  at  home. 
“ But  what  about  the  missionaries  ?”  inquired  the  Boers.  “ You 
may  do  as  you  please  with  them”  is  said  to  have  been  the  answer 


THEY  MAKE  WAR  ON  THE  BAKWAINS. 


45 


of  the  “ Commissioner.”  This  remark,  if  uttered  at  all,  was 
probably  made  in  joke : designing  men,  however,  circulated  it, 
and  caused  the  general  belief  in  its  accuracy  which  now  prevails 
all  over  the  country,  and  doubtless  led  to  the  destruction  of  three 
mission  stations  immediately  after.  The  Boers,  four  hundred  in 
number,  were  sent  by  the  late  Mr.  Pretorius  to  attack  the  Bak- 
wains  in  1852.  Boasting  that  the  English  had  given  up  all  the 
blacks  into  their  power,  and  had  agreed  to  aid  them  in  their  sub- 
jugation by  preventing  all  supplies  of  ammunition  from  coming 
into  the  Bechuana  country,  they  assaulted  the  Bakwains,  and, 
besides  killing  a considerable  number  of  adults,  carried  off  two 
hundred  of  our  school  children  into  slavery.  The  natives  under 
Sechele  defended  themselves  till  the  approach  of  night  enabled 
them  to  flee  to  the  mountains ; and  having  in  that  defense  killed 
a number  of  the  enemy,  the  very  first  ever  slain  in  this  country 
by  Bechuanas,  I received  the  credit  of  having  taught  the  tribe 
to  kill  Boers ! My  house,  which  had  stood  perfectly  secure  for 
years  under  the  protection  of  the  natives,  was  plundered  in  re- 
venge. English  gentlemen,  who  had  come  in  the  footsteps  of 
Mr.  Cumming  to  hunt  in  the  country  beyond,  and  had  deposited 
large  quantities  of  stores  in  the  same  keeping,  and  upward  of 
eighty  head  of  cattle  as  relays  for  the  return  journeys,  were 
robbed  of  all,  and,  when  they  came  back  to  Kolobeng,  found  the 
skeletons  of  the  guardians  strewed  all  over  the  place.  The  books 
of  a good  library — my  solace  in  our  solitude — were  not  taken 
away,  but  handfuls  of  the  leaves  were  torn  out  and  scattered  over 
the  place.  My  stock  of  medicines  was  smashed ; and  all  our  fur- 
niture and  clothing  carried  off  and  sold  at  public  auction  to  pay 
the  expenses  of  the  foray. 

I do  not  mention  these  things  by  way  of  making  a pitiful  wail 
over  my  losses,  nor  in  order  to  excite  commiseration ; for,  though 
I do  feel  sorry  for  the  loss  of  lexicons,  dictionaries,  &c.,  which  had 
been  the  companions  of  my  boyhood,  yet,  after  all,  the  plundering 
only  set  me  entirely  free  for  my  expedition  to  the  north,  and  I 
have  never  since  had  a moment’s  concern  for  any  thing  I left 
behind.  The  Boers  resolved  to  shut  up  the  interior,  and  I determ- 
ined to  open  the  country,  and  we  shall  see  who  have  been  most 
successful  in  resolution,  they  or  I. 

A short  sketch  of  African  housekeeping  may  not  prove  unin- 


46 


HOUSEBUILDING  AND  HOUSEKEEPING. 


teresting  to  the  reader.  The  entire  absence  of  shops  led  us  to 
make  every  thing  we  needed  from  the  raw  materials.  You  want 
bricks  to  build  a house,  and  must  forthwith  proceed  to  the  field, 
cut  down  a tree,  and  saw  it  into  planks  to  make  the  brick-moulds  ; 
the  materials  for  doors  and  windows,  too,  are  standing  in  the  for- 
est ; and,  if  you  want  to  be  respected  by  the  natives,  a house  of 
decent  dimensions,  costing  an  immense  amount  of  manual  labor, 
must  be  built.  The  people  can  not  assist  you  much  ; for,  though 
most  willing  to  labor  for  wages,  the  Bakwains  have  a curious  in- 
ability to  make  or  put  things  square : like  all  Bechuanas,  their 
dwellings  are  made  round.  In  the  case  of  three  large  houses, 
erected  by  myself  at  different  times,  every  brick  and  stick  had  to 
be  put  square  by  my  own  right  hand. 

Having  got  the  meal  ground,  the  wife  proceeds  to  make  it 
into  bread ; an  extempore  oven  is  often  constructed  by  scooping 
out  a large  hole  in  an  anthill,  and  using  a slab  of  stone  for  a 
door.  Another  plan,  which  might  be  adopted  by  the  Australians 
to  produce  something  better  than  their  “ dampers,”  is  to  make 
a good  fire  on  a level  piece  of  ground,  and,  when  the  ground  is 
thoroughly  heated,  place  the  dough  in  a small,  short-handled  fry- 
ing-pan, or  simply  on  the  hot  ashes  ; invert  any  sort  of  metal  pot 
over  it,  draw  the  ashes  around,  and  then  make  a small  fire  on  the 
top.  Dough,  mixed  with  a little  leaven  from  a former  baking,  and 
allowed  to  stand  an  hour  or  two  in  the  sun,  will  by  this  process 
become  excellent  bread. 

We  made  our  own  butter,  a jar  serving  as  a churn ; and  our 
own  candles  by  means  of  moulds ; and  soap  was  procured  from 
the  ashes  of  the  plant  salsola,  or  from  wood-ashes,  which  in  Africa 
contain  so  little  alkaline  matter  that  the  boiling  of  successive  leys 
has  to  be  continued  for  a month  or  six  weeks  before  the  fat  is 
saponified.  There  is  not  much  hardship  in  being  almost  entirely 
dependent  on  ourselves ; there  is  something  of  the  feeling  which 
must  have  animated  Alexander  Selkirk  on  seeing  conveniences 
springing  up  before  him  from  his  own  ingenuity  ; and  married  life 
is  all  the  sweeter  when  so  many  comforts  emanate  directly  from 
the  thrifty  striving  housewife’s  hands. 

To  some  it  may  appear  quite  a romantic  mode  of  life ; it  is  one 
of  active  benevolence,  such  as  the  good  may  enjoy  at  home. 
Take  a single  day  as  a sample  of  the  whole.  We  rose  early, 


MODE  OF  SPENDING  THE  DAY. 


47 


because,  however  hot  the  day  may  have  been,  the  evening,  night, 
and  morning  at  Kolobeng  were  deliciously  refreshing ; cool  is  not 
the  word,  where  you  have  neither  an  increase  of  cold  nor  heat  to 
desire,  and  where  you  can  sit  out  till  midnight  with  no  fear  of 
coughs  or  rheumatism.  After  family  worship  and  breakfast  be- 
tween six  and  seven,  we  went  to  keep  school  for  all  who  would 
attend  — men,  women,  and  children  being  all  invited.  School 
over  at  eleven  o’clock,  while  the  missionary’s  wife  was  occupied 
in  domestic  matters,  the  missionary  himself  had  some  manual 
labor  as  a smith,  carpenter,  or  gardener,  according  to  whatever 
was  needed  for  ourselves  or  for  the  people  ; if  for  the  latter,  they 
worked  for  us  in  the  garden,  or  at  some  other  employment ; 
skilled  labor  was  thus  exchanged  for  the  unskilled.  After  din- 
ner and  an  hour’s  rest,  the  wife  attended  her  infant-school,  which 
the  young,  who  were  left  by  their  parents  entirely  to  their  own 
caprice,  liked  amazingly,  and  generally  mustered  a hundred 
strong;  or  she  varied  that  with  a sewing-school,  having  classes 
of  girls  to  learn  the  art ; this,  too,  was  equally  well  relished. 
During  the  day  every  operation  must  be  superintended,  and  both 
husband  and  wife  must  labor  till  the  sun  declines.  After  sunset 
the  husband  went  into  the  town  to  converse  with  any  one  will- 
ing to  do  so,  sometimes  on  general  subjects,  at  other  times  on  re- 
ligion. On  three  nights  of  the  week,  as  soon  as  the  milking  of 
the  cows  was  over  and  it  had  become  dark,  we  had  a public  relig- 
ious service,  and  one  of  instruction  on  secular  subjects,  aided  by 
pictures  and  specimens.  These  services  were  diversified  by  at- 
tending upon  the  sick  and  prescribing  for  them,  giving  food,  and 
otherwise  assisting  the  poor  and  wretched.  We  tried  to  gain  their 
affections  by  attending  to  the  wants  of  the  body.  The  smallest 
acts  of  friendship,  an  obliging  word  and  civil  look,  are,  as  St.  Xa- 
vier thought,  no  despicable  part  of  the  missionary  armor.  Nor 
ought  the  good  opinion  of  the  most  abject  to  be  uncared  for,  when 
politeness  may  secure  it.  Their  good  word  in  the  aggregate 
forms  a reputation  which  may  be  well  employed  in  procuring  fa- 
vor for  the  Gospel.  Show  kind  attention  to  the  reckless  oppo- 
nents of  Christianity  on  the  bed  of  sickness  and  pain,  and  they 
never  can  become  your  personal  enemies.  Here,  if  any  where, 
love  begets  love. 

When  at  Kolobeng,  during  the  droughts  we  were  entirely  de- 


48 


LOCUSTS,  FROGS,  ETC.,  USED  AS  FOOD. 


pendent  on  Kuruman  for  supplies  of  corn.  Once  we  were  re- 
duced to  living  on  bran,  to  convert  which  into  fine  meal  we  had  to 
grind  it  three  times  over.  We  were  much  in  want  of  animal  food, 
which  seems  to  be  a greater  necessary  of  life  there  than  vegetari- 
ans would  imagine.  Being  alone,  we  could  not  divide  the  butcher- 
meat  of  a slaughtered  animal  with  a prospect  of  getting  a return 
with  regularity.  Sechele  had,  by  right  of  chieftainship,  the  breast 
of  every  animal  slaughtered  either  at  home  or  abroad,  and  he  most 
obligingly  sent  us  a liberal  share  during  the  whole  period  of  our 
sojourn.  But  these  supplies  were  necessarily  so  irregular  that  we 
were  sometimes  fain  to  accept  a dish  of  locusts.  These  are  quite 
a blessing  in  the  country,  so  much  so  that  the  rain-doctors  some- 
times promised  to  bring  them  by  their  incantations.  The  locusts 
are  strongly  vegetable  in  taste,  the  flavor  varying  with  the  plants 
on  which  they  feed.  There  is  a physiological  reason  why  locusts 
and  honey  should  be  eaten  together.  Some  are  roasted  and 
pounded  into  meal,  which,  eaten  with  a little  salt,  is  palatable.  It 
will  keep  thus  for  months.  Boiled,  they  are  disagreeable ; but 
when  they  are  roasted  I should  much  prefer  locusts  to  shrimps, 
though  I would  avoid  both  if  possible. 

In  traveling  we  sometimes  suffered  considerably  from  scarcity 
of  meat,  though  not  from  absolute  want  of  food.  This  was  felt 
more  especially  by  my  children ; and  the  natives,  to  show  their 
sympathy,  often  gave  them  a large  kind  of  caterpillar,  which  they 
seemed  to  relish  ; these  insects  could  not  be  unwholesome,  for  the 
natives  devoured  them  in  large  quantities  themselves. 

Another  article  of  which  our  children  partook  with  eagerness 
was  a very  large  frog,  called  “ Matlametlo.”* 

These  enormous  frogs,  which,  when  cooked,  look  like  chickens, 
are  supposed  by  the  natives  to  fall  down  from  thunder-clouds, 
because  after  a heavy  thunder-shower  the  pools,  which  are  filled 
and  retain  water  a few  days,  become  instantly  alive  with  this 
loud-croaking,  pugnacious  game.  This  phenomenon  takes  place 
in  the  driest  parts  of  the  desert,  and  in  places  where,  to  an  ordi- 
nary observer,  there  is  not  a sign  of  life.  Having  been  once 
benighted  in  a district  of  the  Kalahari  where  there  was  no 

* The  Pyxicephalus  adspersus  of  Dr.  Smith.  Length  of  head  and  body,  Si- 
inches  ; fore  legs,  3 inches ; hind  legs,  6 inches.  Width  of  head  posteriorly,  3 
inches  : of  body,  inches. 


THE  ELAND.— THE  SCAVENGER  BEETLE. 


49 


prospect  of  getting  water  for  our  cattle  for  a day  or  two,  I was 
surprised  to  hear  in  the  fine  still  evening  the  croaking  of  frogs. 
Walking  out  until  I was  certain  that  the  musicians  were  between 
me  and  our  fire,  I found  that  they  could  be  merry  on  nothing  else 
but  a prospect  of  rain.  From  the  Bushmen  I afterward  learned 
that  the  matlametlo  makes  a hole  at  the  root  of  certain  bushes, 
and  there  ensconces  himself  during  the  months  of  drought.  As 
he  seldom  emerges,  a large  variety  of  spider  takes  advantage  of 
the  hole,  and  makes  its  web  across  the  orifice.  He  is  thus  fur- 
nished with  a window  and  screen  gratis;  and  no  one  but  a Bush- 
man would  think  of  searching  beneath  a spider’s  web  for  a frog. 
They  completely  eluded  my  search  on  the  occasion  referred  to ; 
and  as  they  rush  forth  into  the  hollows  filled  by  the  thunder- 
shower when  the  rain  is  actually  falling,  and  the  Bechuanas  are 
cowering  under  their  skin  garments,  the  sudden  chorus  struck  up 
simultaneously  from  all  sides  seems  to  indicate  a descent  from 
the  clouds. 

The  presence  of  these  matlametlo  in  the  desert  in  a time  of 
drought  was  rather  a disappointment,  for  I had  been  accustomed 
to  suppose  that  the  note  was  always  emitted  by  them  when  they 
were  chin-deep  in  water.  Their  music  was  always  regarded  in 
other  spots  as  the  most  pleasant  sound  that  met  the  ear  after 
crossing  portions  of  the  thirsty  desert ; and  I could  fully  appre- 
ciate the  sympathy  for  these  animals  shown  by  iEsop,  himself  an 
African,  in  his  fable  of  the  “Boys  and  the  Frogs.” 

It  is  remarkable  that  attempts  have  not  been  made  to  any 
extent  to  domesticate  some  of  the  noble  and  useful  creatures  of 
Africa  in  England.  The  eland,  which  is  the  most  magnificent  of 
all  antelopes,  would  grace  the  parks  of  our  nobility  more  than 
deer.  This  animal,  from  the  excellence  of  its  flesh,  would  be 
appropriate  to  our  own  country ; and  as  there  is  also  a splendid 
esculent  frog  nearly  as  large  as  a chicken,  it  would  no  doubt 
tend  to  perpetuate  the  present  alliance  if  we  made  a gift  of  that 
to  France. 

The  scavenger  beetle  is  one  of  the  most  useful  of  all  insects,  as 
it  effectually  answers  the  object  indicated  by  the  name.  Where 
they  abound,  as  at  Kuruman,  the  villages  are  sweet  and  clean, 
for  no  sooner  are  animal  excretions  dropped  than,  attracted  by 
the  scent,  the  scavengers  are  heard  coming  booming  up  the  wind. 

D 


50 


HOSTILITY  OF  THE  BOERS. 


They  roll  away  the  droppings  of  cattle  at  once,  in  round  pieces 
often  as  large  as  billiard-balls ; and  when  they  reach  a place 
proper  by  its  softness  for  the  deposit  of  their  eggs  and  the  safety 
of  their  young,  they  dig  the  soil  out  from  beneath  the  ball  till 
they  have  quite  let  it  down  and  covered  it : they  then  lay  their 
eggs  within  the  mass.  While  the  larvas  are  growing,  they  de- 
vour the  inside  of  the  ball  before  coming  above  ground  to  begin 
the  world  for  themselves.  The  beetles  with  their  gigantic  balls 
look  like  Atlas  with  the  world  on  his  back ; only  they  go  back- 
ward, and,  with  their  heads  down,  push  with  the  hind  legs,  as 
if  a boy  should  roll  a snow-ball  with  his  legs  while  standing 
on  his  head.  As  we  recommend  the  eland  to  John  Bull,  and 
the  gigantic  frog  to  France,  we  can  confidently  recommend  this 
beetle  to  the  dirty  Italian  towns  and  our  own  Sanitary  Com- 
missioners. 

In  trying  to  benefit  the  tribes  living  under  the  Boers  of  the 
Cashan  Mountains,  I twice  performed  a journey  of  about  three 
hundred  miles  to  the  eastward  of  Kolobeng.  Sechele  had  become 
so  obnoxious  to  the  Boers  that,  though  anxious  to  accompany  me 
in  my  journey,  he  dared  not  trust  himself  among  them.  This 
did  not  arise  from  the  crime  of  cattle-stealing ; for  that  crime,  so 
common  among  the  CafFrcs,  was  never  charged  against  his  tribe, 
nor,  indeed,  against  any  Bechuana  tribe.  It  is,  in  fact,  unknown 
in  the  country,  except  during  actual  warfare.  His  independence 
and  love  of  the  English  were  his  only  faults.  In  my  last  jour- 
ney there,  of  about  two  hundred  miles,  on  parting  at  the  River 
Marikwe  he  gave  me  two  servants,  “to  be,”  as  he  said,  “his  arms 
to  serve  me,”  and  expressed  regret  that  he  could  not  come  him- 
self. “Suppose  we  went  north,”  I said,  “would  you  come?” 
He  then  told  me  the  story  of  Sebituane  having  saved  his  life,  and 
expatiated  on  the  far-famed  generosity  of  that  really  great  man. 
This  was  the  first  time  I had  thought  of  crossing  the  Desert  to 
Lake  Ngami. 

The  conduct  of  the  Boers,  who,  as  will  be  remembered,  had 
sent  a letter  designed  to  procure  my  removal  out  of  the  country, 
and  their  well-known  settled  policy  which  I have  already  de- 
scribed, became  more  fully  developed  on  this  than  on  any  former 
occasion.  When  I spoke  to  Mr.  Hendrick  Potgeiter  of  the 
danger  of  hindering  the  Gospel  of  Christ  among  these  poor 


SECHELE’S  POSITION  AS  CHIEF. 


51 


savages,  he  became  greatly  excited,  and  called  one  of  liis  follow- 
ers to  answer  me.  He  threatened  to  attack  any  tribe  that  might 
receive  a native  teacher,  yet  he  promised  to  use  his  influence  to 
prevent  those  under  him  from  throwing  obstacles  in  our  way.  I 
could  perceive  plainly  that  nothing  more  could  be  done  in  that 
direction,  so  I commenced  collecting  all  the  information  I could 
about  the  desert,  with  the  intention  of  crossing  it,  if  possible.  Se- 
komi,  the  chief  of  the  Bamangwato,  was  acquainted  with  a route 
which  he  kept  carefully  to  himself,  because  the  Lake  country 
abounded  in  ivory,  and  he  drew  large  quantities  thence  periodi- 
cally at  but  small  cost  to  himself. 

Sechele,  who  valued  highly  every  thing  European,  and  was  al- 
ways fully  alive  to  his  own  interest,  was  naturally  anxious  to  get 
a share  of  that  inviting  field.  He  was  most  anxious  to  visit  Se- 
bituane  too,  partly,  perhaps,  from  a wish  to  show  off  his  new  ac- 
quirements, but  chiefly,  I believe,  from  having  very  exalted  ideas 
of  the  benefits  he  would  derive  from  the  liberality  of  that  renown- 
ed chieftain.  In  age  and  family  Sechele  is  the  elder  and  superior 
of  Sekomi ; for  when  the  original  tribe  broke  up  into  Bamangwa- 
to, Bangwaketse,  and  Bakwains,  the  Bakwains  retained  the  hered- 
itary chieftainship ; so  their  chief,  Sechele,  possesses  certain  ad- 
vantages over  Sekomi,  the  chief  of  the  Bamangwato.  If  the  two 
were  traveling  or  hunting  together,  Sechele  would  take,  by  right, 
the  heads  of  the  game  shot  by  Sekomi. 

There  are  several  vestiges,  besides,  of  very  ancient  partitions 
and  lordships  of  tribes.  The  elder  brother  of  Sechele’s  father,  be- 
coming blind,  gave  over  the  chieftainship  to  Sechele’s  father.  The 
descendants  of  this  man  pay  no  tribute  to  Sechele,  though  he  is 
the  actual  ruler,  and  superior  to  the  head  of  that  family ; and  Se- 
chele, while  in  every  other  respect  supreme,  calls  him  Kosi,  or 
Chief.  The  other  tribes  will  not  begin  to  eat  the  early  pumpkins 
of  a new  crop  until  they  hear  that  the  Bahurutse  have  “ bitten  it,” 
and  there  is  a public  ceremony  on  the  occasion — the  son  of  the 
chief  being  the  first  to  taste  of  the  new  harvest. 

Sechele,  by  my  advice,  sent  men  to  Sekomi,  asking  leave  for 
me  to  pass  along  his  path,  accompanying  the  request  with  the 
present  of  an  ox.  Sekomi’s  mother,  who  possesses  great  influence 
over  him,  refused  permission,  because  she  had  not  been  propitiated. 
This  produced  a fresh  message ; and  the  most  honorable  man  in 


52 


PREPARING  TO  CROSS  THE  DESERT. 


the  Bakwain  tribe,  next  to  Sechele,  was  sent  with  an  ox  for  both 
Sekomi  and  his  mother.  This,  too,  was  met  by  refusal.  It  was 
said,  “ The  Matebele,  the  mortal  enemies  of  the  Bechuanas,  are  in 
the  direction  of  the  lake,  and,  should  they  kill  the  white  man,  we 
shall  incur  great  blame  from  all  his  nation.” 

The  exact  position  of  the  Lake  Ngami  had,  for  half  a century 
at  least,  been  correctly  pointed  out  by  the  natives,  who  had  visit- 
ed it  -when  rains  were  more  copious  in  the  Desert  than  in  more 
recent  times,  and  many  attempts  had  been  made  to  reach  it  by 
passing  through  the  Desert  in  the  direction  indicated ; but  it  was 
found  impossible,  even  for  Griquas,  who,  having  some  Bushman 
blood  in  them,  may  be  supposed  more  capable  of  enduring  thirst 
than  Europeans.  It  was  clear,  then,  that  our  only  chance  of 
success  was  by  going  round,  instead  of  through,  the  Desert. 
The  best  time  for  the  attempt  would  have  been  about  the  end 
of  the  rainy  season,  in  March  or  April,  for  then  we  should  have 
been  likely  to  meet  with  pools  of  rain-water,  which  always  dry 
up  during  the  rainless  winter.  I communicated  my  intention  to 
an  African  traveler,  Colonel  Steele,  then  aid-de-camp  to  the  Mar- 
quis of  Tweedale  at  Madras,  and  he  made  it  known  to  two  oth- 
er gentlemen,  whose  friendship  we  had  gained  during  their  Afri- 
can travel,  namely,  Major  Vardon  and  Mr.  Oswell.  All  of  these 
gentlemen  were  so  enamored  with  African  hunting  and  African 
discovery  that  the  two  former  must  have  envied  the  latter  his 
good  fortune  in  being  able  to  leave  India  to  undertake  afresh  the 
pleasures  and  pains  of  desert  life.  I believe  Mr.  Oswell  came 
from  his  high  position  at  a very  considerable  pecuniary  sacrifice, 
and  with  no  other  end  in  view  but  to  extend  the  boundaries  of 
geographical  knowledge.  Before  I knew  of  his  coming,  I had  ar- 
ranged that  the  payment  for  the  guides  furnished  by  Sechele 
should  be  the  loan  of  my  wagon,  to  bring  back  whatever  ivory 
he  might  obtain  from  the  chief  at  the  lake.  When,  at  last,  Mr. 
Oswell  came,  bringing  Mr.  Murray  with  him,  he  undertook  to  de- 
fray the  entire  expenses  of  the  guides,  and  fully  executed  his  gen- 
erous intention. 

Sechele  himself  would  have  come  with  us,  but,  fearing  that 
the  much-talked-of  assault  of  the  Boers  might  take  place  dur- 
ing our  absence,  and  blame  be  attached  to  me  for  taking  him 
away,  I dissuaded  him  against  it  by  saying  that  he  knew 


THE  KALAHARI  DESERT.  53 

Mr.  Oswell  “ would  be  as  determined  as  himself  to  get  through 
the  Desert.” 

Before  narrating  the  incidents  of  this  journey,  I may  give  some 
account  of  the  great  Kalahari  Desert,  in  order  that  the  reader  may 
understand  in  some  degree  the  nature  of  the  difficulties  we  had  to 
encounter. 

The  space  from  the  Orange  River  in  the  south,  lat.  29°,  to 
Lake  Ngami  in  the  north,  and  from  about  24°  east  long,  to  near 
the  west  coast,  has  been  called  a desert  simply  because  it  con- 
tains no  running  water,  and  very  little  water  in  wells.  It  is  by 
no  means  destitute  of  vegetation  and  inhabitants,  for  it  is  covered 
with  grass  and  a great  variety  of  creeping  plants ; besides  which 
there  are  large  patches  of  bushes,  and  even  trees.  It  is  remark- 
ably flat,  but  intersected  in  different  parts  by  the  beds  of  ancient 
rivers ; and  prodigious  herds  of  certain  antelopes,  which  require 
little  or  no  water,  roam  over  the  trackless  plains.  The  inhab- 
itants, Bushmen  and  Bakalahari,  prey  on  the  game  and  on  the 
countless  rodentia  and  small  species  of  the  feline  race  which  sub- 
sist on  these.  In  general,  the  soil  is  light-colored  soft  sand, 
nearly  pure  silica.  The  beds  of  the  ancient  rivers  contain  much 
alluvial  soil ; and  as  that  is  baked  hard  by  the  burning  sun,  rain- 
water stands  in  pools  in  some  of  them  for  several  months  in  the 
year. 

The  quantity  of  grass  which  grows  on  this  remarkable  region 
is  astonishing,  even  to  those  who  are  familiar  with  India.  It 
usually  rises  in  tufts  with  bare  spaces  between,  or  the  intervals 
are  occupied  by  creeping  plants,  which,  having  their  roots  buried 
far  beneath  the  soil,  feel  little  the  effects  of  the  scorching  sun. 
The  number  of  these  which  have  tuberous  roots  is  very  great ; 
and  their  structure  is  intended  to  supply  nutriment  and  moisture, 
when,  during  the  long  droughts,  they  can  be  obtained  nowhere 
else.  Here  we  have  an  example  of  a plant,  not  generally  tuber- 
bearing, becoming  so  under  circumstances  where  that  appendage 
is  necessary  to  act  as  a reservoir  for  preserving  its  life ; and  the 
same  thing  occurs  in  Angola  to  a species  of  grape-bearing  vine, 
which  is  so  furnished  for  the  same  purpose.  The  plant  to  which 
I at  present  refer  is  one  of  the  cucurbitaceae,  which  bears  a 
small,  scarlet-colored,  eatable  cucumber.  Another  plant,  named 
Leroshua,  is  a blessing  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  Desert.  We 


54 


THE  WATERMELON. 


see  a small  plant  with  linear  leaves,  and  a stalk  not  thicker  than 
a crow’s  quill ; on  digging  down  a foot  or  eighteen  inches  beneath, 
we  come  to  a tuber,  often  as  large  as  the  head  of  a young  child : 
when  the  rind  is  removed,  we  find  it  to  be  a mass  of  cellular  tis- 
sue, filled  with  fluid  much  like  that  in  a young  turnip.  Owing 
to  the  depth  beneath  the  soil  at  which  it  is  found,  it  is  generally 
deliciously  cool  and  refreshing.  Another  kind,  named  Mokuri, 
is  seen  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  where  long-continued  heat 
parches  the  soil.  This  plant  is  an  herbaceous  creeper,  and  depos- 
its under  gound  a number  of  tubers,  some  as  large  as  a man’s 
head,  at  spots  in  a circle  a yard  or  more,  horizontally,  from  the 
stem.  The  natives  strike  the  ground  on  the  circumference  of  the 
circle  with  stones,  till,  by  hearing  a difference  of  sound,  they  know 
the  water-bearing  tuber  to  be  beneath.  They  then  dig  down  a 
foot  or  so,  and  find  it. 

But  the  most  surprising  plant  of  the  Desert  is  the  “ Kengwe  or 
Keme”  ( Cucumis  caffer ),  the  watermelon.  In  years  when  more 
than  the  usual  quantity  of  rain  falls,  vast  tracts  of  the  country  are 
literally  covered  with  these  melons ; this  was  the  case  annually 
when  the  fall  of  rain  was  greater  than  it  is  now,  and  the  Bak- 
wains  sent  trading  parties  every  year  to  the  lake.  It  happens 
commonly  once  every  ten  or  eleven  years,  and  for  the  last  three 
times  its  occurrence  has  coincided  with  an  extraordinarily  wet  sea- 
son. Then  animals  of  every  sort  and  name,  including  man,  rejoice 
in  the  rich  supply.  The  elephant,  true  lord  of  the  forest,  rev- 
els in  this  fruit,  and  so  do  the  different  species  of  rhinoceros,  al- 
though naturally  so  diverse  in  their  choice  of  pasture.  The  various 
kinds  of  antelopes  feed  on  them  with  equal  avidity,  and  lions,  hy- 
amas,  jackals,  and  mice,  all  seem  to  know  and  appreciate  the  com- 
mon blessing.  These  melons  are  not,  however,  all  of  them  eatable ; 
some  are  sweet,  and  others  so  bitter  that  the  whole  are  named  by 
the  Boers  the  “bitter  watermelon.”  The  natives  select  them  by 
striking  one  melon  after  another  with  a hatchet,  and  applying  the 
tongue  to  the  gashes.  They  thus  readily  distinguish  between 
the  bitter  and  sweet.  The  bitter  are  deleterious,  but  the  sweet  are 
quite  wholesome.  This  peculiarity  of  one  species  of  plants  bearing 
both  sweet  and  bitter  fruits  occurs  also  in  a red,  eatable  cucumber, 
often  met  with  in  the  country.  It  is  about  four  inches  long,  and 
about  an  inch  and  a half  in  diameter.  It  is  of  a bright  scarlet 


BUSHMEN. — BAKALAHARI. 


color  when  ripe.  Many  are  hitter,  others  quite  sweet.  Even 
melons  in  a garden  may  he  made  hitter  by  a few  bitter  kengwe 
in  the  vicinity.  The  bees  convey  the  pollen  from  one  to  the 
other. 

The  human  inhabitants  of  this  tract  of  country  consist  of  Bush- 
men and  Bakalahari.  The  former  are  probably  the  aborigines  of 
the  southern  portion  of  the  continent,-  the  latter  the  remnants  of 
the  first  emigration  of  Bechuanas.  The  Bushmen  live  in  the  Des- 
ert from  choice,  the  Bakalahari  from  compulsion,  and  both  possess 
an  intense  love  of  liberty.  The  Bushmen  are  exceptions  in  lan- 
guage, race,  habits,  and  appearance.  They  are  the  only  real  no- 
mades  in  the  country ; they  never  cultivate  the  soil,  nor  rear  any 
domestic  animal  save  wretched  dpgs.  They  are  so  intimately 
acquainted  with  the  habits  of  the  game  that  they  follow  them  in 
their  migrations,  and  prey  upon  them  from  place  to  place,  and 
thus  prove  as  complete  a check  upon  their  inordinate  increase  as 
the  other  carnivora.  The  chief  subsistence  of  the  Bushmen  is 
the  flesh  of  game,  but  that  is  eked  out  by  what  the  women  col- 
lect of  roots  and  beans,  and  fruits  of  the  Desert.  Those  who  in- 
habit the  hot  sandy  plains  of  the  Desert  possess  generally  thin, 
wiry  forms,  capable  of  great  exertion  and  of  severe  privations. 
Many  are  of  low  stature,  though  not  dwarfish ; the  specimens 
brought  to  Europe  have  been  selected,  like  costermongers’  dogs, 
on  account  of  their  extreme  ugliness ; consequently,  English  ideas 
of  the  whole  tribe  are  formed  in  the  same  way  as  if  the  ugliest 
specimens  of  the  English  were  exhibited  in  Africa  as  character- 
istic of  the  entire  British  nation.  That  they  are  like  baboons  is 
in  some  degree  true,  just  as  these  and  other  simke  are  in  some 
points  frightfully  human. 

The  Bakalahari  are  traditionally  reported  to  be  the  oldest  of 
the  Bechuana  tribes,  and  they  are  said  to  have  possessed  enor- 
mous herds  of  the  large  horned  cattle  mentioned  by  Bruce,  until 
they  were  despoiled  of  them  and  driven  into  the  Desert  by  a fresh 
migration  of  their  own  nation.  Living  ever  since  on  the  same 
plains  with  the  Bushmen,  subjected  to  the  same  influences  of 
climate,  enduring  the  same  thirst,  and  subsisting  on  similar  food 
for  centuries,  they  seem  to  supply  a standing  proof  that  locality  is 
not  always  sufficient  of  itself  to  account  for  difference  in  races. 
The  Bakalahari  retain  in  undying  vigor  the  Bechuana  love  for 


56 


TIIE  BAKALAHARI. 


agriculture  and  domestic  animals.  They  hoe  their  gardens  annu- 
ally, though  often  all  they  can  hope  for  is  a supply  of  melons  and 
pumpkins.  And  they  carefully  rear  small  herds  of  goats,  though 
I have  seen  them  lift  water  for  them  out  of  small  wells  with  a bit 
of  ostrich  egg-shell,  or  by  spoonfuls.  They  generally  attach  them- 
selves to  influential  men  in  the  different  Bechuana  tribes  living 
adjacent  to  their  desert  home,  in  order  to  obtain  supplies  of  spears, 
knives,  tobacco,  and  dogs,  in  exchange  for  the  skins  of  the  animals 
they  may  kill.  These  are  small  carnivora  of  the  feline  species, 
including  two  species  of  jackal,  the  dark  and  the  golden ; the 
former,  “ motlose"  (. Megalotis  capensis  or  Cape  fennec),  lias  the 
warmest  fur  the  country  yields;  the  latter,  “pukuye”  ( Canis  me- 
somelas  and  C.  aureus ),  is  very  handsome  when  made  into  the 
skin  mantle  called  kaross.  Next  in  value  follow  the  “ tsipcC  or 
small  ocelot  ( Felis  nigripes),  the  “ tuane ” or  lynx,  the  wild  cat, 
the  spotted  cat,  and  other  small  animals.  Great  numbers  of puti 
{duiker)  and  puruhuru  {steinbuck)  skins  are  got  too,  besides 
those  of  lions,  leopards,  panthers,  and  hyaenas.  During  the  time 
I was  in  the  Bechuana  country,  between  twenty  and  thirty  thou- 
sand skins  were  made  up  into  karosses ; part  of  them  were  worn 
by  the  inhabitants,  and  part  sold  to  traders : many,  I believe, 
find  their  way  to  China.  The  Bakwains  bought  tobacco  from 
the  eastern  tribes,  then  purchased  skins  with  it  from  the  Baka- 
lahari,  tanned  them,  and  sewed  them  into  karosses,  then  went 
south  to  purchase  lieifer-calves  with  them,  cows  being  the  highest 
form  of  riches  known,  as  I have  often  noticed  from  their  asking 
“if  Queen  Victoria  had  many  cows.”  The  compact  they  enter 
into  is  mutually  beneficial,  but  injustice  and  wrong  are  often  per- 
petrated by  one  tribe  of  Bechuanas  going  among  the  Bakalahari 
of  another  tribe,  and  compelling  them  to  deliver  up  the  skins 
which  they  may  be  keeping  for  their  friends.  They  are  a timid 
race,  and  in  bodily  development  often  resemble  the  aborigines  of 
Australia.  They  have  thin  legs  and  arms,  and  large,  protruding 
abdomens,  caused  by  the  coarse,  indigestible  food  they  eat.  Their 
children’s  eyes  lack  lustre.  I never  saw  them  at  play.  A few 
Bechuanas  may  go  into  a village  of  Bakalahari,  and  domineer 
over  the  whole  with  impunity ; but  when  these  same  adventurers 
meet  the  Bushmen,  they  are  fain  to  change  their  manners  to 
fawning  sycophancy ; they  know  that,  if  the  request  for  tobacco 


. 


.LING  THEIR  EGG-8IIELL8  AND  WATER-SKINS  AT  A TOOL  IN  TIIE  DESERT. 


FEMALE  WATER-SUCKERS.  59 

is  refused,  these  free  sons  of  the  Desert  may  settle  the  point  as  to 
its  possession  by  a poisoned  arrow. 

The  dread  of  visits  from  Bechuanas  of  strange  tribes  causes  the 
Bakalahari  to  choose  their  residences  far  from  water ; and  they 
not  unfrequently  hide  their  supplies  by  filling  the  pits  with  sand 
and  making  a fire  over  the  spot.  When  they  wish  to  draw  water 
for  use,  the  women  come  with  twenty  or  thirty  of  their  water-ves- 
sels in  a basr  or  net  on  their  backs.  These  water-vessels  consist 
of  ostrich  egg-shells,  with  a hole  in  the  end  of  each,  such  as  would 
admit  one’s  finger.  The  women  tie  a bunch  of  grass  to  one  end 
of  a reed  about  two  feet  long,  and  insert  it  in  a hole  dug  as  deep 
as  the  arm  will  reach ; then  ram  down  the  wet  sand  firmly  round 
it.  Applying  the  mouth  to  the  free  end  of  the  reed,  they  form  a 
vacuum  in  the  grass  beneath,  in  which  the  water  collects,  and  in 
a short  time  rises  into  the  mouth.  An  egg-shell  is  placed  on  the 
ground  alongside  the  reed,  some  inches  below  the  mouth  of  tlje 
sucker.  A straw  guides  the  water  into  the  hole  of  the  vessel,  as 
she  draws  mouthful  after  mouthful  from  below.  The  water  is 
made  to  pass  along  the  outside,  not  through  the  straw.  If  any 
one  will  attempt  to  squirt  water  into  a bottle  placed  some  distance 
below  his  mouth,  he  will  soon  perceive  the  wisdom  of  the  Bush- 
woman’s  contrivance  for  giving  the  stream  direction  by  means  of 
a straw.  The  whole  stock  of  water  is  thus  passed  through  the 
woman’s  mouth  as  a pump,  and,  when  taken  home,  is  carefully 
buried.  I have  come  into  villages  where,  had  we  acted  a domi- 
neering part,  and  rummaged  every  hut,  we  should  have  found  noth- 
ing ; but  by  sitting  down  quietly,  and  waiting  with  patience  until 
the  villagers  were  led  to  form  a favorable  opinion  of  us,  a woman 
would  bring  out  a shellful  of  the  precious  fluid  from  I know  not 
where. 

The  so-called  Desert,  it  may  be  observed,  is  by  no  means  a use- 
less tract  of  country.  Besides  supporting  multitudes  of  both  small 
and  large  animals,  it  sends  something  to  the  market  of  the  world, 
and  has  proved  a refuge  to  many  a fugitive  tribe — to  the  Bakala- 
hari first,  and  to  the  other  Bechuanas  in  turn — as  their  lands  were 
overrun  by  the  tribe  of  true  Caffres,  called  Matebele.  The  Bak- 
wains, the  Bangwaketze,  and  the  Bamangwato  all  fled  thither;  and 
the  Matebele  marauders,  who  came  from  the  well-watered  east, 
perished  by  hundreds  in  their  attempts  to  follow  them.  One  of 


60 


WATER  HIDDEN. 


the  Bangwaketze  chiefs,  more  wily  than  the  rest,  sent  false  guides 
to  lead  them  on  a track  where,  for  hundreds  of  miles,  not  a drop 
of  water  could  he  found,  and  they  perished  in  consequence.  Many 
Bakwains  perished  too.  Their  old  men,  who  could  have  told  us 
ancient  stories,  perished  in  these  flights.  An  intelligent  Mokwain 
related  to  me  how  the  Bushmen  effectually  balked  a party  of  his 
tribe  which  lighted  on  their  village  in  a state  of  burning  thirst. 
Believing,  as  he  said,  that  nothing  human  could  subsist  without 
water,  they  demanded  some,  but  were  coolly  told  by  these  Bush- 
men that  they  had  none,  and  never  drank  any.  Expecting  to  find 
them  out,  they  resolved  to  watch  them  night  and  day.  They  per- 
severed for  some  days,  thinking  that  at  last  the  water  must  come 
forth  ; but,  notwithstanding  their  watchfulness,  kept  alive  by  most 
tormenting  thirst,  the  Bakwains  were  compelled  to  exclaim,  “Yak! 
yak ! these  are  not  men  ; let  us  go.”  Probably  the  Bushmen  had 
been  subsisting  on  a store  hidden  under  ground,  which  had  eluded 
the  vigilance  of  their  visitors. 


DEPARTURE  FROM  KOLOBENG. 


61 


CHAPTER  III. 

Departure  from  Kolobeng,  1st  June,  1849. — Companions. — Our  Route. — Abund- 
ance of  Grass. — Serotli,  a Fountain  in  the  Desert. — Mode  of  digging  Wells. — 
The  Eland. — Animals  of  the  Desert. — The  Hysena. — The  Chief  Sekomi. — 
Dangers. — The  wandering  Guide. — Cross  Purposes. — Slow  Progress. — -Want  of 
Water. — Capture  of  a Bushwoman. — The  Salt-pan  at  Nehokotsa.— The  Mirage. 
— Reach  the  River  Zouga. — The  Quakers  of  Africa. — Discovery  of  Lake  Ngami, 
1st  August,  1849. — Its  Extent. — Small  Depth  of  Water. — Position  as  the  Reser- 
voir of  a great  River  System. — The  Bamangwato  and  their  Chief. — Desire  to 
visit  Sehituane,  the  Chief  of  the  Makololo. — Refusal  of  Lechulatebe  to  furnish 
us  with  Guides. — Resolve  to  return  to  the  Cape. — The  Banks  of  the  Zouga. — 
Pitfalls. — Trees  of  the  District. — Elephants. — New  Species  of  Antelope. — Fish 
in  the  Zouga. 

Such  was  the  desert  which  we  were  now  preparing  to  cross— 
a region  formerly  of  terror  to  the  Bechuanas  from  the  numbers  of 
serpents  which  infested  it  and  fed  on  the  different  kinds  of  mice, 
and  from  the  intense  thirst  which  these  people  often  endured  when 
their  water-vessels  were  insufficient  for  the  distances  to  be  travel- 
ed over  before  reaching  the  wells. 

Just  before  the  arrival  of  my  companions,  a party  of  the  people 
of  the  lake  came  to  Kolobeng,  stating  that  they  were  sent  by 
Lechulatebe,  the  chief,  to  ask  me  to  visit  that  country.  They 
brought  such  flaming  accounts  of  the  quantities  of  ivory  to  be 
found  there  (cattle-pens  made  of  elephants’  tusks  of  enormous 
size,  &c.),  that  the  guides  of  the  Bakwains  were  quite  as  eager  to 
succeed  in  reaching  the  lake  as  any  one  of  us  could  desire.  This 
was  fortunate,  as  we  knew  the  way  the  strangers  had  come  was 
impassable  for  wagons. 

Messrs.  Oswell  and  Murray  came  at  the  end  of  May,  and  we 
all  made  a fair  start  for  the  unknown  region  on  the  1st  of  June, 
1849.  Proceeding  northward,  and  passing  through  a range  of 
tree-covered  hills  to  Shokuane,  formerly  the  residence  of  the 
Bakwains,  we  soon  after  entered  on  the  high  road  to  the  Bamang- 
wato, which  lies  generally  in  the  bed  of  an  ancient  river  or  wady 
that  must  formerly  have  flowed  N.  to  S.  The  adjacent  country. 


62 


SEROTLI. 


is  perfectly  flat,  but  covered  with  open  forest  and  bush,  with 
abundance  of  grass ; the  trees  generally  are  a kind  of  acacia 
called  “ Monato,”  which  appears  a little  to  the  south  of  this  region, 
and  is  common  as  far  as  Angola.  A large  caterpillar,  called 
“ Nato,”  feeds  by  night  on  the  leaves  of  these  trees,  and  comes 
down  by  day  to  bury  itself  at  the  root  in  the  sand,  in  order  to 
escape  the  piercing  rays  of  the  sun.  The  people  dig  for  it  there, 
and  are  fond  of  it  when  roasted,  on  account  of  its  pleasant  vege- 
table taste.  When  about  to  pass  into  the  chrysalis  state,  it  buries 
itself  in  the  soil,  and  is  sometimes  sought  for  as  food  even  then. 
If  left  undisturbed,  it  comes  forth  as  a beautiful  butterfly:  the 
transmutation  was  sometimes  employed  by  me  with  good  effect 
when  speaking  with  the  natives,  as  an  illustration  of  our  own 
great  change  and  resurrection. 

The  soil  is  sandy,  and  there  are  here  and  there  indications  that 
at  spots  which  now  afford  no  water  whatever  there  were  formerly 
wells  and  cattle  stations. 

Boatlanama,  our  next  station,  is  a lovely  spot  in  the  otherwise 
dry  region.  The  wells  from  which  we  had  to  lift  out  the  water 
for  our  cattle  are  deep,  but  they  were  well  filled.  A few  villages 
of  Bakalahari  were  found  near  them,  and  great  numbers  of  pal- 
lahs,  springbucks,  Guinea-fowl,  and  small  monkeys. 

Lopepe  came  next.  This  place  afforded  another  proof  of  the 
desiccation  of  the  country.  The  first  time  I passed  it,  Lopepe  was 
a large  pool  with  a stream  flowing  out  of  it  to  the  south ; now  it 
was  with  difficulty  we  could  get  our  cattle  watered  by  digging 
down  in  the  bottom  of  a well. 

At  Mashiie — where  we  found  a never-failing  supply  of  pure 
water  in  a sandstone  rocky  hollow  — we  left  the  road  to  the 
Bamangwato  hills,  and  struck  away  to  the  north  into  the  Desert. 
Having  watered  the  cattle  at  a well  called  Lobotani,  about  N.W. 
of  Bamangwato,  we  next  proceeded  to  a real  Kalahari  fountain, 
called  Serotli.  The  country  around  is  covered  with  bushes  and 
trees  of  a kind  of  leguminosas,  with  lilac  flowers.  The  soil  is 
soft  white  sand,  very  trying  to  the  strength  of  the  oxen,  as  the 
wheels  sink  into  it  over  the  felloes  and  drag  heavily.  At  Serotli 
we  found  only  a few  hollows  like  those  made  by  the  buffalo  and 
rhinoceros  when  they  roll  themselves  in  the  mud.  In  a corner 
of  one  of  these  there  appeared  water,  which  would  have  been 


MODE  OF  DIGGING  WELLS. 


63 


quickly  lapped  up  by  our  dogs,  had  we  not  driven  them  away. 
And  yet  this  was  all  the  apparent  supply  for  some  eighty  oxen, 
twenty  horses,  and  about  a score  of  men.  Our  guide,  Ramotobi, 
who  had  spent  his  youth  in  the  Desert,  declared  that,  though 
appearances  were  against  us,  there  was  plenty  of  water  at  hand. 
We  had  our  misgivings,  for  the  spades  were  soon  produced ; but 
our  guides,  despising  such  new-fangled  aid,  began  in  good  earnest 
to  scrape  out  the  sand  with  their  hands.  The  only  water  we  had 
any  promise  of  for.  the  next  seventy  miles — that  is,  for  a journey 
of  three  days  with  the  wagons — was  to  be  got  here.  By  the 
aid  of  both  spades  and  fingers  two  of  the  holes  were  cleared  out, 
so  as  to  form  pits  six  feet  deep  and  about  as  many  broad.  Our 
guides  were  especially  earnest  in  their  injunctions  to  us  not  to 
break  through  the  hard  stratum  of  sand  at  the  bottom,  because 
they  knew,  if  it  were  broken  through,  “the  water  would  go 
away.”  They  are  quite  correct,  for  the  water  seems  to  lie  on 
this  flooring  of  incipient  sandstone.  The  value  of  the  advice  was 
proved  in  the  case  of  an  Englishman  whose  wits  were  none  of  the 
brightest,  who,  disregarding  it,  dug  through  the  sandy  stratum 
in  the  wells  at  Mohotluani : the  water  immediately  flowed  away 
downward,  and  the  well  became  useless.  When  we  came  to  the 
stratum,  we  found  that  the  water  flowed  in  on  all  sides  close  to 
the  line  where  the  soft  sand  came  in  contact  with  it.  Allowing 
it  to  collect,  we  had  enough  for  the  horses  that  evening;  but  as 
there  was  not  sufficient  for  the  oxen,  we  sent  them  back  to  Lobo- 
tani,  where,  after  thirsting  four  full  days  (ninety-six  hours),  they 
got  a good  supply.  The  horses  were  kept  by  us  as  necessary  to 
procure  game  for  the  sustenance  of  our  numerous  party.  Next 
morning  we  found  the  water  had  flowed  in  faster  than  at  first, 
as  it  invariably  does  in  these  reservoirs,  owing  to  the  passages 
widening  by  the  flow.  Large  quantities  of  the  sand  come  into  the 
well  with  the  water,  and  in  the  course  of  a few  days  the  supply, 
which  may  be  equal  to  the  wants  of  a few  men  only,  becomes 
sufficient  for  oxen  as  well.  In  these  sucking-places  the  Bakala- 
liari  get  their  supplies ; and  as  they  are  generally  in  the  hollows 
of  ancient  river-beds,  they  are  probably  the  deposits  from  rains 
gravitating  thither ; in  some  cases  they  may  be  the  actual  fount- 
ains, which,  though  formerly  supplying  the  river’s  flow,  now  no 
longer  rise  to  the  surface. 


64 


ANIMALS  OF  THE  DESERT. 


Here,  though  the  water  was  perfectly  inaccessible  to  elands, 
large  numbers  of  these  fine  animals  fed  around  us ; and,  when 
killed,  they  were  not  only  in  good  condition,  but  their  stomachs 
actually  contained  considerable  quantities  of  water. 

I examined  carefully  the  whole  alimentary  canal,  in  order  to 
see  if  there  were  any  peculiarity  which  might  account  for  the  fact 
that  this  animal  can  subsist  for  months  together  without  drink- 
ing, but  found  nothing.  Other  animals,  such  as  the  duiker 
( Cephalopus  mergens)  or  puti  (of  the  Bechuanas),  the  steinbuck 
( Tragulus  rupestris)  or  puruhuru,  the  gemsbuck  (Oryx  capensis) 
or  kukama,  and  the  porcupine  (Hystrix  cristata ),  are  all  able  to 
subsist  without  water  for  many  months  at  a time  by  living  on 
bulbs  and  tubers  containing  moisture.  They  have  sharp-pointed 
hoofs  well  adapted  for  digging,  and  there  is  little  difficulty  in 
comprehending  their  mode  of  subsistence.  Some  animals,  on  the 
other  hand,  are  never  seen  but  in  the  vicinity  of  water.  The 
presence  of  the  rhinoceros,  of  the  buffalo  and  gnu  (Catoblepas  gnu), 
of  the  giraffe,  the  zebra,  and  pallah  (Antilope  melampus),  is  always 
a certain  indication  of  water  being  within  a distance  of  seven  or 
eight  miles ; but  one  may  see  hundreds  of  elands  (Boselaphus 
oreas),  gemsbuck,  the  tolo  or  koodoo  (Strepsiceros  capensis),  also 
springbucks  (Gazella  euchore)  and  ostriches,  without  being  war- 
ranted thereby  in  inferring  the  presence  of  water  within  thirty  or 
forty  miles.  Indeed,  the  sleek,  fat  condition  of  the  eland  in  such 
circumstances  would  not  remove  the  apprehension  of  perishing 
by  thirst  from  the  mind  of  even  a native.  I believe,  however, 
that  these  animals  can  subsist  only  where  there  is  some  moisture 
in  the  vegetation  on  which  they  feed ; for  in  one  year  of  unusual 
drought  we  saw  herds  of  elands  and  flocks  of  ostriches  crowding 
to  the  Zouga  from  the  Desert,  and  very  many  of  the  latter  were 
killed  in  pitfalls  on  the  banks.  As  long  as  there  is  any  sap  in 
the  pasturage  they  seldom  need  water.  But  should  a traveler  see 
the  “spoor”  of  a rhinoceros,  or  buffalo,  or  zebra,  he  would  at  once 
follow  it  up,  well  assured  that  before  he  had  gone  many  miles  he 
would  certainly  reach  water. 

In  the  evening  of  our  second  day  at  Serotli,  a hysena,  appear- 
ing suddenly  among  the  grass,  succeeded  in  raising  a panic 
among  our  cattle.  This  false  mode  of  attack  is  the  plan  which 
this  cowardly  animal  always  adopts.  His  courage  resembles 


HOTTENTOTS WOMEN  RETUBNIXO  FROM  THE  WATER.  ANT)  MEN  AROUND 


MESSAGE  FROM  SEKOMI. 


67 


closely  that  of  a turkey-cock.  He  will  bite,  if  an  animal  is  run- 
ning away  ; but  if  the  animal  stand  still,  so  does  he.  Seventeen 
of  our  draught  oxen  ran  away,  and  in  their  flight  went  right  into 
the  hands  of  Sekomi,  whom,  from  his  being  unfriendly  to  our 
success,  we  had  no  particular  wish  to  see.  Cattle-stealing,  such 
as  in  the  circumstances  might  have  occurred  in  Cafffaria,  is  here 
unknown ; so  Sekomi  sent  back  our  oxen,  and  a message  strong- 
ly dissuading  us  against  attempting  the  Desert.  “Where  are 
you  going  ? You  will  be  killed  by  the  sun  and  thirst,  and  then 
all  the  white  men  will  blame  me  for  not  saving  you.”  This  was 
backed  by  a private  message  from  his  mother.  “ Why  do  you 
pass  me  ? I always  made  the  people  collect  to  hear  the  word 
that  you  have  got.  What  guilt  have  I,  that  you  pass  without 
looking  at  me?”  We  replied  by  assuring  the  messengers  that 
the  white  men  would  attribute  our  deaths  to  our  own  stupidity 
and  “ hard-headedness”  (tlogo,  e thata),  “ as  we  did  not  intend  to 
allow  our  companions  and  guides  to  return  till  they  had  put  us 
into  our  graves.”  We  sent  a handsome  present  to  Sekomi,  and 
a promise  that,  if  he  allowed  the  Bakalahari  to  keep  the  wells 
open  for  us,  we  would  repeat  the  gift  on  our  return. 

After  exhausting  all  his  eloquence  in  fruitless  attempts  to  per- 
suade us  to  return,  the  under-chief,  who  headed  the  party  of 
Sekomi’s  messengers,  inquired,  “ Who  is  taking  them  ?”  Look- 
ing round,  he  exclaimed,  with  a face  expressive  of  the  most  un- 
feigned disgust,  “It  is  Ramotobi!”  Our  guide  belonged  to  Se- 
komi’s tribe,  but  had  fled  to  Sechele ; as  fugitives  in  this  country 
are  always  well  received,  and  may  even  afterward  visit  the  tribe 
from  which  they  had  escaped,  Ramotobi  was  in  no  danger,  though 
doing  that  which  he  knew  to  be  directly  opposed  to  the  interests 
of  his  own  chief  and  tribe. 

All  around  Scroti  the  country  is  perfectly  flat,  and  composed 
of  soft  white  sand.  There  is  a peculiar  glare  of  bright  sunlight 
from  a cloudless  sky  over  the  whole  scene ; and  one  clump  of 
trees  and  bushes,  with  open  spaces  between,  looks  so  exactly  like 
another,  that  if  you  leave  the  wells,  and  walk  a quarter  of  a mile 
in  any  direction,  it  is  difficult  to  return.  Oswell  and  Murray 
went  out  on  one  occasion  to  get  an  eland,  and  were  accompanied 
by  one  of  the  Bakalahari.  The  perfect  sameness  of  the  country 
caused  even  this  son  of  the  Desert  to  lose  his  way ; a most 


68 


CROSS  PURPOSES. 


puzzling  conversation  forthwith  ensued  between  them  and  then- 
guide.  One  of  the  most  common  phrases  of  the  people  is  “ Kia 
itumela,”  I thank  you,  or  I am  pleased;  and  the  gentlemen  were 
both  quite  familiar  with  it,  and  with  the  word  “metse,”  water. 
But  there  is  a word  very  similar  in  sound,  “ Kia  timela,”  I am 
wandering  ; its  perfect  is  “ Ki  timetse,”  I have  wandered.  The 
party  had  been  roaming  about,  perfectly  lost,  till  the  sun  went 
down  ; and,  through  their  mistaking  the  verb  “ wander”  for  “ to 
be  pleased,”  and  “water,”  the  colloquy  went  on  at  intervals 
during  the  whole  bitterly  cold  night  in  somewhat  the  following 
style : 

“ Where  are  the  wagons  ?” 

Real  answer.  “ I don’t  know.  I have  wandered.  I never 
wandered  before.  I am  quite  lost.” 

Supposed  answer.  “I  don’t  know.  I want  water.  I am  glad, 
I am  quite  pleased.  I am  thankful  to  you.” 

“ Take  us  to  the  wagons,  and  you  will  get  plenty  of  water.” 

Real  answer  (looking  vacantly  around).  “ How  did  I wander  ? 
Perhaps  the  well  is  there,  perhaps  not.  I don’t  know.  I have 
wandered.” 

Supposed  answer.  “ Something  about  thanks ; he  says  he  is 
pleased,  and  mentions  water  again.”  The  guide’s  vacant  stare 
while  trying  to  remember  is  thought  to  indicate  mental  imbecili- 
ty, and  the  repeated  thanks  were  supposed  to  indicate  a wish  to 
deprecate  their  wrath. 

“ Well,  Livingstone  has  played  us  a pretty  trick,  giving  us  in 
charge  of  an  idiot.  Catch  us  trusting  him  again.  What  can 
this  fellow  mean  by  his  thanks  and  talk  about  water  ? Oh,  you 
bom  fool ! take  us  to  the  wagons,  and  you  will  get  both  meat 
and  water.  Wouldn’t  a thrashing  bring  him  to  his  senses  again?” 
“No,  no,  for  then  he  will  run  away,  and  we  shall  be  worse  off 
than  we  are  now.” 

The  hunters  regained  the  wagons  next  day  by  their  own 
sagacity,  which  becomes  wonderfully  quickened  by  a sojourn  in 
the  Desert ; and  we  enjoyed  a hearty  laugh  on  the  explanation  of 
their  midnight  colloquies.  Frequent  mistakes  of  this  kind  occur. 
A man  may  tell  his  interpreter  to  say  that  he  is  a member  of  the 
family  of  the  chief  of  the  white  men ; “ Yes , you  speak  like  a chief," 
is  th'e  reply,  meaning,  as  they  explain  it,  that  a chief  may  talk 


SLOW  PROGRESS. 


69 


nonsense  without  any  one  daring  to  contradict  him.  They  proba- 
bly have  ascertained,  from  that  same  interpreter,  that  this  rela- 
tive of  the  white  chief  is  very  poor,  having  scarcely  any  thing  in 
his  wagon. 

I sometimes  felt  annoyed  at  the  low  estimation  in  which  some 
of  my  hunting  friends  were  held  ; for,  believing  that  the  chase  is 
eminently  conducive  to  the  formation  of  a brave  and  noble  charac- 
ter, and  that  the  contest  with  wild  beasts  is  well  adapted  for  fos- 
tering that  coolness  in  emergencies,  and  active  presence  of  mind, 
which  we  all  admire,  I was  naturally  anxious  that  a higher  esti- 
mate of  my  countrymen  should  be  formed  in  the  native  mind. 
“Have  these  hunters,  who  come  so  far  and  work  so  hard,  no  meat 
at  home?” — “Why, these  men  are  rich,  and  could  slaughter  oxen 
every  day  of  their  lives.” — “And  yet  they  come  here,  and  endure 
so  much  thirst  for  the  sake  of  this  dry  meat,  none  of  which  is 
equal  to  beef?” — “Yes,  it  is  for  the  sake  of  play  besides”  (the 
idea  of  sport  not  being  in  the  language).  This  produces  a laugh, 
as  much  as  to  say,  “Ah!  you  know  better;”  or,  “Your  friends 
are  fools.”  When  they  can  get  a man  to  kill  large  quantities  of 
game  for  them,  whatever  he  may  think  of  himself  or  of  his  achieve- 
ments, they  pride  themselves  in  having  adroitly  turned  to  good 
account  the  folly  of  an  itinerant  butcher. 

The  water  having  at  last  flowed  into  the  wells  we  had  dug  in 
sufficient  quantity  to  allow  a good  drink  to  all  our  cattle,  we  de- 
parted from  Serotli  in  the  afternoon ; but  as  the  sun,  even  in 
winter,  which  it  now  was,  is  always  very  powerful  by  day,  the 
wagons  were  dragged  but  slowly  through  the  deep,  heavy  sand, 
and  we  advanced  only  six  miles  before  sunset.  We  could  only 
travel  in  the  mornings  and  evenings,  as  a single  day  in  the  hot 
sun  and  heavy  sand  would  have  knocked  up  the  oxen.  Next 
day  we  passed  Pepacheu  (white  tufa),  a hollow  lined  with  tufa,  in 
which  water  sometimes  stands,  but  it  was  now  dry;  and  at  night 
our  trocheamer*  showed  that  we  had  made  but  twenty-five  miles 
from  Serotli. 

Eamotobi  was  angry  at  the  slowness  of  our  progress,  and  told 
us  that,  as  the  next  water  was  three  days  in  front,  if  we  traveled 

* This  is  an  instrument  which,  when  fastened  on  the  wagon-wheel,  records  the 
number  of  revolutions  made.  By  multiplying  this  number  by  the  circumference  of 
the  wheel,  the  actual  distance  traveled  over  is  at  once  ascertained. 


70 


WANT  OF  WATER. 


so  slowly  we  should  never  get  there  at  all.  The  utmost  endeav- 
ors of  the  servants,  cracking  their  whips,  screaming  and  heating, 
got  only  nineteen  miles  out  of  the  poor  beasts.  We  had  thus 
proceeded  forty-four  miles  from  Serotli ; and  the  oxen  were  more 
exhausted  by  the  soft  nature  of  the  country,  and  the  thirst,  than 
if  they  had  traveled  double  the  distance  over  a hard  road  con- 
taining supplies  of  water : we  had,  as  far  as  we  could  judge,  still 
thirty  miles  more  of  the  same  dry  work  before  us.  At  this  season 
the  grass  becomes  so  dry  as  to  crumble  to  powder  in  the  hands ; 
so  the  poor  beasts  stood  wearily  chewing,  without  taking  a single 
fresh  mouthful,  and  lowing  painfully  at  the  smell  of  water  in 
our  vessels  in  the  wagons.  We  were  all  determined  to  succeed ; 
so  we  endeavored  to  save  the  horses  by  sending  them  forward 
with  the  guide,  as  a means  of  making  a desperate  effort  in  case 
the  oxen  should  fail.  Murray  went  forward  with  them,  while 
Oswell  and  I remained  to  bring  the  wagons  on  their  trail  as  far 
as  the  cattle  could  drag  them,  intending  then  to  send  the  oxen 
forward  too. 

The  horses  walked  quickly  away  from  us  ; but,  on  the  morning 
of  the  third  day,  when  we  imagined  the  steeds  must  be  near  the 
water,  we  discovered  them  just  alongside  the  wagons.  The  guide, 
having  come  across  the  fresh  footprints  of  some  Bushmen  who 
had  gone  in  an  opposite  direction  to  that  which  we  wished  to  go, 
turned  aside  to  follow  them.  An  antelope  had  been  ensnared  in 
one  of  the  Bushmen’s  pitfalls.  Murray  followed  Ramotobi  most 
trustingly  along  the  Bushmen’s  spoor,  though  that  led  them  away 
from  the  water  we  were  in  search  of ; witnessed  the  operation  of 
slaughtering,  skinning,  and  cutting  up  the  antelope ; and  then, 
after  a hard  day’s  toil,  found  himself  close  upon  the  wagons ! 
The  knowledge  still  retained  by  Ramotobi  of  the  trackless  waste 
of  scrub,  through  which  we  were  now  passing,  seemed  admirable. 
For  sixty  or  seventy  miles  beyond  Serotli,  one  clump  of  bushes 
and  trees  seemed  exactly  like  another;  but,  as  we  walked  together 
this  morning,  he  remarked,  “When  we  come  to  that  hollow  we 
shall  light  upon  the  highway  of  Sekomi ; and  beyond  that  again 
lies  the  River  Mokoko  which,  though  we  passed  along  it,  I could 
not  perceive  to  be  a river-bed  at  all. 

After  breakfast,  some  of  the  men,  who  had  gone  forward  on  a 
little  path  with  some  footprints  of  water-loving  animals  upon  it, 


CAPTURE  of  a bushwoman. 


71 


returned  with  the  joyful  tidings  of  “ metse ,”  water,  exhibiting  the 
mud  on  their  knees  in  confirmation  of  the  news  being  true.  It 
does  one’s  heart  good  to  see  the  thirsty  oxen  rush  into  a pool  of 
delicious  rain-water,  as  this  was.  In  they  dash  until  the  water  is 
deep  enough  to  be  nearly  level  with  their  throat,  and  then  they 
stand  drawing  slowly  in  the  long,  refreshing  mouthfuls,  until  thei. 
formerly  collapsed  sides  distend  as  if  they  would  burst.  So  mud. 
do  they  imbibe,  that  a sudden  jerk,  when  they  come  out  on  the 
bank,  makes  some  of  the  water  run  out  again  from  their  mouths  : 
but,  as  they  have  been  days  without  food  too,  they  very  soon  com- 
mence to  graze,  and  of  grass  there  is  always  abundance  every 
where.  This  pool  was  called  Mathuluani ; and  thankful  we  were 
to  have  obtained  so  welcome  a supply  of  water. 

After  giving  the  cattle  a rest  at  this  spot,  we  proceeded  down 
the  dry  bed  of  the  River  Mokoko.  The  name  refers  to  the  water- 
bearing stratum  before  alluded  to  ; and  in  this  ancient  bed  it  bears 
enough  of  water  to  admit  of  permanent  wells  in  several  parts  of  it. 
We  had  now  the  assurance  from  Ramotobi  that  we  should  suffer 
no  more  from  thirst.  Twice  we  found  rain-water  in  the  Mokoko 
before  we  reached  Mokokonyani,  where  the  water,  generally  below 
ground  elsewhere,  comes  to  the  surface  in  a bed  of  tufa.  The  ad  - 
jacent country  is  all  covered  with  low,  thorny  scrub,  with  grass, 
and  here  and  there  clumps  of  the  “ wait-a-bit  thorn,”  or  Acacia 
detinens.  At  Lotlakani  (a  little  reed),  another  spring  three  mile; 
farther  down,  we  met  with  the  first  Palmyra  trees  which  we  had 
seen  in  South  Africa ; they  were  twenty-six  in  number. 

The  ancient  Mokoko  must  have  been  joined  by  other  rivers 
below  this,  for  it  becomes  very  broad,  and  spreads  out  into  a large 
lake,  of  which  the  lake  we  were  now  in  search  of  formed  but  a 
very  small  part.  We  observed  that,  wherever  an  ant-eater  had 
made  his  hole,  shells  were  thrown  out  with  the  earth,  identical 
with  those  now  alive  in  the  lake. 

When  we  left  the  Mokoko,  Ramotobi  seemed,  for  the  first  time, 
lo  be  at  a loss  as  to  which  direction  to  take.  He  had  passed  only 
once  away  to  the  west  of  the  Mokoko,  the  scenes  of  his  boyhood. 
Mr.  Oswell,  while  riding  in  front  of  the  wagons,  happened  to  spy 
a Bushwoman  running  away  in  a bent  position,  in  order  to  escape 
observation.  Thinking  it  to  be  a lion,  he  galloped  up  to  her. 
She  thought  herself  captured,  and  began  to  deliver  up  her  poor 


72 


SALT-PAN.— MIRAGE. 


little  property,  consisting  of  a few  traps  made  of  cords  ; but,  when 
I explained  that  we  only  wanted  water,  and  would  pay  her  if  she 
led  us  to  it,  she  consented  to  conduct  us  to  a spring.  It  was  then 
late  in  the  afternoon,  but  she  walked  briskly  before  our  horses  for 
eight  miles,  and  showed  us  the  water  of  Nchokotsa.  After  lead- 
ing us  to  the  water,  she  wished  to  go  away  home,  if  indeed  she 
had  any — she  had  fled  from  a party  of  her  countrymen,  and  was 
now  living  far  from  all  others  with  her  husband — but  as  it  was 
now  dark,  we  wished  her  to  remain.  As  she  believed  herself  still 
a captive,  we  thought  she  might  slip  away  by  night ; so,  in  order 
that  she  should  not  go  away  with  the  impression  that  we  were 
dishonest,  we  gave  her  a piece  of  meat  and  a good  large  bunch 
of  beads  ; at  the  sight  of  the  latter  she  burst  into  a .merry  laugh, 
and  remained  without  suspicion. 

At  Nchokotsa  we  came  upon  the  first  of  a great  number  of  salt- 
pans, covered  with  an  efflorescence  of  lime,  probably  the  nitrate. 
A thick  belt  of  mopane-trees  (a  Banhinia)  hides  this  salt-pan, 
which  is  twenty  miles  in  circumference,  entirely  from  the  view 
of  a person  coming  from  the  southeast ; and,  at  the  time  the  pan 
burst  upon  our  view,  the  setting  sun  was  casting  a beautiful  blue 
haze  over  the  white  incrustations,  making  the  whole  look  exactly 
like  a lake.  Oswell  threw  his  hat  up  in  the  air  at  the  sight,  and 
shouted  out  a huzza  which  made  the  poor  Bushwoman  and  the 
Bakwains  think  him  mad.  I was  a little  behind  him,  and  was  as 
completely  deceived  by  it  as  he ; but,  as  we  had  agreed  to  allow 
each  other  to  behold  the  lake  at  the  same  instant,  I felt  a little 
chagrined  that  he  had,  unintentionally,  got  the  first  glance.  We 
had  no  idea  that  the  long-looked-for  lake  was  still  more  than  three 
hundred  miles  distant.  One  reason  of  our  mistake  was,  that  the 
River  Zouga  was  often  spoken  of  by  the  same  name  as  the  lake, 
viz.,  Noka  ea  Batletli  (“  River  of  the  Batletli”). 

The  mirage  on  these  salinas  was  marvelous.  It  is  never,  I 
believe,  seen  in  perfection,  except  over  such  saline  incrustations. 
Here  not  a particle  of  imagination  was  necessary  for  realizing  the 
exact  picture  of  large  collections  of  water ; the  waves  danced  along 
above,  and  the  shadows  of  the  trees  were  vividly  reflected  beneath 
the  surface  in  such  an  admirable  manner,  that  the  loose  cattle, 
whose  thirst  had  not  been  slaked  sufficiently  by  the  very  brackish 
water  of  Nchokotsa,  with  the  horses,  dogs,  and  even  the  Hotten- 


THE  ZOUGA. 


73 


tots  ran  off  toward  the  deceitful  pools.  A herd  of  zebras  in  the 
mirage  looked  so  exactly  like  elephants  that  Oswell  began  to 
saddle  a horse  in  order  to  hunt  them ; but  a sort  of  break  in  the 
haze  dispelled  the  illusion.  Looking  to  the  west  and  northwest 
from  Nchokotsa,  we  could  see  columns  of  black  smoke,  exactly 
like  those  from  a steam-engine,  rising  to  the  clouds,  and  -were 
assured  that  these  arose  from  the  burning  reeds  of  the  Noka  ea 
Batletli.  . 

On  the  4th  of  July  we  went  forward  on  horseback  toward  what 
we  supposed  to  be  the  lake,  and  again  and  again  did  we  seem  to 
see  it ; but  at  last  we  came  to  the  veritable  water  of  the  Zouga, 
and  found  it  to  be  a river  running  to  the  N.E.  A village  of 
Bakurutse  lay  on  the  opposite  bank ; these  live  among  Batletli, 
a tribe  having  a click  in  their  language,  and  who  were  found  by 
Sebituane  to  possess  large  herds  of  the  great  horned  cattle.  They 
seem  allied  to  the  Hottentot  family.  Mr.  Oswell,  in  trying  to 
cross  the  river,  got  his  horse  bogged  in  the  swampy  bank.  Two 
Bakwains  and  I managed  to  get  over  by  wading  beside  a fishing- 
weir.  The  people  were  friendly,  and  informed  us  that  this  water 
came  out  of  the  Ngami.  This  news  gladdened  all  our  hearts,  for 
we  now  felt  certain  of  reaching  our  goal.  We  might,  they  said, 
be  a moon  on  the  way ; but  we  had  the  River  Zouga  at  our  feet, 
and  by  following  it  we  should  at  last  reach  the  broad  water. 

Next  day,  when  we  were  quite  disposed  to  be  friendly  with 
every  one,  two  of  the  Bamangwato,  who  had  been  sent  on  before 
us  by  Sekomi  to  drive  away  all  the  Bushmen  and  Bakalahari  from 
our  path,  so  that  they  should  not  assist  or  guide  us,  came  and  sat 
down  by  our  fire.  We  had  seen  their  footsteps  fresh  in  the  way, 
and  they  had  watched  our  slow  movements  forward,  and  wondered 
to  see  how  we,  without  any  Bushmen,  found  our  way  to  the  waters. 
This  was  the  first  time  they  had  seen  Ramotobi.  “You  have 
reached  the  river  now,”  said  they;  and  we,  quite  disposed  to 
laugh  at  having  won  the  game,  felt  no  ill-will  to  any  one.  They 
seemed  to  feel  no  enmity  to  us  either;  but,  after  an  apparently 
friendly  conversation,  proceeded  to  fulfill  to  the  last  the  instruc- 
tions of  their  chief.  Ascending  the  Zouga  in  our  front,  they  cir- 
culated the  report  that  our  object  was  to  plunder  all  the  tribes 
living  on  the  river  and  lake  ; but  when  they  had  got  half  way  up 
the  river,  the  principal  man  sickened  of  fever,  turned  back  some 


74 


THE  QUAKERS  OF  AFRICA. 


distance,  and  died.  His  death  had  a good  effect,  for  the  villagers 
connected  it  with  the  injury  he  wTas  attempting  to  do  to  us.  They 
all  saw  through  Sekomi’s  reasons  for  wishing  us  to  fail  in  our  at- 
tempt; and  though  they  came  to  us  at  first  armed,  kind  and  fair 
treatment  soon  produced  perfect  confidence. 

When  we  had  gone  up  the  hank  of  this  beautiful  river  about 
ninety-six  miles  from  the  point  where  we  first  struck  it,  and 
understood  that  we  were  still  a considerable  distance  from  the 
Ngami,  we  left  all  the  oxen  and  wagons,  except  Mr.  Oswell’s, 
which  was  the  smallest,  and  one  team,  at  Ngabisane,  in  the 
hope  that  they  would  be  recruited  for  the  home  journey,  while 
we  made  a push  for  the  lake.  The  Bechuana  chief  of  the  Lake 
region,  who  had  sent  men  to  Sechele,  now  sent  orders  to  all 
the  people  on  the  river  to  assist  us,  and  we  were  received  by 
the  Bakoba,  whose  language  clearly  shows  that  they  bear  an 
affinity  to  the  tribes  in  the  north.  They  call  themselves  Bayeiye, 
i.  e.,  men;  but  the  Bechuanas  call  them  Bakoba,  which  contains 
somewhat  of  the  idea  of  slaves.  They  have  never  been  known 
to  fight,  and,  indeed,  have  a tradition  that  their  forefathers,  in 
their  first  essays  at  war,  made  their  bows  of  the  Palma  Christ i, 
and,  when  these  broke,  they  gave  up  fighting  altogether.  They 
have  invariably  submitted  to  the  rule  of  every  horde  which  has 
overrun  the  countries  adjacent  to  the  rivers  on  which  they  spe- 
cially love  to  dwell.  They  are  thus  the  Quakers  of  the  body  pol- 
itic in  Africa. 

A long  time  after  the  period  of  our  visit,  the  chief  of  the  Lake, 
thinking  to  make  soldiers  of  them,  took  the  trouble  to  furnish  them 
with  shields.  “Ah!  we  never  had  these  before  ; that  is  the  rea- 
son we  have  always  succumbed.  Now  we  will  fight.”  But  a 
marauding  party  came  from  the  Makololo,  and  our  “Friends”  at 
once  paddled  quickly,  night  and  day,  down  the  Zouga,  never  dar- 
ing to  look  behind  them  till  they  reached  the  end  of  the  river,  at 
the  point  where  we  first  saw  it. 

The  canoes  of  these  inland  sailors  are  truly  primitive  craft: 
they  are  hollowed  out  of  the  trunks  of  single  trees  by  means  of 
iron  adzes  ; and  if  the  tree  has  a bend,  so  has  the  canoe.  I liked 
the  frank  and  manly  bearing  of  these  men,  and,  instead  of  sitting 
in  the  wagon,  preferred  a seat  in  one  of  the  canoes.  I found 
they  regarded  their  rude  vessels  as  the  Arab  does  his  camel. 


DISCOVERY  OF  LAKE  NGAM1. 


75 


They  have  always  fires  in  them,  and  prefer  sleeping  in  them 
while  on  a journey  to  spending  the  night  on  shore.  “ On  land 
you  have  lions,”  say  they,  “ serpents,  hyrnnas,  and  your  ene- 
mies ; but  in  your  canoe,  behind  a bank  of  reed,  nothing  can 
harm  you.”  Their  submissive  disposition  leads  to  their  villages 
being  frequently  visited  by  hungry  strangers.  We  had  a pot  on 
the  fire  in  the  canoe  by  the  way,  and  when  we  drew  near  the 
villages  devoured  the  contents.  When  fully  satisfied  ourselves, 
I found  we  could  all  look  upon  any  intruders  with  perfect  com- 
placency, and  show  the  pot  in  proof  of  having  devoured  the  last 
morsel. 

While  ascending  in  this  way  the  beautifully-wooded  river,  we 
came  to  a large  stream  flowing  into  it.  This  was  the  River  Ta- 
munak’le.  I inquired  whence  it  came.  “ Oh,  from  a country 
full  of  rivers — so  many  no  one  can  tell  their  number — and  full  of 
large  trees.”  This  was  the  first  confirmation  of  statements  I had 
heard  from  the  Bakwains  who  had  been  with  Sebituane,  that  the 
country  beyond  was  not  “the  large  sandy  plateau”  of  the  philos- 
ophers. The  prospect  of  a highway  capable  of  being  traversed 
by  boats  to  an  entirely  unexplored  and  very  populous  region, 
grew  from  that  time  forward  stronger  and  stronger  in  my  mind : 
so  much  so  that,  when  we  actually  came  to  the  lake,  this  idea  oc- 
cupied such  a large  portion  of  my  mental  vision  that  the  actual 
discovery  seemed  of  but  little  importance.  I find  I wrote,  when 
the  emotions  caused  by  the  magnificent  prospects  of  the  new  coun- 
try were  first  awakened  in  my  breast,  that  they  “might  subject 
me  to  the  charge  of  enthusiasm,  a charge  which  I wished  I de- 
served, as  nothing  good  or  great  had  ever  been  accomplished  in 
the  world  without  it.”* 

Twelve  days  after  our  departure  from  the  wagons  at  Ngabi- 
sane  we  came  to  the  northeast  end  of  Lake  Ngami ; and  on  the 
1st  of  August,  1849,  we  went  down  together  to  the  broad  part, 
and,  for  the  first  time,  this  fine-looking  sheet  of  water  was  beheld 
by  Europeans.  The  direction  of  the  lake  seemed  to  be  N.N.E. 
and  S.S.W.  by  compass.  The  southern  portion  is  said  to  bend 
round  to  the  west,  and  to  receive  the  Teoughe  from  the  north  at 


* Letters  published  by  the  Royal  Geographical  Society.  Read  11th  February  and 
Sth  April,  1850. 


76 


THE  NGAMI. 


its  northwest  extremity.  We  could  detect  no  horizon  where  we 
stood  looking  S.S.W.,  nor  could  we  form  any  idea  of  the  extent 
of  the  lake,  except  from  the  reports  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  dis- 
trict ; and,  as  they  professed  to  go  round  it  in  three  days,  allow- 
ing twenty-five  miles  a day  would  make  it  seventy-five,  or  less 
than  seventy  geographical  miles  in  circumference.  Other  guesses 
have  been  made  since  as  to  its  circumference,  ranging  between 
seventy  and  one  hundred  miles.  It  is  shallow,  for  I subsequent- 
ly saw  a native  punting  his  canoe  over  seven  or  eight  miles  of  the 
northeast  end  ; it  can  never,  therefore,  be  of  much  value  as  a com- 
mercial highway.  In  fact,  during  the  months  preceding  the 
annual  supply  of  water  from  the  north,  the  lake  is  so  shallow  that 
it  is  with  difficulty  cattle  can  approach  the  water  through  the 
boggy,  reedy  banks.  These  are  low  on  all  sides,  but  on  the  west 
there  is  a space  devoid  of  trees,  showing  that  the  waters  have 
retired  thence  at  no  very  ancient  date.  This  is  another  of  the 
proofs  of  desiccation  met  with  so  abundantly  throughout  the 
whole  country.  A number  of  dead  trees  lie  on  this  space,  some 
of  them  imbedded  in  the  mud,  right  in  the  water.  We  were 
informed  by  the  Bayeiye,  who  live  on  the  lake,  that  when  the 
annual  inundation  begins,  not  only  trees  of  great  size,  but  ante- 
lopes, as  the  springbuck  and  tsessebe  ( Acronotus  lunata),  are 
swept  down  by  its  rushing  waters ; the  trees  are  gradually  driv- 
en by  the  winds  to  the  opposite  side,  and  become  imbedded  in 
mud. 

The  water  of  the  lake  is  perfectly  fresh  when  full,  but  brackish 
when  low ; and  that  coming  down  the  Tamunak’le  we  found  to 
be  so  clear,  cold,  and  soft,  the  higher  we  ascended,  that  the  idea 
of  melting  snow  was  suggested  to  our  minds.  We  found  this 
region,  with  regard  to  that  from  which  we  had  come,  to  be  clearly 
a hollow,  the  lowest  point  being  Lake  Kumadau  ; the  point  of  the 
ebullition  of  water,  as  shown  by  one  of  Newman’s  barometric  ther- 
mometers, was  only  between  207£°  and  206°,  giving  an  elevation 
of  not  much  more  than  two  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  We  had  descended  above  two  thousand  feet  in  coming  to  it 
from  Kolobeng.  It  is  the  southern  and  lowest  part  of  the  great 
river  system  beyond,  in  which  large  tracts  of  country  are  inundated 
annually  by  tropical  rains,  hereafter  to  be  described.  A little  of 
that  water,  which  in  the  countries  farther  north  produces  inunda- 


' 


. 


THE  NGAMI. 


79 


tion,  comes  as  far  south  as  20°  20',  the  latitude  of  the  upper  end 
of  the  lake,  and  instead  of  flooding  the  country,  falls  into  the 
lake  as  into  a reservoir.  It  begins  to  flow  down  the  Embarrah, 
which  divides  into  the  rivers  Tzo  and  Teoughe.  The  Tzo  divides 
into  the  Tamunak’le  and  Mababe ; the  Tamunak’le  discharges 
itself  into  the  Zouga,  and  the  Teoughe  into  the  lake.  The  flow 
begins  either  in  March  or  April,  and  the  descending  waters  find 
the  channels  of  all  these  rivers  dried  out,  except  in  certain  pools 
in  their  beds,  which  have  long  dry  spaces  between  them.  The 
lake  itself  is  very  low.  The  Zouga  is  but  a prolongation  of  the 
Tamunak’le,  and  an  arm  of  the  lake  reaches  up  to  the  point 
where  the  one  ends  and  the  other  begins.  The  last  is  narrow 
and  shallow,  while  the  Zouga  is  broad  and  deep.  The  narrow 
arm  of  the  lake,  which  on  the  map  looks  like  a continuation  of 
the  Zouga,  has  never  been  observed  to  flow  either  way.  It  is  as 
stagnant  as  the  lake  itself. 

The  Teoughe  and  Tamunak’le,  being  essentially  the  same  river, 
and  receiving  their  supplies  from  the  same  source  (the  Embarrah 
or  Yarra),  can  never  outrun  each  other.  If  either  could,  or  if 
the  Teoughe  could  fill  the  lake — a thing  which  has  never  hap- 
pened in  modern  times — then  this  little  arm  would  prove  a con- 
venient escapement  to  prevent  inundation.  If  the  lake  ever  be- 
comes lower  than  the  bed  of  the  Zouga,  a little  of  the  water  of 
the  Tamunak’le  might  flow  into  it  instead  of  down  the  Zouga ; 
we  should  then  have  the  phenomenon  of  a river  flowing  two  ways ; 
but  this  has  never  been  observed  to  take  place  here,  and  it  is 
doubtful  if  it  ever  can  occur  in  this  locality.  The  Zouga  is  broad 
and  deep  when  it  leaves  the  Tamunak’le,  but  becomes  gradually 
narrower  as  you  descend  about  two  hundred  miles ; there  it  flows 
into  Kumadau,  a small  lake  about  three  or  four  miles  broad  and 
twelve  long.  The  water,  which  higher  up  begins  to  flow  in  April, 
does  not  make  much  progress  in  filling  this  lake  till  the  end  of 
June.  In  September  the  rivers  cease  to  flow.  When  the  supply 
lias  been  more  than  usually  abundant,  a little  water  flows  beyond 
Kumadau,  in  the  bed  first  seen  by  us  on  the  4th  of  July ; if  the 
quantity  were  larger,  it  might  go  further  in  the  dry  rocky  bed  of 
the  Zouga,  since  seen  still  further  to  the  east.  The  water  supply 
of  this  part  of  the  river  system,  as  will  be  more  fully  explained 
further  on,  takes  place  in  channels  prepared  for  a much  more 


80  the  bamangwato  and  their  chief. 

copious  flow.  It  resembles  a deserted  Eastern  garden,  where  all 
the  embankments  and  canals  for  irrigation  can  be  traced,  but 
where,  the  main  dam  and  sluices  having  been  allowed  to  get  out 
of  repair,  only  a small  portion  can  be  laid  under  water.  In  the 
case  of  the  Zouga  the  channel  is  perfect,  but  water  enough  to  fill 
the  whole  channel  never  comes  down ; and  before  it  finds  its  way 
much  beyond  Kumadau,  the  upper  supply  ceases  to  run  and 
the  rest  becomes  evaporated.  The  higher  parts  of  its  bed  even 
are  much  broader  and  more  capacious  than  the  lower  toward 
Kumadau.  The  water  is  not  absorbed  so  much  as  lost  in  filling 
up  an  empty  channel,  from  which  it  is  to  be  removed  by  the  air 
and  sun.  There  is,  I am  convinced,  no  such  thing  in  the  country 
as  a river  running  into  sand  and  becoming  lost.  The  phenome- 
non, so  convenient  for  geographers,  haunted  my  fancy  for  years ; 
but  I have  failed  in  discovering  any  thing  except  a most  insignifi- 
cant approach  to  it. 

My  chief  object  in  coming  to  the  lake  was  to  visit  Sebituane, 
llie  great  chief  of  the  Makololo,  who  was  reported  to  live  some  two 
hundred  miles  beyond.  We  had  now  come  to  a half-tribe  of  the 
Bamangwato,  called  Batauana.  Their  chief  was  a young  man 
named  Lechulatebe.  Sebituane  had  conquered  his  father  Mo- 
remi,  and  Lechulatebe  received  part  of  his  education  while  a 
captive  among  the  Bayeiye.  His  uncle,  a sensible  man,  ran- 
somed him  ; and,  having  collected  a number  of  families  together, 
abdicated  the  chieftainship  in  favor  of  his  nephew.  As  Lechu- 
latebe had  just  come  into  power,  he  imagined  that  the  proper 
way  of  showing  his  abilities  was  to  act  directly  contrary  to  every 
thing  that  his  uncle  advised.  When  we  came,  the  uncle  recom- 
mended him  to  treat  us  handsomely,  therefore  the  hopeful  youth 
presented  us  with  a goat  only.  It  ought  to  have  been  an  ox. 
So  I proposed  to  my  companions  to  loose  the  animal  and  let  him 
go,  as  a hint  to  his  master.  They,  however,  did  not  wish  to 
insult  him.  I,  being  more  of  a native,  and  familiar  with  their 
customs,  knew  that  this  shabby  present  was  an  insult  to  us. 
We  wished  to  purchase  some  goats  or  oxen ; Lechulatebe  offered 
us  elephants’  tusks.  “ No,  we  can  not  eat  these ; we  want  some- 
thing to  fill  our  stomachs.”  “Neither  can  I;  but  I hear  you 
white  men  are  all  very  fond  of  these  bones,  so  I offer  them ; 
I want  to  put  the  goats  into  my  own  stomach.”  A trader,  who 


BANKS  OF  THE  ZOUGA.— PITFALLS. 


81 


accompanied  us,  was  then  purchasing  ivory  at  the  rate  of  ten  good 
large  tusks  for  a musket  worth  thirteen  shillings.  They  were 
called  “ bones and  I myself  saw  eight  instances  in  which  the 
tusks  had  been  left  to  rot  with  the  other  bones  where  the  ele- 
phant fell.  The  Batauana  never  had  a chance  of  a market  before  ; 
but,  in  less  than  two  years  after  our  discovery,  not  a man  of  them 
could  be  found  who  was  not  keenly  alive  to  the  great  value  of 
the  article. 

On  the  day  after  our  arrival  at  the  lake,  I applied  to  Lechu- 
latebe  for  guides  to  Sebituane.  As  he  was  much  afraid  of  that 
chief,  he  objected,  fearing  lest  other  white  men  should  go  thither 
also,  and  give  Sebituane  guns ; whereas,  if  the  traders  came  to 
him  alone,  the  possession  of  fire-arms  would  give  him  such  a su- 
periority that  Sebituane  would  be  afraid  of  him.  It  was  in  vain 
to  explain  that  I would  inculcate  peace  between  them — that  Sebi- 
tuane had  been  a father  to  him  and  Sechele,  and  was  as  anxious 
to  see  me  as  he,  Lechulatebe,  had  been.  He  offered  to  give  me 
as  much  ivory  as  I needed  without  going  to  that  chief ; but  when 
I refused  to  take  any,  he  unwillingly  consented  to  give  me  guides. 
Next  day,  however,  when  Oswell  and  I were  prepared  to  start, 
with  the  horses  only,  we  received  a senseless  refusal ; and  like  Se- 
komi,  who  had  thrown  obstacles  in  our  way,  he  sent  men  to  the 
Bayeiye  with  orders  to  refuse  us  a passage  across  the  river.  Try- 
ing hard  to  form  a raft  at  a narrow  part,  I worked  many  hours 
in  the  water ; but  the  dry  wood  was  so  worm-eaten  it  would  not 
bear  the  weight  of  a single  person.  I was  not  then  aware  of  the 
number  of  alligators  which  exist  in  the  Zouga,  and  never  think 
of  my  labor  in  the  -water  without  feeling  thankful  that  I escaped 
their  jaws.  The  season  was  now  far  advanced  ; and  as  Mr.  Os- 
well, with  his  wonted  generous  feelings,  volunteered,  on  the  spot, 
to  go  down  to  the  Cape  and  bring  up  a boat,  we  resolved  to  make 
our  way  south  again. 

Coming  down  the  Zouga,  we  had  now  time  to  look  at  its  banks. 
These  are  very  beautiful,  resembling  closely  many  parts  of  the 
River  Clyde  above  Glasgow.  The  formation  is  soft  calcareous 
tufa,  such  as  forms  the  bottom  of  all  this  basin.  The  banks  are 
perpendicular  on  the  side  to  which  the  water  swings,  and  sloping 
and  grassy  on  the  other.  The  slopes  are  selected  for  the  pitfalls 
designed  by  the  Bayeiye  to  entrap  the  animals  as  they  come  to 

F 


82 


TREES  OF  THE  DISTRICT. 


drink.  These  are  about  seven  or  eight  feet  deep,  three  or  four 
feet  wide  at  the  mouth,  and  gradually  decrease  till  they  are  only 
about  a foot  wide  at  the  bottom.  The  mouth  is  an  oblong  square 
(the  only  square  thing  made  by  the  Bechuanas,  for  every  thing 
else  is  round),  and  the  long  diameter  at  the  surface  is  about  equal 
to  the  depth.  The  decreasing  width  toward  the  bottom  is  in- 
tended to  make  the  animal  wedge  himself  more  firmly  in  by  his 
weight  and  struggles.  The  pitfalls  are  usually  in  pairs,  with  a 
wall  a foot  thick  left  uncut  between  the  ends  of  each,  so  that 
if  the  beast,  when  it  feels  its  fore  legs  descending,  should  try  to 
save  itself  from  going  in  altogether  by  striding  the  hind  legs,  he 
would  spring  forward  and  leap  into  the  second  with  a force  which 
insures  the  fall  of  his  whole  body  into  the  trap.  They  are  cover- 
ed with  great  care.  All  the  excavated  earth  is  removed  to  a dis- 
tance, so  as  not  to  excite  suspicion  in  the  minds  of  the  animals. 
Reeds  and  grass  are  laid  across  the  top ; above  this  the  sand  is 
thrown,  and  watered  so  as  to  appear  exactly  like  the  rest  of  the 
spot.  Some  of  our  party  plumped  into  these  pitfalls  more  than 
once,  even  when  in  search  of  them,  in  order  to  open  them  to  pre- 
vent the  loss  of  our  cattle.  If  an  ox  sees  a hole,  he  carefully 
avoids  it ; and  old  elephants  have  been  known  to  precede  the  herd 
and  whisk  off  the  coverings  of  the  pitfalls  on  each  side  all  the  way 
down  to  the  water.  We  have  known  instances  in  which  the  old 
among  these  sagacious  animals  have  actually  lifted  the  young  out 
of  the  trap. 

The  trees  which  adorn  the  banks  are  magnificent.  Two  enor- 
mous baobabs  ( Adansonia  digitata ),  or  mowanas,  grow  near  its 
confluence  with  the  lake  where  we  took  the 'observations  for  the 
latitude  (20°  20'  S.).  We  were  unable  to  ascertain  the  longi- 
tude of  the  lake,  as  our  watches  were  useless  ; it  may  be  between 
22°  and  23°  E.  The  largest  of  the  two  baobabs  was  76  feet  in 
girth.  The  palmyra  appears  here  and  there  among  trees  not 
met  with  in  the  south.  The  mokuchong,  or  moshoma,  bears  an 
edible  fruit  of  indifferent  quality,  but  the  tree  itself  would  be  a 
fire  specimen  of  arboreal  beauty  in  any  part  of  the  world.  The 
trunk  is  often  converted  into  canoes.  The  motsouri,  which  bears 
a pink  plum  containing  a pleasant  acid  juice,  resembles  an 
orange-tree  in  its  dark  evergreen  foliage,  and  a cypress  in  its 
form.  It  was  now  winter-time,  and  we  saw  nothing  of  the  flora. 


I 


AFRICAN  ANTELOPES  (POKU  AND  LECH£)  DISCOVERED  I1T  OSWELL,  MDUBAY,  AND  LIVINGSTONE. 


ELEPHANTS.— NEW  SPECIES  OF  ANTELOPE. 


85 


The  plants  and  bushes  were  dry ; but  wild  indigo  abounded,  as 
indeed  it  does  over  large  tracts  of  Africa.  It  is  called  mohetolo, 
or  the  “ changer,”  by  the  boys,  who  dye  their  ornaments  of  straw 
with  the  juice.  There  are  two  kinds  of  cotton  in  the  country, 
and  the  Mashona,  who  convert  it  into  cloth,  dye  it  blue  with  this 
plant. 

We  found  the  elephants  in  prodigious  numbers  on  the  south- 
ern bank.  They  come  to  drink  by  night,  and  after  having  slaked 
their  thirst — in  doing  which  they  throw  large  quantities  of  water 
over  themselves,  and  are  heard,  while  enjoying  the  refreshment, 
screaming  with  delight — they  evince  their  horror  of  pitfalls  by 
setting  off  in  a straight  line  to  the  desert,  and  never  diverge  till 
they  are  eight  or  ten  miles  off.  They  are  smaller  here  than  in 
the  countries  farther  south.  At  the  Limpopo,  for  instance,  they 
are  upward  of  twelve  feet  high  ; here,  only  eleven  : farther  north 
we  shall  find  them  nine  feet  only.  The  koodoo,  or  tolo,  seemed 
smaller,  too,  than  those  we  had  been  accustomed  to  see.  We  saw 
specimens  of  the  kuabaoba,  or  straight-horned  rhinoceros  [It.  Os- 
wellii),  which  is  a variety  of  the  white  {It.  sirrms)  ; and  we  found 
that,  from  the  horn  being  projected  downward,  it  did  not  obstruct 
the  line  of  vision,  so  that  this  species  is  able  to  be  much  more 
wary  than  its -neighbors. 

We  discovered  an  entirely  new  species  of  antelope,  called  leche 
dr  lechwi.  It  is  a beautiful  water-antelope  of  a light  brownish- 
yellow  color.  Its  horns — exactly  like  those  of  the  Aigoceros 
ellipsijorimnus , the  water-buck,  or  tumogo,  of  the  Bechuanas — 
rise  from  the  head  with  a slight  bend  backward,  then  curve  for- 
ward at  the  points.  The  chest,  belly,  and  orbits  are  nearly 
white,  the  front  of  the  legs  and  ankles  deep  brown.  From  the 
horns,  along  the  nape  to  the  withers,  the  male  has  a small  mane 
of  the  same  yellowish  color  with  the  rest  of  the  skin,  and  the 
tail  has  a tuft  of  black  hair.  It  is  never  found  a mile  from  wa- 
ter ; islets  in  marshes  and  rivers  are  its  favorite  haunts,  and  it  is 
quite  unknown  except  in  the  central  humid  basin  of  Africa. 
Having  a good  deal  of  curiosity,  it  presents  a noble  appearance 
as  it  stands  gazing,  with  head  erect,  at  the  approaching  stranger. 
When  it  resolves  to  decamp,  it  lowers  its  head,  and  lays  its  horns 
down  to  a level  with  the  withers  ; it  then  begins  with  a waddling 
trot,  which  ends  in  its  galloping  and  springing  over  bushes  like  the 


86 


FISH  IN  THE  ZOUGA. 


pallahs.  It  invariably  runs  to  the  water,  and  crosses  it  by  a suc- 
cession of  bounds,  each  of  which  appears  to  be  from  the  bottom. 
We  thought  the  flesh  good  at  first,  but  soon  got  tired  of  it. 

Great  shoals  of  excellent  fish  come  down  annually  with  the  ac- 
cess of  waters.  The  mullet  (Mugil  Africanus ) is  the  most  abund- 
ant. They  are  caught  in  nets. 

The  Giants  siluris,  a large,  broad-headed  fish,  without  scales, 
and  barbed — called  by  the  natives  “ mosala” — attains  an  enor- 
mous size  and  fatness.  They  are  caught  so  large  that  when  a 
man  carries  one  over  his  shoulder  the  tail  reaches  the  ground. 
It  is  a vegetable  feeder,  and  in  many  of  its  habits  resembles  the 
eel.  Like  most  lophoid  fishes,  it  has  the  power  of  retaining  a 
large  quantity  of  water  in  a part  of  its  great  head,  so  that  it  can 
leave  the  river,  and  even  be  buried  in  the  mud  of  dried-up  pools, 
without  being  destroyed.  Another  fish  closely  resembling  this, 
and  named  Clarias  capensis  by  Dr.  Smith,  is  widely  diffused 
throughout  the  interior,  and  often  leaves  the  rivers  for  the  sake 
of  feeding  in  pools.  As  these  dry  up,  large  numbers  of  them 
are  entrapped  by  the  people.  A water-snake,  yellow-spotted  and 
dark  brown,  is  often  seen  swimming  along  with  its  head  above 
the  water : it  is  quite  harmless,  and  is  relished  as  food  by  the 
Bayeiye. 

They  mention  ten  kinds  of  fish  in  their  river ; and,  in  their 
songs  of  praise  to  the  Zouga,  say,  “ The  messenger  sent  in  haste 
is  always  forced  to  spend  the  night  on  the  way  by  the  abundance 
of  food  you  place  before  him.”  The  Bayeiye  live  much  on  fish, 
which  is  quite  an  abomination  to  the  Bechuanas  of  the  south ; 
and  they  catch  them  in  large  numbers  by  means  of  nets  made 
of  the  fine,  strong  fibres  of  the  hibiscus,  which  grows  abundantly 
in  all  moist  places.  Their  float-ropes  are  made  of  the  ife,  or, 
as  it  is  now  called,  the  Sanseviere  Angolensis , a flag- looking 
plant,  having  a very  strong  fibre,  that  abounds  from  Kolobeng 
to  Angola ; and  the  floats  themselves  are  pieces  of  a water-plant 
containing  valves  at  each  joint,  which  retain  the  air  in  cells  about 
an  inch  long.  The  mode  of  knotting  the  nets  is  identical  with 
our  own. 

They  also  spear  the  fish  with  javelins  having  a light  handle, 
which  readily  floats  on  the  surface.  They  show  great  dexterity 
in  harpooning  the  hippopotamus ; and,  the  barbed  blade  of  the 


FISHING-CANOES. 


87 


spear  being  attached  to  a rope  made  of  the  young  leaves  of  the 
palmyra,  the  animal  can  not  rid  himself  of  the  canoe,  attached  to 
him  in  whale  fashion,  except  by  smashing  it,  which  he  not  unfre- 
quently  does  by  his  teeth  or  by  a stroke  of  his  hind  foot. 

On  returning  to  the  Bakurutse,  we  found  that  their  canoes  for 
fishing  were  simply  large  bundles  of  reeds  tied  together.  Such  a 
canoe  would  be  a ready  extemporaneous  pontoon  for  crossing  any 
river  that  had  reedy  banks. 


88 


START  FOR  THE  COUNTRY  OF  SEBITUANE. 


CHAPTER  IY. 

Leave  Kolobeng  again  for  the  Country  of  Sebituane. — Reach  the  Zouga. — The 
Tsetse.— A Party  of  Englishmen. — Death  of  Mr.  Rider. — Obtain  Guides.— Chil- 
dren fall  sick  with  Fever. — Relinquish  the  Attempt  to  reach  Sebituane. — Mr. 
Oswell’s  Elephant-hunting. — Return  to  Kolobeng. — Make  a third  Start  thence. 
— Reach  Nchokotsa. — Salt-pans. — “Links,”  or  Springs. — Bushmen. — Our  Guide 
Shobo.— The  Banajda.— An  ugly  Chief.— The  Tsetse.— Bite  fatal  to  domestic 
Animals,  but  harmless  to  wild  Animals  and  Man. — Operation  of  the  Poison. — 
Losses  caused  by  it. — The  Makololo. — Our  Meeting  with  Sebituane. — Sketch  of 
his  Career. — His  Courage  and  Conquests. — Manoeuvres  of  the  Batoka.— He  out- 
wits them. — His  Wars  with  the  Matebele. — Predictions  of  a native  Prophet. — 
Successes  of  the  Makololo. — Renewed  Attacks  of  the  Matebele. — The  Island  of 
Loyelo. — Defeat  of  the  Matebele. — Sebituane’s  Policy. — His  Kindness  to  Stran- 
gers and  to  the  Poor. — His  sudden  Illness  and  Death. — Succeeded  by  his  Daugh- 
ter.— Her  Friendliness  to  us. — Discovery,  in  June,  1851,  of  the  Zambesi  flowing 
in  the  Centre  of  the  Continent. — Its  Size. — The  Mambari. — The  Slave-trade.— 
Determine  to  send  Family  to  England. — Return  to  the  Cape  in  April,  1852. — 
Safe  Transit  through  the  Caffre  Country  during  Hostilities. — Need  of  a “ Spe- 
cial Correspondent,” — Kindness  of  the  London  Missionary  Society. — Assistance 
afforded  by  the  Astronomer  Royal  at  the  Cape. 

Haying  returned  to  Kolobeng,  I remained  there  till  April. 
1850,  and  then  left  in  company  with  Mrs.  Livingstone,  our  three 
children,  and  the  chief  Sechele — who  had  now  bought  a wagon 
of  his  own — in  order  to  go  across  the  Zouga  at  its  lower  end, 
with  the  intention  of  proceeding  up  the  northern  bank  till  we 
gained  the  Tamunak’le,  and  of  then  ascending  that  river  to  visit 
Sebituane  in  the  north.  Sekomi  had  given  orders  to  till  up  the 
wells  which  we  had  dug  with  so  much  labor  at  Serotli,  so  we 
took  the  more  eastern  route  through  the  Bamangwato  town  and 
by  Letloche.  That  chief  asked  why  I had  avoided  him  in  our 
former  journeys.  I replied  that  my  reason  was  that  I knew  he 
did  not  wish  me  to  go  to  the  lake,  and  I did  not  want  to  quarrel 
with  him.  “Well,”  he  said,  “you  beat  me  then,  and  I am 
content.” 

Parting  with  Sechele  at  the  ford,  as  he  was  eager  to  visit 
Lechulatebe,  we  went  along  the  northern  woody  bank  of  the 


GUIDES  OBTAINED  FROM  LECHULATEBE. 


89 


Zouga  with  great  labor,  having  to  cut  down  very  many  trees  to 
allow  the  wagons  to  pass.  Our  losses  by  oxen  falling  into  pit- 
falls  were  very  heavy.  The  Bayeiye  kindly  opened  the  pits 
when  they  knew  of  our  approach ; but  when  that  was  not  the 
case,  we  could  blame  no  one  on  finding  an  established  custom  of 
the  country  inimical  to  our  interests.  On  approaching  the  conflu- 
ence of  the  Tamunak’le  we  were  informed  that  the  fly  called  tse- 
tse* abounded  on  its  banks.  This  was  a barrier  we  never  expect- 
ed to  meet ; and,  as  it  might  have  brought  our  wagons  to  a com- 
plete stand-still  in  a wilderness,  where  no  supplies  for  the  children 
could  be  obtained,  we  were  reluctantly  compelled  to  recross  the 
Zouga. 

From  the  Bayeiye  we  learned  that  a party  of  Englishmen,  who 
had  come  to  the  lake  in  search  of  ivory,  were  all  laid  low  by  fever, 
so  we  traveled  hastily  down  about  sixty  miles  to  render  what  aid 
was  in  our  power.  We  were  grieved  to  find,  as  we  came  near, 
that  Mr.  Alfred  Rider,  an  enterprising  young  artist  who  had  come 
to  make  sketches  of  this  country  and  of  the  lake  immediately  after 
its  discovery,  had  died  of  fever  before  (fur  arrival ; but  by  the  aid 
of  medicines  and  such  comforts  as  could  be  made  by  the  only  En- 
glish lady  who  ever  visited  the  lake,  the  others  happily  recovered. 
The  unfinished  drawing  of  Lake  Ngami  was  made  by  Mr.  Rider 
just  before  his  death,  and  has  been  kindly  lent  for  this  work  by 
his  bereaved  mother.  > 

Sechele  used  all  his  powers  of  eloquence  with  Lechulatebe  to 
induce  him  to  furnish  guides  that  I might  be  able  to  visit  Sebi- 
tuane  on  ox-back,  while  Mrs.  Livingstone  and  the  children  re- 
mained at  Lake  Ngami.  He  yielded  at  last.  I had  a very 
superior  London-made  gun,  the  gift  of  Lieutenant  Arkwright,  on 
which  I placed  the  greatest  value,  both  on  account  of  the  donor 
and  the  impossibility  of  my  replacing  it.  Lechulatebe  fell  vi- 
olently in  love  with  it,  and  offered  whatever  number  of  elephants’ 
tusks  I might  ask  for  it.  I too  was  enamored  with  Sebituane ; 
and  as  he  promised  in  addition  that  he  would  furnish  Mrs.  Liv- 
ingstone with  meat  all  the  time  of  my  absence,  his  arguments 
made  me  part  with  the  gun.  Though  he  had  no  ivory  at  the  time 
to  pay  me,  I felt  the  piece  would  be  well  spent  on  those  terms,  and 

* Glossina  morsitans,  the  first  specimens  of  which  were  brought  to  England  in 
1848  by  my  friend  Major  Vardon,  from  the  banks  of  the  Limpopo. 


00 


MR.  OSWELL’S  HUNTING. 


delivered  it  to  him.  All  being  ready  for  our  departure,  I took 
Mrs.  Livingstone  about  six  miles  from  the  town,  that  she  might 
have  a peep  at  the  broad  part  of  the  lake.  Next  morning  we 
had  other  work  to  do  than  part,  for  our  little  boy  and  girl  were 
seized  with  fever.  On  the  day  following,  all  our  servants  were 
down  too  with  the  same  complaint.  As  nothing  is  better  in 
these  cases  than  change  of  place,  I was  forced  to  give  up  the 
hope  of  seeing  Sebituane  that  year ; so,  leaving  my  gun  as  part 
payment  for  guides  next  year,  we  started  for  the  pure  air  of  the 
Desert.  r 

Some  mistake  had  happened  in  the  arrangement  with  Air.  Os- 
well,  for  we  met  him  on  the  Zouga  on  our  return,  and  he  de- 
voted the  rest  of  this  season  to  elephant -hunting,  at  which  the  na- 
tives universally  declare  he  is  the  greatest  adept  that  ever  came 
into  the  country.  He  hunted  without  dogs.  It  is  remarkable 
that  this  lordly  animal  is  so  completely  harassed  by  the  presence 
of  a few  yelping  curs  as  to  be  quite  incapable  of  attending  to 
man.  He  makes  awkward  attempts  to  crush  them  by  falling  on 
his  knees ; and  sometimes'  places  his  forehead  against  a tree  ten 
inches  in  diameter ; glancing  on  one  side  of  the  tree  and  then  on 
the  other,  he  pushes  it  down  before  him,  as  if  he  thought  thereby 
to  catch  his  enemies.  The  only  danger  the  huntsman  has  to  ap- 
prehend is  the  dogs  running  toward  him,  and  thereby  leading  the 
elephant  to  their  master.  Mr.  Oswell  has  been  known  to  kill 
four  large  old  male  elephants  a day.  The  value  of  the  ivory  in 
these  cases  would  be  one  hundred  guineas.  W e had  reason  to  be 
proud  of  his  success,  for  the  inhabitants  conceived  from  it  a very 
high  idea  of  English  courage  ; and  when  they  wished  to  flatter  me 
would  say,  “ If  you  were  not  a missionary  you  would  just  be 
like  Oswell;  you  would  not  hunt  with  dogs  either.”  When,  in 
1852,  we  came  to  the  Cape,  my  black  coat  eleven  years  out  of 
fashion,  and  without  a penny  of  salary  to  draw,  we  found  that  Mr. 
Oswell  had  most  generously  ordered  an  outfit  for  the  half-naked 
children,  which  cost  about  £200,  and  presented  it  to  us,  saying  he 
thought  Mrs.  Livingstone  had  a right  to  the  game  of  her  own  pre- 
serves. 

Foiled  in  this  second  attempt  to  reach  Sebituane,  we  returned 
again  to  Kolobeng,  whither  we  were  soon  followed  by  a number 
of  messengers  from  that  chief  himself.  W hen  he  heard  of  our 


NCIIOKOTSA. — SAI/T-PANS. 


91 


attempts  to  visit  him,  he  dispatched  three  detachments  of  his  men 
with  thirteen  brown  cows  to  Lechulatebe,  thirteen  white  cows  to 
Sekomi,  and  thirteen  black  cows  to  Sechele,  with  a request  to  each 
to  assist  the  white  men  to  reach  him.  Their  policy,  however, 
was  to  keep  him  out  of  view,  and  act  as  his  agents  in  purchasing 
with  his  ivory  the  goods  he  wanted.  This  is  thoroughly  African ; 
and  that  continent  being  without  friths  and  arms  of  the  sea,  the 
tribes  in  the  centre  have  always  been  debarred  from  European  in- 
tercourse by  its  universal  prevalence  among  all  the  people  around 
the  coasts. 

Before  setting  out  on  our  third  journey  to  Sebituane,  it  was 
necessary  to  visit  Kuraman ; and  Sechele,  eager,  for  the  sake  of 
the  commission  thereon,  to  get  the  ivory  of  that  chief  into  his 
own  hands,  allowed  all  the  messengers  to  leave  before  our  re- 
turn. Sekomi,  however,  was  more  than  usually  gracious,  and 
even  furnished  us  with  a guide,  but  no  one  knew  the  path  beyond 
Nchokotsa  which  we  intended  to  follow.  When  we  reached  that 
point,  we  found  that  the  main  spring  of  the  gun  of  another  of 
his  men,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  Bushmen,  through 
Avhose  country  we  should  pass,  had  opportunely  broken.  I never 
undertook  to  mend  a gun  with  greater  zest  than  this ; for,  under 
promise  of  his  guidance,  we  went  to  the  north  instead  of  west- 
ward. All  the  other  guides  were  most  liberally  rewarded  by 
Mr.  Oswell. 

We  passed  quickly  over  a hard  country,  which  is  perfectly  flat. 
A little  soil  lying  on  calcareous  tufa,  over  a tract  of  several 
hundreds  of  miles,  supports  a vegetation  of  fine  sweet  short  grass, 
and  mopane  and  baobab  trees.  On  several  parts  of  this  we  found 
large  salt-pans,  one  of  which,  Ntwetwe,  is  fifteen  miles  broad  and 
one  hundred  long.  The  latitude  might  have  been  taken  on  its 
horizon  as  well  as  upon  the  sea. 

Although  these  curious  spots  seem  perfectly  level,  all  those  in 
this  direction  have  a gentle  slope  to  the  northeast : thither  the 
rain-water,  which  sometimes  covers  them,  gently  gravitates.  This, 
it  may  be  recollected,  is  the  direction  of  the  Zouga.  The  salt 
dissolved  in  the  water  has  by  this  means  all  been  transferred  to 
one  pan  in  that  direction,  named  Chuantsa ; on  it  we  see  a cake 
of  salt  and  lime  an  inch  and  a half  thick.  All  the  others  have  an 
efflorescence  of  lime  and  one  of  the  nitrates  only,  and  some  are 


92 


SPRINGS.— BUSHMEN. 


covered  thickly  with  shells.  These  shells  are  identical  with  those 
of  the  mollusca  of  Lake  Ngami  and  the  Zouga.  There  are  three 
varieties,  spiral,  univalve,  and  bivalve. 

In  every  salt-pan  in  the  country  there  is  a spring  ot  water  on 
one  side.  I can  remember  no  exception  to  this  rule.  The  water 
of  these  springs  is  brackish,  and  contains  the  nitrate  of  soda.  In 
one  instance  there  are  two  springs,  and  one  more  saltish  than  the 
other.  If  this  supply  came  from  beds  of  rock  salt  the  water 
would  not  be  drinkable,  as  it  generally  is,  and  in  some  instances, 
where  the  salt  contained  in  the  pan  in  which  these  springs  appear 
has  been  removed  by  human  agency,  no  fresh  deposit  occurs.  It 
is  therefore  probable  that  these  deposits  of  salt  are  the  remains 
of  the  very  slightly  brackish  lakes  of  antiquity,  large  portions  of 
which  must  have  been  dried  out  in  the  general  desiccation.  We 
see  an  instance  in  Lake  Ngami,  which,  when  low,  becomes  brack- 
ish, and  this  view  seems  supported  by  the  fact  that  the  largest 
quantities  of  salt  have  been  found  in  the  deepest  hollows  or  low- 
est valleys,  which  have  no  outlet  or  outgoing  gorge ; and  a fount- 
ain, about  thirty  miles  south  of  the  Bamangwato — the  temperature 
of  which  is  upward  of  100°  — while  strongly  impregnated  with 
pure  salt,  being  on  a flat  part  of  the  country,  is  accompanied  by 
no  deposit. 

When  these  deposits  occur  in  a flat  tufaceous  country  like  the 
present,  a large  space  is  devoid  of  vegetation,  on  account  of  the 
nitrates  dissolving  the  tufa,  and  keeping  it  in  a state  unfavorable 
to  the  growth  of  plants. 

We  found  a great  number  of  wells  in  this  tufa.  A place  called 
Matlomagan-yana,  or  the  “Links,”  is  quite  a chain  of  these  never- 
failing  springs.  As  they  occasionally  become  full  in  seasons 
when  no  rain  falls,  and  resemble  somewhat  in  this  respect  the 
rivers  we  have  already  mentioned,  it  is  probable  they  receive 
some  water  by  percolation  from  the  river  system  in  the  country 
beyond.  Among  these  links  we  found  many  families  of  Bush- 
men ; and,  unlike  those  on  the  plains  of  the  Kalahari,  who  are 
generally  of  short  stature  and  light  yellow  color,  these  were  tall, 
strapping  fellows,  of  dark  complexion.  Heat  alone  does  not  pro- 
duce blackness  of  skin,  but  heat  with  moisture  seems  to  insure 
the  deepest  hue. 

One  of  these  Bushmen,  named  Shobo,  consented  to  be  our 


\ 


THE  GUIDE  SHOBO. 


93 


guide  over  the  waste  between  these  springs  and  the  country  of 
Sebituane.  Shobo  gave  us  no  hope  of  water  in  less  than  a 
month.  Providentially,  however,  we  came  sooner  than  we  ex- 
pected to  some  supplies  of  rain-water  in  a chain  of  pools.  It 
is  impossible  to  convey  an  idea  of  the  dreary  scene  on  which  we 
entered  after  leaving  this  spot:  the  only  vegetation  was  a low 
scrub  in  deep  sand ; not  a bird  or  insect  enlivened  the  landscape. 
It  was,  without  exception,  the  most  uninviting  prospect  I ever 
beheld ; and,  to  make  matters  worse,  our  guide  Shobo  wandered 
on  the  second  day.  We  coaxed  him  on  at  night,  but  he  went  to 
all  points  of  the  compass  on  the  trails  of  elephants  which  had 
been  here  in  the  rainy  season,  and  then  would  sit  down  in  the 
path,  and  in  his  broken  Sichuana  say,  “No  water,  all  country 
only  ; Shobo  sleeps  ; he  breaks  down  ; country  only and  then 
coolly  curl  himself  up  and  go  to  sleep.  The  oxen  were  terri- 
bly fatigued  and  thirsty ; and  on  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day, 
Shobo,  after  professing  ignorance  of  every  thing,  vanished  alto- 
gether. We  went  on  in  the  direction  in  which  we  last  saw  him, 
and  about  eleven  o’clock  began  to  see  birds ; then  the  trail  of  a 
rhinoceros.  At  this  we  unyoked  the  oxen,  and  they,  apparently 
knowing  the  sign,  rushed  along  to  find  the  water  in  the  River 
Mahabe,  which  comes  from  the  Tamunak’le,  and  lay  to  the  west 
of  us.  The  supply  of  water  in  the  wagons  had  been  wasted  by 
one  of  our  servants,  and  by  the  afternoon  only  a small  portion 
remained  for  the  children.  This  was  a bitterly  anxious  night ; 
and  next  morning  the  less  there  was  of  water,  the  more  thirsty 
the  little  rogues  became.  The  idea  of  their  perishing  before  our 
eyes  was  terrible.  It  would  almost  have  been  a relief  J;o  me  to 
have  been  reproached  with  being  the  entire  cause  of  the  catas- 
trophe; but  not  one  syllable  of  upbraiding  was  uttered  by  then- 
mother,  though  the  tearful  eye  told  the  agony  within.  In  the 
afternoon  of  the  fifth  day,  to  our  inexpressible  relief,  some  of  the 
men  returned  with  a supply  of  that  fluid  of  which  we  had  never 
before  felt  the  true  value. 

The  cattle,  in  rushing  along  to  the  water  in  the  Mahabe,  prob- 
ably crossed  a small  patch  of  trees  containing  tsetse,  an  insect 
which  was  shortly  to  become  a perfect  pest  to  us.  Shobo  had 
found  his  way  to  the  Bayeiye,  and  appeared,  when  we  came  up 
to  the  river,  at  the  head  of  a party ; and,  as  he  wished  to  show 


94 


THE  BANAJOA.— THE  TSETSE. 


his  importance  before  his  friends,  he  walked  up  boldly  and  com- 
manded our  whole  cavalcade  to  stop,  and  to  bring  forth  fire  and 
tobacco,  while  he  coolly  sat  down  and  smoked  his  pipe.  It  was 
such  an  inimitably  natural  way  of  showing  off,  that  we  all  stopped 
to  admire  the  acting,  and,  though  he  had  left  us  previously  in  the 
lurch,  we  all  liked  Shobo,  a fine  specimen  of  that  wonderful  peo- 
ple, the  Bushmen. 

Next  day  we  came  to  a village  of  Banajoa,  a tribe  which 
extends  far  to  the  eastward.  They  were  living  on  the  borders 
of  a marsh  in  which  the  Maliabe  terminates.  They  had  lost  then- 
crop  of  corn  ( IIolcus  sorghum),  and  now  subsisted  almost  entire- 
ly on  the  root  called  “tsitla,”  a kind  of  aroidoea,  which  contains  a 
very  large  quantity  of  sweet-tasted  starch.  When  dried,  pound- 
ed into  meal,  and  allowed  to  ferment,  it  forms  a not  unpleasant 
article  of  food.  The  women  shave  all  the  hair  off  their  heads, 
and  seem  darker  than  the  Bechuanas.  Their  huts  were  built 
on  poles,  and  a fire  is  made  beneath  by  night,  in  order  that  the 
smoke  may  drive  away  the  musquitoes,  which  abound  on  the 
Mababe  and  Tamunak’le  more  than  in  any  other  part  of  the 
country.  The  head  man  of  this  village,  Majane,  seemed  a little 
wanting  in  ability,  but  had  had  wit  enough  to  promote  a younger 
member  of  the  family  to  the  office.  This  person,  the  most  like 
the  ugly  negro  of  the  tobacconists’  shops  I ever  saw,  was  called 
Moroa  Majane,  or  son  of  Majane,  and  proved  an  active  guide 
across  the  River  Sonta,  and  to  the  banks  of  the  Chobe,  in  the 
country  of  Sebituane.  We  had  come  through  another  tsetse  dis- 
trict by  night,  and  at  once  passed  our  cattle  over  to  the  northern 
bank  to.preserve  them  from  its  ravages. 

A few  remarks  on  the  Tsetse,  or  Glossina  morsitans,  may  here 
be  appropriate.  It  is  not  much  larger  than  the  common  house- 
fly, and  is  nearly  of  the  same  brown  color  as  the  common  honey- 
bee ; the  after  part  of  the  body  has  three  or  four  yellow  bars 
across  it ; the  wings  project  beyond  this  part  considerably,  and 
it  is  remarkably  alert,  avoiding  most  dexterously  all  attempts 
to  capture  it  with  the  hand  at  common  temperatures ; in  the 
cool  of  the  mornings  and  evenings  it  is  less  agile.  Its  peculiar 
buzz  when  once  heard  can  never  be  forgotten  by  the  traveler 
whose  means  of  locomotion  are  domestic  animals  ; for  it  is  well 
known  that  the  bite  of  this  poisonous  insect  is  certain  death  to 


OPERATION  OF  TSETSE  POISON. 


95 


the  ox,  horse,  and  dog.  In  this  journey,  though  we  were  not 
aware  of  any  great  number  having  at  any  time  lighted  on  our 
cattle,  we  lost  forty-three  fine  oxen  by  its  bite.  We  watched  the 
animals  carefully,  and  believe  that  not  a score  of  flies  were  ever 
upon  them. 

A most  remarkable  feature  in  the  bite  of  the  tsetse  is  its 
perfect  harmlessness  in  man  and  wild  animals,  and  even  calves, 
so  long  as  they  continue  to  suck  the  cows.  We  never  experienced 
the  slightest  injury  from  them  ourselves,  personally,  although  we 
lived  two  months  in  their  habitat , which  was  in  this  case  as 
sharply  defined  as  in  many  others,  for  the  south  bank  of  the 
Chobe  was  infested  by  them,  and  the  northern  bank,  where  our 
cattle  were  placed,  only  fifty  yards  distant,  contained  not  a single 
specimen.  This  was  the  more  remarkable,  as  we  often  saw  na- 
tives carrying  over  raw  meat  to  the  opposite  bank  with  many 
tsetse  settled  upon  it. 

The  poison  does  not  seem  to  be  injected  by  a sting,  or  by  ova 
placed  beneath  the  skin  ; for,  when  one  is  allowed  to  feed  freely  on 
the  hand,  it  is  seen  to  insert  the  middle  prong  of  three  portions, 
into  which  the  proboscis  divides,  somewhat  deeply  into  the  true 
skin ; it  then  draws  it  out  a little  way,  and  it  assumes  a crimson 
color  as  the  mandibles  come  into  brisk  operation.  The  previ- 
ously shrunken  belly  swells  out,  and,  if  left  undisturbed,  the  fly 
quietly  departs  when  it  is  full.  A slight  itching  irritation  fol- 
lows, but  not  more  than  in  the  bite  of  a musquito.  In  the  ox  thin 
same  bite  produces  no  more  immediate  effects  than  in  man.  It 
does  not  startle  him  as  the  gad-fly  does ; but  a few  days  after- 
ward the  following  symptoms  supervene : the  eye  and  nose  begin 
to  run,  the  coat  stares  as  if  the  animal  were  cold,  a swelling  ap- 
pears under  the  jaw,  and  sometimes  at  the  navel ; and,  though 
the  animal  continues  to  graze,  emaciation  commences,  accom- 
panied with  a peculiar  flaccidity  of  the  muscles,  and  this  proceeds 
unchecked  until,  perhaps  months  afterward,  purging  comes  on, 
and  the  animal,  no  longer  able  to  graze,  perishes  in  a state  of 
extreme  exhaustion.  Those  which  are  in  good  condition  often 
perish  soon  after  the  bite  is  inflicted  with  staggering  and  blind- 
ness, as  if  the  brain  were  affected  by  it.  Sudden  changes  of 
temperature  produced  by  falls  of  rain  seem  to  hasten  the  progress 
of  the  complaint ; but,  in  general,  the  emaciation  goes  on  unin- 


96 


THE  TSETSE  POISON. 


terruptedly  for  months,  and,  do  what  we  will,  the  poor  animals 
perish  miserably. 

When  opened,  the  cellular  tissue  on  the  surface  of  the  body  be- 
neath the  skin  is  seen  to  be  injected  with  air,  as  if  a quantity  of 
soap-bubbles  were  scattered  over  it,  or  a dishone_st,  awkward 
butcher  had  been  trying  to  make  it  look  fat.  The  fat  is  of  a green- 
ish-yellow color  and  of  an  oily  consistence.  All  the  muscles  are 
flabby,  and  the  heart  often  so  soft  that  the  fingers  may  be  made 
to  meet  through  it.  The  lungs  and  liver  partake  of  the  disease. 
The  stomach  and  bowels  are  pale  and  empty,  and  the  gall-bladder 
is  distended  with  bile. 

These  symptoms  seem  to  indicate  what  is  probably  the  case,  a 
poison  in  the  blood,  the  germ  of  which  enters  when  the  proboscis 
is  inserted  to  draw  blood.  The  poison-germ,  contained  in  a bulb 
at  the  root  of  the  proboscis,  seems  capable,  although  very  minute 
in  quantity,  of  reproducing  itself,  for  the  blood  after  death  by 
tsetse  is  very  small  in  quantity,  and  scarcely  stains  the  hands  in 
dissection.  I shall  have  by-and-by  to  mention  another  insect, 
which  by  the  same  operation  produces  in  the  human  subject  both 
vomiting  and  purging. 

The  mule,  ass,  and  goat  enjoy  the  same  immunity  from  the 
tsetse  as  man  and  the  game.  Many  large  tribes  on  the  Zambesi 
can  keep  no  domestic  animals  except  the  goat,  in  consequence 
of  the  scourge  existing  in  their  country.  Our  children  were 
frequently  bitten,  yet  suffered  no  harm ; and  we  saw  around  us 
numbers  of  zebras,  buffaloes,  pigs,  pallahs  and  other  antelopes, 
feeding  quietly  in  the  very  habitat  of  the  tsetse,  yet  as  undis- 
turbed by  its  bite  as  oxen  are  when  they  first  receive  the  fatal 
poison.  There  is  not  so  much  difference  in  the  natures  of  the 
horse  and  zebra,  the  buffalo  and  ox,  the  sheep  and  antelope,  as  to 
afford  any  satisfactory  explanation  of  the  phenomenon.  Is  a man 
not  as  much  a domestic  animal  as  a dog  ? The  curious  feature 
in  the  case,  that  dogs  perish  though  fed  on  milk,  whereas 
the  calves  escape  so  long  as  they  continue  sucking,  made  us 
imagine  that  the  mischief  might  be  produced  by  some  plant  in  the 
locality,  and  not  by  tsetse;  but  Major  Yardon,  of  the  Madras 
Army,  settled  that  point  by  riding  a horse  up  to  a small  hill 
infested  by  the  insect  without  allowing  him  time  to  graze,  and, 
though  he  only  remained  long  enough  to  take  a view  of  the 


MEETING  WITH  SEBITUANE.  97 

country  and  catch  some  specimens  of  tsetse  on  the  animal,  in  ten 
days  afterward  the  horse  was  dead. 

The  well-known  disgust  which  the  tsetse  shows  to  animal  ex- 
creta, as  exhibited  when  a village  is  placed  in  its  habitat,  has  been 
observed  and  turned  to  account  by  some  of  the  doctors.  They 
mix  droppings  of  animals,  human  milk,  and  some  medicines  to- 
gether, and  smear  the  animals  that  are  about  to  pass  through  a 
tsetse  district ; but  this,  though  it  proves  a preventive  at  the  time, 
is  not  permanent.  There  is  no  cure  yet  known  for  the  disease. 
A careless  herdsman  allowing  a large  number  of  cattle  to  wander 
into  a tsetse  district  loses  all  except  the  calves ; and  Sebituane 
once  lost  nearly  the  entire  cattle  of  his  tribe,  very  many  thou- 
sands, by  unwittingly  coming  under  its  influence.  Inoculation 
does  not  insure  immunity,  as  animals  which  have  been  slightly 
bitten  in  one  year  may  perish  by  a greater  number  of  bites  in  the 
next ; but  it  is  probable  that  with  the  increase  of  guns  the  game 
will  perish,  as  has  happened  in  the  south,  and  the  tsetse,  deprived 
of  food,  may  become  extinct  simultaneously  with  the  larger  ani- 
mals. 

The  Makololo  whom  we  met  on  the  Chobe  were  delighted  to 
see  us  ; and  as  their  chief  Sebituane  was  about  twenty  miles  down 
the  river,  Sir.  Oswell  and  I proceeded  in  canoes  to  his  temporary 
residence.  He  had  come  from  the  Barotse  town  of  Naliele  down 
to  Sesheke  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  white  men  being  in  search  of 
him,  and  now  came  one  hundred  miles  more  to  bid  us  welcome 
into  his  country.  He  was  upon  an  island,  with  all  his  principal 
men  around  him,  and  engaged  in  singing  when  we  arrived.  It 
was  more  like  church  music  than  the  sing-song  e e e,  se  se  so,  of 
the  Bechuanas  of  the  south,  and  they  continued  the  tune  for  some 
seconds  after  we  approached.  We  informed  him  of  the  difficulties 
we  had  encountered,  and  how  glad  we  were  that  they  were  all  at 
an  end  by  at  last  reaching  his  presence.  He  signified  his  own 
joy,  and  added,  “ Your  cattle  are  all  bitten  by  the  tsetse,  and  will 
certainly  die;  but  never  mind,  I have  oxen,  and  will  give  you  as 
many  as  you  need.”  We,  in  our  ignorance,  then  thought  that  as 
so  few  tsetse  had  bitten  them  no  great  mischief  would  follow.  He 
then  presented  us  with  an  ox  and  a jar  of  honey  as  food,  and 
handed  us  over  to  the  care  of  Mahale,  who  had  headed  the  party 
to  Kolobeng,  and  would  now  fain  appropriate  to  himself  the  whole 

G 


98 


CAREER  OF  SEBITUANE. 


credit  of  our  coming.  Prepared  skins  of  oxen,  as  soft  as  cloth, 
were  given  to  cover  us  through  the  night ; and,  as  nothing  could 
he  returned  to  this  chief,  Mahale  became  the  owner  of  them.  Long 
before  it  was  day  Sebituane  came,  and  sitting  down  by  the  fire, 
which  was  lighted  for  our  benefit  behind  the  hedge  where  we  lay, 
he  narrated  the  difficulties  he  had  himself  experienced,  when  a 
young  man,  in  crossing  that  same  desert  which  we  had  mastered 
long  afterward.  As  he  has  been  most  remarkable  in  his  career, 
and  was  unquestionably  the  greatest  man  in  all  that  country,  a 
short  sketch  of  his  life  may  prove  interesting  to  the  reader. 

Sebituane  was  about  forty-five  years  of  age  ; of  a tall  and  wiry 
form,  an  olive  or  coffee -and -milk  color,  and  slightly  bald;  in 
manner  cool  and  collected,  and  more  frank  in  his  answers  than 
any  other  chief  I ever  met.  He  was  the  greatest  warrior  ever 
heard  of  beyond  the  colony  ; for,  unlike  Mosilikatse,  Dingaan,  and 
others,  he  always  led  his  men  into  battle  himself.  When  he  saw 
the  enemy,  he  felt  the  edge  of  his  battle-axe,  and  said,  “Aha!  it 
is  sharp,  and  whoever  turns  his  back  on  the  enemy  will  feel  its 
edge.”  So  fleet  of  foot  was  he,  that  all  his  people  knew  there 
was  no  escape  for  the  coward,  as  any  such  would  be  cut  down 
without  mercy.  In  some  instances  of  skulking  he  allowed  the  in- 
dividual to  return  home ; then  calling  him,  he  would  say,  “ Ah ! 
you  prefer  dying  at  home  to  dying  in  the  field,  do  you?  You 
shall  have  your  desire.”  This  was  the  signal  for  his  immediate 
execution. 

He  came  from  the  country  near  the  sources  of  the  Likwa  and 
Namagari  rivers  in  the  south,  so  we  met  him  eight  hundred  or 
nine  hundred  miles  from  his  birth-place.  He  was  not  the  son  of 
a chief,  though  related  closely  to  the  reigning  family  of  the  Ba- 
sutu ; and  when,  in  an  attack  by  Sikonyele,  the  tribe  was  driven 
out  of  one  part,  Sebituane  was  one  in  that  immense  horde  of 
savages  driven  back  by  the  Griquas  from  Kuruman  in  1824.* 
He  then  fled  to  the  north  with  an  insignificant  party  of  men  and 
cattle.  At  Melita  the  Bangwaketse  collected  the  Bakwains, 
Bakatla,  and  Bahurutse,  to  “eat  them  up.”  Placing  his  men  in 
front,  and  the  women  behind  the  cattle,  he  routed  the  whole  of 
his  enemies  at  one  blow.  Having  thus  conquered  Makabe,  the 


See  an  account  of  this  affair  in  Moffat’s  “ Missionary  Enterprise  in  Africa.' 


CAREER  OF  SEBITUANE.  99 

chief  of  the  Bangwaketse,  he  took  immediate  possession  of  his 
town  and  all  his  goods. 

Sebituane  subsequently  settled  at  the  place  called  Litubaruba, 
where  Sechele  now  dwells,  and  his  people  suffered  severely  in  one 
of  those  unrecorded  attacks  by  white  men,  in  which  murder  is 
committed  and  materials  laid  up  in  the  conscience  for  a future 
judgment. 

A great  variety  of  fortune  followed  him  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  Bechuana  country ; twice  he  lost  all  his  cattle  by  the  attacks 
of  the  Matabele,  but  always  kept  his  people  together,  and  retook 
more  than  he  lost.  He  then  crossed  the  Desert  by  nearly  the 
same  path  that  we  did.  He  had  captured  a guide,  and,  as  it 
was  necessary  to  travel  by  night  in  order  to  reach  water,  the 
guide  took  advantage  of  this  and  gave  him  the  slip.  After 
marching  till  morning,  and  going  as  they  thought  right,  they 
found  themselves  on  the  trail  of  the  day  before.  Many  of  his 
cattle  burst  away  from  him  in  the  phrensy  of  thirst,  and  rushed 
back  to  Serotli,  then  a large  piece  of  water,  and  to  Mashiie  and 
Lopepe,  the  habitations  of  their  original  owners.  He  stocked  him- 
self again  among  the  Batletli,  on  Lake  Kumadau,  whose  herds  were 
of  the  large-horned  species  of  cattle.*  Conquering  all  around  the 
lake,  he  heard  of  white  men  living  at  the  west  coast ; and,  haunt- 
ed by  what  seems  to  have  been  the  dream  of  his  whole  life,  a de- 
sire to  have  intercourse  with  the  white  man,  he  passed  away  to  the 
southwest,  into  the  parts  opened  up  lately  by  Messrs.  Galton  and 
Andersson.  There,  suffering  intensely  from  thirst,  he  and  his 
party  came  to  a small  well.  He  decided  that  the  men,  not  the 
cattle,  should  drink  it,  the  former  being  of  most  value,  as  they 
could  fight  for  more  should  these  be  lost.  In  the  morning  they 
found  the  cattle  had  escaped  to  the  Damaras. 

Returning  to  the  north  poorer  than  he  started,  he  ascended  the 
Teoughe  to  the  hill  Sorila,  and  crossed  over  a swampy  country 
to  the  eastward.  Pursuing  his  course  onward  to  the  low-lying 
basin  of  the  Leeambye,  he  saw  that  it  presented  no  attraction  to 


* We  found  the  Batauana  in  possession  of  this  breed  when  we  discovered  Lake 
Ngami.  One  of  these  horns,  brought  to  England  by  Major  Vardon,  will  hold 
no  less  than  twenty-one  imperial  pints  of  water ; and  a pair,  brought  by  Mr.  Os- 
well,  and  now  in  the  possession  of  Colonel  Steele,  measures  from  tip  to  tip  eight 
and  a half  feet. 


100 


CAREER  OF  SEBITUANE. 


a pastoral  tribe  like  his,  so  he  moved  down  that  river  among  the 
Bashubia  and  Batoka,  who  were  then  living  in  all  their  glory. 
His  narrative  resembled  closely  the  “ Commentaries  of  Cassar,” 
and  the  history  of  the  British  in  India.  He  was  always  forced  to 
attack  the  different  tribes,  and  to  this  day  his  men  justify  every 
step  he  took  as  perfectly  just  and  right.  The  Batoka  lived  on 
large  islands  in  the  Leeambye  or  Zambesi,  and,  feeling  perfect- 
ly secure  in  their  fastnesses,  often  allured  fugitive  or  wandering 
tribes  on  to  uninhabited  islets  on  pretense  of  ferrying  them  across, 
and  there  left  them  to  perish  for  the  sake  of  their  goods.  Sek- 
omi,  the  chief  of  the  Bamangwato,  was,  when  a child,  in  danger  of 
meeting  this  fate ; but  a man  still  living  had  compassion  on  him, 
and  enabled  his  mother  to  escape  with  him  by  night.  The  river 
is  so  large  that  the  sharpest  eye  can  not  tell  the  difference  between 
an  island  and  the  bend  of  the  opposite  bank  ; but  Sebituane,  with 
his  usual  foresight,  requested  the  island  chief  who  ferried  him 
across  to  take  his  seat  in  the  canoe  with  him,  and  detained  him 
by  his  side  till  all  his  people  and  cattle  were  safely  landed.  The 
whole  Batoka  country  was  then  densely  peopled,  and  they  had  a 
curious  taste  for  ornamenting  their  villages  with  the  skulls  of 
strangers.  When  Sebituane  appeared  near  the  great  falls,  an  im- 
mense army  collected  to  make  trophies  of  the  Makololo  skulls ; 
but,  instead  of  succeeding  in  this,  they  gave  him  a good  excuse  for 
conquering  them,  and  capturing  so  many  cattle  that  his  people 
were  quite  incapable  of  taking  any  note  of  the  sheep  and  goats. 
He  overran  all  the  high  lands  toward  the  Kafue,  and  settled  in 
what  is  called  a pastoral  country,  of  gently  undulating  plains,  cov- 
ered with  short  grass  and  but  little  forest.  The  Makololo  have 
never  lost  their  love  for  this  fine,  healthy  region. 

But  the  Matebele,  a Caffre  or  Zulu  tribe,  under  Mosilikatse, 
crossed  the  Zambesi,  and,  attacking  Sebituane  in  this  choice  spot, 
captured  his  cattle  and  women.  Rallying  his  men,  he  followed 
and  recaptured  the  whole.  A fresh  attack  was  also  repulsed,  and 
Sebituane  thought  of  going  farther  down  the  Zambesi,  to  the 
country  of  the  white  men.  He  had  an  idea,  whence  imbibed  I 
never  could  learn,  that  if  he  had  a cannon  he  might  live  in  peace. 
He  had  led  a life  of  war,  yet  no  one  apparently  desired  peace 
more  than  he  did.  A prophet  induced  him  to  turn  his  face  again 
to  the  westward.  This  man,  by  name  Tlapane,  was  called  a 


A NATIVE  PROPHET. 


101 


“ senoga” — one  who  holds  intercourse  with  the  gods.  He  proba- 
bly had  a touch  of  insanity,  for  he  was  in  the  habit  of  retiring  no 
one  knew  whither,  but  perhaps  into  some  cave,  to  remain  in  a 
hypnotic  or  mesmeric  state  until  the  moon  was  full.  Then,  re- 
turning to  the  tribe  quite  emaciated,  he  excited  himself,  as  others 
do  who  pretend  to  the  prophetic  afflatus,  until  he  was  in  a state 
of  ecstasy.  These  pretended  prophets  commence  their  operations 
by  violent  action  of  the  voluntary  muscles.  Stamping,  leaping, 
and  shouting  in  a peculiarly  violent  manner,  or  beating  the  ground 
with  a club,  they  induce  a kind  of  fit,  and  while  in  it  pretend  that 
their  utterances  are  unknown  to  themselves.  Tlapane,  pointing 
eastward,  said,  “There,  Sebituane,  I behold  a fire:  shun  it;  it  is 
a fire  which  may  scorch  thee.  The  gods  say,  go  not  thither.” 
Then,  turning  to  the  west,  he  said,  “ I see  a city  and  a nation  of 
black  men — men  of  the  water;  their  cattle  are  red;  thine  own 
tribe,  Sebituane,  is  perishing,  and  will  be  all  consumed ; thou  wilt 
govern  black  men,  and,  when  thy  warriors  have  captured  red  cat- 
tle, let  not  the  owners  be  killed ; they  are  thy  future  tribe — they 
are  thy  city;  let  them  be  spared  to  cause  thee  to  build.  And 
thou,  Ramosinii,  thy  village  will  perish  utterly.  If  Mokari  re- 
moves from  that  village  he  will  perish  first,  and  thou,  Ramosinii, 
wilt  be  the  last  to  die.”  Concerning  himself  he  added,  “ The 
gods  have  caused  other  men  to  drink  water,  but  to  me  they  have 
given  bitter  water  of  the  chukuru  (rhinoceros).  They  call  me 
away  myself.  I can  not  stay  much  longer.” 

This  vaticination,  which  loses  much  in  the  translation,  I have 
given  rather  fully,  as  it  shows  an  observant  mind.  The  policy 
recommended  was  wise,  and  the  deaths  of  the  “ senoga”  and  of 
the  two  men  he  had  named,  added  to  the  destruction  of  their  vil- 
lage, having  all  happened  soon  after,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  Se- 
bituane followed  implicitly  the  warning  voice.  The  fire  pointed 
to  was  evidently  the  Portuguese  fire-arms,  of  which  he  must  have 
heard.  The  black  men  referred  to  were  the  Barotse,  or,  as  they 
term  themselves,  Baloiana;  and  Sebituane  spared  their  chiefs,  even 
though  they  attacked  him  first.  He  had  ascended  the  Barotse 
valley,  but  was  pursued  by  the  Matebele,  as  Mosilikatse  never 
could  forgive  his  former  defeats.  They  came  up  the  river  in  a very 
large  body.  Sebituane  placed  some  goats  on  one  of  the  large  isl- 
ands of  the  Zambesi  as  a bait  to  the  warriors,  and  some  men  in 


102 


CAREER  OF  SEBITUANE. 


canoes  to  co-operate  in  the  manoeuvre.  When  they  were  all  fer- 
ried over  to  the  island,  the  canoes  were  removed,  and  the  Matebele 
found  themselves  completely  in  a trap,  being  perfectly  unable  to 
swim.  They  subsisted  for  some  time  on  the  roots  of  grass  after 
the  goats  Avere  eaten,  but  gradually  became  so  emaciated  that, 
when  the  Makololo  landed,  they  had  only  to  perform  the  part  of 
executioners  on  the  adults,  and  to  adopt  the  rest  into  their  OAvn 
tribe.  Afterward  Mosilikatse  was  goaded  on  by  his  Avarriors  to 
revenge  this  loss ; so  he  sent  an  immense  array,  carrying  canoes 
Avith  them,  in  order  that  no  such  mishap  might  occur  again.  Se- 
bituane  had  by  this  time  incorporated  the  Barotse,  and  taught  his 
young  men  to  manage  canoes ; so  he  went  from  island  to  island, 
and  Avatched  the  Matebele  on  the  main  land  so  closely  that  they 
could  not  use  their  canoes  to  cross  the  river  any  Avhere  Avithout  part- 
ing their  forces.  At  last  all  the  Makololo  and  their  cattle  were 
collected  on  the  island  of  Loyelo,  and  lay  all  around,  keeping  Avatcli 
night  and  day  over  the  enemy.  After  some  time  spent  in  this  way, 
Sebituane  went  in  a canoe  toward  them,  and,  addressing  them  by 
an  interpreter,  asked  Avhy  they  Avished  to  kill  him ; he  had  never 
attacked  them,  never  harmed  their  chief:  “Au!”  he  continued, 
“the  guilt  is  on  your  side.”  The  Matebele  made  no  reply;  but 
the  Makololo  next  day  saw  the  canoes  they  had  carried  so  far  ly- 
ing smashed,  and  the  OAvners  gone.  They  returned  toAvard  their 
OAvn  country,  and  fever,  famine,  and  the  Batoka  completed  their 
destruction  ; only  five  men  returned  to  Mosilikatse. 

Sebituane  had  now  not  only  conquered  all  the  black  tribes  over 
an  immense  tract  of  country,  but  had  made  himself  dreaded  even 
by  the  terrible  Mosilikatse.  He  never  could  trust  this  ferocious 
chief,  hoAvever ; and,  as  the  Batoka  on  the  islands  had  been  guilty 
of  ferrying  his  enemies  across  the  Zambesi,  he  made  a rapid  de- 
scent upon  them,  and  swept  them  all  out  of  their  island  fastnesses. 
He  thus  unwittingly  performed  a good  service  to  the  country  by 
completely  breaking  down  the  old  system  which  pre\'ented  trade 
from  penetrating  into  the  great  central  valley.  Of  the  chiefs  Avho 
escaped,  he  said,  “They  love  Mosilikatse,  let  them  live  Avith  him: 
the  Zambesi  is  my  line  of  defense;”  and  men  were  placed  all 
along  it  as  sentinels.  When  he  heard  of  our  wish  to  visit  him, 
he  did  all  he  could  to  assist  our  approach.  Sechele,  Sekomi, 
and  Lechulatebe  owed  their  lives  to  his  clemency;  and  the  latter 


HIS  CHARACTER. 


103 


might  have  paid  dearly  for  his  obstructiveness.  Sebituane  knew 
every  thing  that  happened  in  the  country,  for  he  had  the  art  of 
gaining  the  affections  both  of  his  own  people  and  of  strangers. 
When  a party  of  poor  men  came  to  his  town  to  sell  their  hoes  or 
skins,  no  matter  how  ungainly  they  might  be,  he  soon  knew  them 
all.  A company  of  these  indigent  strangers,  sitting  far  apart  from 
the  Makololo  gentlemen  around  the  chief,  would  be  surprised  to 
see  him  come  alone  to  them,  and,  sitting  down,  inquire  if  they 
were  hungry.  He  would  order  an  attendant  to  bring  meal,  milk, 
and  honey,  and,  mixing  them  in  their  sight,  in  order  to  remove 
any  suspicion  from  their  minds,  make  them  feast,  perhaps  for  the 
first  time  in  their  lives,  on  a lordly  dish.  Delighted  beyond  meas- 
ure with  his  affability  and  liberality,  they  felt  their  hearts  warm 
toward  him,  and  gave  him  all  the  information  in  their  power  ; and 
as  he  never  allowed  a party  of  strangers  to  go  away  without  giv- 
ing every  one  of  them,  servants  and  all,  a present,  his  praises  were 
sounded  far  and  wide.  “ He  has  a heart ! he  is  wise !”  were  the 
usual  expressions  we  heard  before  we  saw  him. 

He  was  much  pleased  with  the  proof  of  confidence  we  had 
shown  in  bringing  our  children,  and  promised  to  take  us  to  see  his 
country,  so  that  we  might  choose  a part  in  which  to  locate  our- 
selves. Our  plan  was,  that  I should  remain  in  the  pursuit  of  my 
objects  as  a missionary,  while  Mr.  Oswell  explored  the  Zambesi  to 
the  east.  Poor  Sebituane,  however,  just  after  realizing  what  he 
had  so  long  ardently  desired,  fell  sick- of  inflammation  of  the  lungs, 
which  originated  in  and  extended  from  an  old  wound  got  at  Meli- 
ta.  I saw  his  danger,  but,  being  a stranger,  I feared  to  treat  him 
medically,  lest,  in  the  event  of  his  death,  I should  be  blamed  by 
his  people.  I mentioned  this  to  one  of  his  doctors,  who  said, 
“ Your  fear  is  prudent  and  wise ; this  people  would  blame  you.” 
He  had  been  cured  of  this  complaint,  during  the  year  before,  by 
the  Barotse  making  a large  number  of  free  incisions  in  the  chest. 
The  Makololo  doctors,  on  the  other  hand,  now  scarcely  cut  the 
skin.  On  the  Sunday  afternoon  in  which  he  died,  when  our  usual 
religious  service  was  over,  I visited  him  with  my  little  boy  Robert. 
“ Come  near,”  said  Sebituane,  “ and  see  if  I am  any  longer  a man. 
I am  done.”  He  was  thus  sensible  of  the  dangerous  nature  of 
his  disease,  so  I ventured  to  assent,  and  added  a single  sentence 
regarding  hope  after  death.  “Why  do  you  speak  of  death?”  said 


104 


DEATH  OF  SEBITUANE. 


one  of  a relay  of  fresh  doctors  ; “ Sebituane  will  never  die.”  If 
I had  persisted,  the  impression  would  have  been  produced  that  by 
speaking  about  it  I wished  him  to  die.  After  sitting  with  him 
some  time,  and  commending  him  to  the  mercy  of  God,  I rose  to 
depart,  when  the  dying  chieftain,  raising  himself  up  a little  from 
his  prone  position,  called  a servant,  and  said,  “ Take  Robert  to 
Maunku  (one  of  his  wives),  and  tell  her  to  give  him  some  milk.” 
These  were  the  last  words  of  Sebituane. 

We  were  not  informed  of  his  death  until  the  next  day.  The 
burial  of  a Bechuana  chief  takes  place  in  his  cattle-pen,  and  all 
the  cattle  are  driven  for  an  hour  or  two  around  and  over  the  grave, 
so  that  it  may  be  quite  obliterated.  We  went  and  spoke  to  the 
people,  advising  them  to  keep  together  and  support  the  heir. 
They  took  this  kindly  ; and  in  turn  told  us  not  to  be  alarmed,  for 
they  would  not  think  of  ascribing  the  death  of  their  chief  to  us ; 
that  Sebituane  had  just  gone  the  way  of  his  fathers  ; and  though 
the  father  had  gone,  he  had  left  children,  and  they  hoped  that  we 
would  be  as  friendly  to  his  children  as  we  intended  to  have  been 
to  himself. 

He  was  decidedly  the  best  specimen  of  a native  chief  I ever 
met.  I never  felt  so  much  grieved  by  the  loss  of  a black  man  be- 
fore ; and  it  was  impossible  not  to  follow  him  in  thought  into  the 
world  of  which  he  had  just  heard  before  he  was  called  away,  and 
to  realize  somewhat  of  the  feelings  of  those  who  pray  for  the  dead. 
The  deep,  dark  question  of  what  is  to  become  of  such  as  he,  must, 
however,  be  left  where  we  find  it,  believing  that,  assuredly,  the 
“Judge  of  all  the  earth  will  do  right.” 

At  Sebituane’s  death  the  chieftainship  devolved,  as  her  father 
intended,  on  a daughter  named  Ma-mochisane.  He  had  promised 
to  show  us  his  country  and  to  select  a suitable  locality  for  our 
residence.  We  had  now  to  look  to  the  daughter,  who  was  living 
twelve  days  to  the  north,  at  Naliele.  We  were  obliged,  therefore, 
to  remain  until  a message  came  from  her ; and  when  it  did,  she 
gave  us  perfect  liberty  to  visit  any  part  of  the  country  we  chose. 
Mr.  Oswell  and  I then  proceeded  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  to 
the  northeast,  to  Sesheke ; and  in  the  end  of  June,  1851,  we  were 
rewarded  by  the  discovery  of  the  Zambesi,  in  the  centre  of  the 
continent.  This  was  a most  important  point,  for  that  river  was 
not  previously  known  to  exist  there  at  all.  The  Portuguese  maps 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  ZAMBESI. 


105 


all  represent  it  as  rising  far  to  the  east  of  where  we  now  were ; and 
if  ever  any  thing  like  a chain  of  trading  stations  had  existed  across 
the  country  between  the  latitudes  12°  and  18°  south,  this  mag- 
nificent portion  of  the  river  must  have  been  known  before.  We 
saw  it  at  the  end  of  the  dry  season,  at  the  time  when  the  river  is 
about  at  its  lowest,  and  yet  there  was  a breadth  of  from  three 
hundred  to  six  hundred  yards  of  deep  flowing  water.  Mr.  Oswell 
said  he  had  never  seen  such  a fine  river,  even  in  India.  At  the 
period  of  its  annual  inundation  it  rises  fully  twenty  feet  in  per- 
pendicular height,  and  floods  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  of  lands  ad- 
jacent to  its  banks. 

The  country  over  which  we  had  traveled  from  the  Chobe  was 
perfectly  flat,  except  where  there  were  large  ant-hills,  or  the 
remains  of  former  ones,  which  had  left  mounds  a few  feet  high. 
These  are  generally  covered  with  wild  date-trees  and  palmyras, 
and  in  some  parts  there  are  forests  of  mimosa:  and  mopane.  Oc- 
casionally the  country  between  the  Chobe  and  Zambesi  is  flooded, 
and  there  are  large  patches  of  swamps  lying  near  the  Chobe  or  on 
its  banks.  The  Makololo  were  living  among  these  swamps  for 
the  sake  of  the  protection  the  deep  reedy  rivers  afforded  them 
against  their  enemies. 

Now,  in  reference  to  a suitable  locality  for  a settlement  for 
myself,  I could  not  conscientiously  ask  them  to  abandon  their 
defenses  for  my  convenience  alone.  The  healthy  districts  were 
defenseless,  and  the  safe  localities  were  so  deleterious  to  human 
life,  that  the  original  Basutos  had  nearly  all  been  cut  off  by  the 
fever ; I therefore  feared  to  subject  my  family  to  the  scourge. 

As  we  were  the  very  first  white  men  the  inhabitants  had  ever 
seen,  we  were  visited  by  prodigious  numbers.  Among  the  first 
who  came  to  see  us  was  a gentleman  who  appeared  in  a gaudy 
dressing-gown  of  printed  calico.  Many  of  the  Makololo,  besides, 
had  garments  of  blue,  green,  and  red  baize,  and  also  of  printed 
cottons  ; on  inquiry,  we  learned  that  these  had  been  purchased,  in 
exchange  for  boys,  from  a tribe  called  Mambari,  which  is  situated 
near  Bihe.  This  tribe  began  the  slave-trade  with  Sebituane  only 
in  1850,  and  but  for  the  unwillingness  of  Lechulatebe  to  allow 
us  to  pass,  we  should  have  been  with  Sebituane  in  time  to  have 
prevented  it  from  commencing  at  all.  The  Mambari  visited  in 
ancient  times  the  chief  of  the  Barotse,  whom  Sebituane  con- 


106 


THE  SLAVE-TRADE. 


quered,  and  lie  refused  to  allow  any  one  to  sell  a cliild.  They 
never  came  back  again  till  1850 ; and  as  they  had  a number 
of  old  Portuguese  guns  marked  “ Legitimo  de  Braga,”  which 
Sebituane  thought  would  be  excellent  in  any  future  invasion  of 
Matebele,  he  offered  to  purchase  them  with  cattle  or  ivory,  but 
the  Mambari  refused  every  thing  except  boys  about  fourteen  years 
of  age.  The  Makololo  declare  they  never  heard  of  people  being 
bought  and  sold  till  then,  and  disliked  it,  but  the  desire  to  possess 
the  guns  prevailed,  and  eight  old  guns  were  exchanged  for  as 
many  boys  ; these  were  not  their  own  children,  but  captives  of  the 
black  races  they  had  conquered.  I have  never  known  in  Africa 
an  instance  of  a parent  selling  his  own  offspring.  The  Makololo 
were  afterward  incited  to  make  a foray  against  some  tribes  to  the 
eastward  ; the  Mambari  bargaining  to  use  their  guns  in  the  attack 
for  the  captives  they  might  take,  and  the  Makololo  were  to  have 
all  the  cattle.  They  went  off  with  at  least  two  hundred  slaves 
that  year.  During  this  foray  the  Makololo  met  some  Arabs  from 
Zanzibar,  who  presented  them  with  three  English  muskets,  and 
in  return  received  about  thirty  of  their  captives. 

In  talking  with  my  companions  over  these  matters,  the  idea 
was  suggested  that,  if  the  slave-market  were  supplied  with  arti- 
cles of  European  manufacture  by  legitimate  commerce,  the  trade 
in  slaves  would  become  impossible.  It  seemed  more  feasible  to 
give  the  goods,  for  which  the  people  now  part  with  their  servants, 
in  exchange  for  ivory  and  other  products  of  the  country,  and 
thus  prevent  the  trade  at  the  beginning,  than  to  try  to  put  a stop 
to  it  at  any  of  the  subsequent  steps.  This  could  only  be  effected 
by  establishing  a highway  from  the  coast  into  the  centre  of  the 
country. 

As  there  was  no  hope  of  the  Boers  allowing  the  peaceable  in- 
struction of  the  natives  at  Kolobeng,  I at  once  resolved  to  save 
my  family  from  exposure  to  this  unhealthy  region  by  sending 
them  to  England,  and  to  return  alone,  with  a view  to  exploring 
the  country  in  search  of  a healthy  district  that  might  prove  a 
centre  of  civilization,  and  open  up  the  interior  by  a path  to  either 
the  east  or  west  coast.  This  resolution  led  me  down  to  the  Cape 
in  April,  1852,  being  the  first  time  during  eleven  years  that  Iliad 
visited  the  scenes  of  civilization.  Our  route  to  Cape  Town  led 
us  to  pass  through  the  centre  of  the  colony  during  the  twentieth 


RETURN  TO  THE  CAPE. 


107 


month  of  a Caffre  "war ; and  if  those  who  periodically  pay  enor- 
mous sums  for  these  inglorious  affairs  wish  to  know  how  our  lit- 
tle unprotected  party  could  quietly  travel  through  the  heart  of 
the  colony  to  the  capital  with  as  little  sense  or  sign  of  danger  as 
if  we  had  been  in  England,  they  must  engage  a “ Times  Special 
Correspondent”  for  the  next  outbreak  to  explain  where  the  money 
goes,  and  who  have  been  benefited  by  the  blood  and  treasure  ex- 
pended. 

Having  placed  my  family  on  board  a homeward-bound  ship,  and 
promised  to  rejoin  them  in  two  years,  we  parted,  for,  as  it  subse- 
quently proved,  nearly  five  years.  The  Directors  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society  signified  their  cordial  approval  of  my  project 
by  leaving  the  matter  entirely  to  my  own  discretion ; and  I have 
much  pleasure  in  acknowledging  my  obligations  to  the  gentlemen 
composing  that  body  for  always  acting  in  an  enlightened  spirit, 
and  with  as  much  liberality  as  their  constitution  would  allow. 

I have  the  like  pleasure  in  confessing  my  thankfulness  to  the 
Astronomer  Royal  at  the  Cape,  Thomas  Maclear,  Esq.,  for  ena- 
bling me  to  recall  the  little  astronomical  knowledge  which  constant 
manual  labor  and  the  engrossing  nature  of  missionary  duties  had 
effaced  from  my  memory,  and  in  adding  much  that  I did  not  know 
before.  The  promise  he  made  on  parting,  that  he  would  examine 
and  correct  all  my  observations,  had  more  effect  in  making  me 
persevere  in  overcoming  the  difficulties  of  an  unassisted  solitary 
observer  than  any  thing  else ; so  whatever  credit  may  be  attached 
to  the  geographical  positions  laid  down  in  my  route  must  be  at- 
tributed to  the  voluntary  aid  of  the  excellent  and  laborious  astron- 
omer of  the  Cape  observatory. 

Having  given  the  reader  as  rapid  a sketch  as  possible  of  events 
which  attracted  notice  between  1840  and  1852, 1 now  proceed  to 
narrate  the  incidents  of  the  last  and  longest  journey  of  all,  per- 
formed in  1852-6. 


108 


THE  LAST  AND  LONGEST  JOURNEY. 


CHAPTER  Y. 

Start  in  June,  1852,  on  the  last  and  longest  Journey  from  Cape  Town. — Compan- 
ions.— Wagon-traveling. — Physical  Divisions  of  Africa. — The  Eastern,  Central, 
and  Western  Zones. — The  Kalahari  Desert. — Its  Vegetation. — Increasing  Value 
of  the  Interior  for  Colonization. — Our  Route. — Dutch  Boers. — Their  Habits. — 
Sterile  Appearance  of  the  District.  — Failure  of  Grass.  — Succeeded  by  other 
Plants. — Vines. — Animals. — The  Boers  as  Farmers. — Migration  of  Springbucks. 
— Wariness  of  Animals. — The  Orange  River. — Territory  of  the  Griquas  and 
Bechuanas. — The  Griquas. — The  Chief  Waterboer. — His  wise  and  energetic 
Government. — His  Fidelity. — Ill-considered  Measures  of  the  Colonial  Govern- 
ment in  regard  to  Supplies  of  Gunpowder. — Success  of  the  Missionaries  among 
the  Griquas  and  Bechuanas. — Manifest  Improvement  of  the  native  Character. — 
Dress  of  the  Natives. — A full-dress  Costume. — A Native’s  Description  of  the  Na- 
tives.— Articles  of  Commerce  in  the  Country  of  the  Bechuanas. — Their  Unwil- 
lingness to  learn,  and  Readiness  to  criticise. 

Having  sent  my  family  home  to  England,  I started  in  the  be- 
ginning of  June,  1852,  on  my  last  journey  from  Cape  Town.  This 
journey  extended  from  the  southern  extremity  of  the  continent  to 
St.  Paul  de  Loando,  the  capital  of  Angola,  on  the  west  coast,  and 
thence  across  South  Central  Africa  in  an  oblique  direction  to 
Kilimane  (Quilimane)  in  Eastern  Africa.  I proceeded  in  the  usu- 
al conveyance  of  the  country,  the  heavy,  lumbering  Cape  wagon 
drawn  by  ten  oxen,  and  was  accompanied  by  two  Christian  Bechu- 
anas from  Kuruman — than  whom  I never  saw  better  servants  any 
where — by  two  Bakwain'men,  and  two  young  girls,  who,  having 
come  as  nurses  with  our  children  to  the  Cape,  were  returning  to 
their  home  at  Kolobeng.  Wagon-traveling  in  Africa  has  been  so 
often  described  that  I need  say  no  more  than  that  it  is  a prolong- 
ed system  of  picnicking,  excellent  for  the  health,  and  agreeable  to 
those  who  are  not  over-fastidious  about  trifles,  and  who  delight  in 
being  in  the  open  air. 

Our  route  to  the  north  lay  near  the  centre  of  the  cone-shaped 
mass  of  land  which  constitutes  the  promontory  of  the  Cape.  If 
we  suppose  this  cone  to  be  divided  into  three  zones  or  longitudinal 
bands,  we  find  each  presenting  distinct  peculiarities  of  climate, 


NATURAL  DIVISIONS  OF  AFRICA. 


109 


physical  appearance  and  population.  These  are  more  marked 
beyond  than  within  the  colony.  At  some  points  one  district 
seems  to  be  continued  in  and  to  merge  into  the  other,  but  the 
general  dissimilarity  warrants  the  division,  as  an  aid  to  memory. 
The  eastern  zone  is  often  furnished  with  mountains,  well  wooded 
with  evergreen  succulent  trees,  on  which  neither  fire  nor  droughts 
can  have  the  smallest  effect  (Strditzia,  Zamia  horrida,  Portula- 
caria  af  ra , Scholia  speciosa , Euphorbias,  and  Aloes  arborescens) ; 
and  its  seaboard  gorges  are  clad  with  gigantic  timber.  It  is  also 
comparatively  well  watered  with  streams  and  flowing  rivers.  The 
annual  supply  of  rain  is  considerable,  and  the  inhabitants  (CafFres 
or  Zulus)  are  tall,  muscular,  and  well  made ; they  are  shrewd,  en- 
ergetic, and  brave  ; altogether  they  merit  the  character  given  them 
by  military  authorities,  of  being  “magnificent  savages.”  Their 
splendid  physical  development  and  form  of  skull  show  that,  but 
for  the  black  skin  and  woolly  hair,  they  would  take  rank  among 
the  foremost  Europeans. 

The  next  division,  that  which  embraces  the  centre  of  the  con- 
tinent, can  scarcely  be  called  hilly,  for  what  hills  there  are  are 
very  low.  It  consists  for  the  most  part  of  extensive,  slightly  un- 
dulating plains.  There  are  no  lofty  mountains,  but  few  springs, 
and  still  fewer  flowing  streams.  Rain  is  far  from  abundant,  and 
droughts  may  be  expected  every  few  years.  Without  artificial 
irrigation  no  European  grain  can  be  raised,  and  the  inhabitants 
(Bechuanas),  though  evidently  of  the  same  stock,  originally,  with 
those  already  mentioned,  and  closely  resembling  them  in  being  an 
agricultural  as  well  as  a pastoral  people,  are  a comparatively  timid 
race,  and  inferior  to  the  CafFres  in  physical  development. 

The  western  division  is  still  more  level  than  the  middle  one, 
being  rugged  only  near  the  coast.  It  includes  the  great  plain 
called  the  Kalahari  Desert,  which  is  remarkable  for  little  water 
and  very  considerable  vegetation. 

The  reason,  probably,  why  so  little  rain  falls  on  this  extensive 
plain  is  that  the  prevailing  winds  of  most  of  the  interior  country 
are  easterly,  with  a little  southing.  The  moisture  taken  up 
by  the  atmosphere  from  the  Indian  Ocean  is  deposited  on  the 
eastern  hilly  slope ; and  when  the  moving  mass  of  air  reaches  its 
greatest  elevation,  it  is  then  on  the  verge  of  the  great  valley,  or, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  Kalahari,  the  great  heated  inland  plains ; 


110 


ABSENCE  OF  RAIN.— VEGETATION. 


there,  meeting  with  the  rarefied  air  of  that  hot,  dry  surface,  the 
ascending  heat  gives  it  greater  capacity  for  retaining  all  its  re- 
maining humidity,  and  few  showers  can  be  given  to  the  middle 
and  western  lands  in  consequence  of  the  increased  hygrometric 
power. 

This  is  the  same  phenomenon,  on  a gigantic  scale,  as  that 
which  takes  place  on  Table  Mountain,  at  the  Cape,  in  what  is 
called  the  spreading  of  the  “table-cloth.”  The  southeast  wind 
causes  a mass  of  air,  equal  to  the  diameter  of  the  mountain,  sud- 
denly to  ascend  at  least  three  thousand  feet ; the  dilatation  pro- 
duced by  altitude,  with  its  attendant  cold,  causes  the  immediate 
formation  of  a cloud  on  the  summit ; the  water  in  the  atmosphere 
becomes  visible  ; successive  masses  of  gliding-up  and  passing-over 
air  cause  the  continual  formation  of  clouds,  but  the  top  of  the 
vapory  mass,  or  “table-cloth,”  is  level,  and  seemingly  motion- 
less ; on  the  lee  side,  however,  the  thick  volumes  of  vapor  curl 
over  and  descend,  but  when  they  reach  the  point  below,  where 
greater  density  and  higher  temperature  impart  enlarged  capacity 
for  carrying  water,  they  entirely  disappear. 

Now  if,  instead  of  a hollow  on  the  lee  side  of  Table  Mountain, 
we  had  an  elevated  heated  plain,  the  clouds  which  curl  over  that 
side,  and  disappear  as  they  do  at  present  when  a “'southeaster” 
is  blowing,  might  deposit  some  moisture  on  the  windward  ascent 
and  top ; but  the  heat  would  then  impart  the  increased  capacity 
the  air  now  receives  at  the  lower  level  in  its  descent  to  leeward, 
and,  instead  of  an  extended  country  with  a flora  of  the  Disa 
grandiflora,  gladiolus , rushes , and  lichens , which  now  appear  on 
Table  Mountain,  Ave  should  have  only  the  hardy  vegetation  of 
the  Kalahari. 

Why  there  should  be  so  much  vegetation  on  the  Kalahari  may 
be 'explained  by  the  geological  formation  of  the  country.  There 
is  a rim  or  fringe  of  ancient  rocks  round  a great  central  valley, 
which,  dipping  inward,  form  a basin,  the  bottom  of  which  is 
composed  of  the  oldest  silurian  rocks.  This  basin  has  been 
burst  through  and  filled  up  in  many  parts  by  eruptive  traps 
and  breccias,  which  often  bear  in  their  substances  angular  frag- 
ments of  the  more  ancient  rocks,  as  shown  in  the  fossils  they 
contain.  Noav,  though  large  areas  have  been  so  dislocated  that 
but  little  trace  of  the  original  valley  formation  appears,  it  is 


COLONIZATION  OF  INTERIOR  DISTRICTS. 


Ill 


highly  probable  that  the  basin  shape  prevails  over  large  tracts  of 
the  country  ; and  as  the  strata  on  the  slopes,  where  most  of  the  rain 
falls,  dip  in  toward  the  centre,  they  probably  guide  water  beneath 
the  plains  but  ill  supplied  with  moisture  from  the  clouds.  The 
phenomenon  of  stagnant  fountains  becoming  by  a new  and  deeper 
outlet  never-failing  streams  may  be  confirmatory  of  the  view  that 
water  is  conveyed  from  the  sides  of  the  country  into  the  bottom 
of  the  central  valley  ; and  it  is  not  beyond  the  bounds  of  possibil- 
ity that  the  wonderful  river  system  in  the  north,  which,  if  native 
information  be  correct,  causes  a considerable  increase  of  water  in 
the  springs  called  Matlomagan-yana  (the  Links),  extends  its  fer- 
tilizing influence  beneath  the  plains  of  the  Kalahari. 

The  peculiar  formation  of  the  country  may  explain  why  there 
is  such  a difference  in  the  vegetation  between  the  20th  and  30th 
parallels  of  latitude  in  South  Africa  and  the  same  latitudes  in  Cen- 
tral Australia.  The  want  of  vegetation  is  as  true  of  some  parts 
too  in  the  centre  of  South  America  as  of  Australia  ; and  the  cause 
of  the  difference  holds  out  a probability  for  the  success  of  artesian 
wells  in  extensive  tracts  of  Africa  now  unpeopled  solely  on  ac- 
count of  the  want  of  surface  water.  We  may  be  allowed  to  spec- 
ulate a little  at  least  on  the  fact  of  much  greater  vegetation,  which, 
from  whatever  source  it  comes,  presents  for  South  Africa  prospects 
of  future  greatness  which  -we  can  not  hope  for  in  Central  Australia. 
As  the  interior  districts  of  the  Cape  Colony  are  daily  becoming  of 
higher  value,  offering  to  honest  industry  a fair  remuneration  for 
capital,  and  having  a climate  unequaled  in  salubrity  for  consump- 
tive patients,  I should  unhesitatingly  recommend  any  farmer  at 
all  afraid  of  that  complaint  in  his  family  to  try  this  colony.  With 
the  means  of  education  already  possessed,  and  the  onward  and  up- 
ward movement  of  the  Cape  population,  he  need  entertain  no  ap- 
prehensions of  his  family  sinking  into  barbarism. 

• The  route  we  at  this  time  followed  ran  along  the  middle,  or 
skirted  the  western  zone  before  alluded  to,  until  we  reached  the 
latitude  of  Lake  Ngami,  where  a totally  different  country  begins. 
While  in  the  colony,  we  passed  through  districts  inhabited  by  the 
descendants  of  Dutch  and  French  refugees  who  had  fled  from  re- 
ligious persecution.  Those  living  near  the  capital  differ  but  little 
from  the  middle  classes  in  English  counties,  and  are  distinguished 
by  public  spirit  and  general  intelligence ; while  those  situated  far 


112 


DUTCH  AND  FRENCH  BOERS. 


from  the  centres  of  civilization  are  less  informed,  but  are  a body 
of  frugal,  industrious,  and  hospitable  peasantry.  A most  efficient 
system  of  public  instruction  was  established  in  the  time  of  Gov- 
ernor Sir  George  Napier,  on  a plan  drawn  up  in  a great  measure 
by  that  accomplished  philosopher,  Sir  John  Herschel.  The  sys- 
tem had  to  contend  with  less  sectarian  rancor  than  elsewhere ; 
indeed,  until  quite  recently,  that  spirit,  except  in  a mild  form,  was 
unknown. 

The  population  here  described  ought  not  to  be  confounded  with 
some  Boers  who  fled  from  British  rule  on  account  of  the  emanci- 
pation of  their  Hottentot  slaves,  and  perhaps  never  would  have 
been  so  had  not  every  now  and  then  some  Rip  Van  Winkle 
started  forth  at  the  Cape  to  justify  in  the  public  prints  the  deeds 
of  blood  and  slave-hunting  in  the  far  interior.  It  is  therefore  not 
to  be  wondered  at  if  the  whole  race  is  confounded  and  held  in  low 
estimation  by  those  who  do  not  know  the  real  composition  of  the 
Cape  community. 

Population  among  the  Boers  increases  rapidly;  they  marry  soon, 
are  seldom  sterile,  and  continue  to  have  children  late.  I once  met 
a worthy  matron  whose  husband  thought  it  right  to  imitate  the 
conduct  of  Abraham  while  Sarah  was  barren;  she  evidently  agreed 
in  the  propriety  of  the  measure,  for  she  was  pleased  to  hear  the 
children  by  a mother  of  what  has  been  thought  an  inferior  race 
address  her  as  their  mother.  Orphans  are  never  allowed  to  re- 
main long  destitute ; and  instances  are  frequent  in  which  a tender- 
hearted farmer  has  adopted  a fatherless  child,  and  when  it  came 
of  age  portioned  it  as  his  own. 

Two  centuries  of  the  South  African  climate  have  not  had  much 
effect  upon  the  physical  condition  of  the  Boers.  They  are  a 
shade  darker,  or  rather  ruddier,  than  Europeans,  and  are  never 
cadaverous-looking,  as  descendants  of  Europeans  are  said  to  be 
elsewhere.  There  is  a tendency  to  the  development  of  steatopy- 
ga,  so  characteristic  of  Arabs  and  other  African  tribes ; and  it  is 
probable  that  the  interior  Boers  in  another  century  will  become  in 
color  what  the  learned  imagine  our  progenitors,  Adam  and  Eve,  to 
have  been. 

The  parts  of  the  colony  through  which  we  passed  were  of 
sterile  aspect ; and,  as  the  present  winter  had  been  preceded  by  a 
severe  drought,  many  farmers  had  lost  two  thirds  of  their  stock. 


FAILURE  OF  GRASS.— NEW  PLANTS. 


113 


The  landscape  was  uninviting ; the  hills,  destitute  of  trees,  were 
of  a dark  brown  color,  and  the  scanty  vegetation  on  the  plains 
made  me  feel  that  they  deserved  the  name  of  Desert  more  than 
the  Kalahari.  When  first  taken  possession  of,  these  parts  are 
said  to  have  been  covered  with  a coating  of  grass,  but  that  has 
disappeared  with  the  antelopes  which  fed  upon  it,  and  a crop  of 
mesembryanthemums  and  crassulas  occupies  its  place.  It  is  cu- 
rious to  observe  how,  in  nature,  organizations  the  most  dissimilar 
are  mutually  dependent  on  each  other  for  their  perpetuation.  Here 
the  original  grasses  were  dependent  for  dissemination  on  the 
grass-feeding  animals,  which  scattered  the  seeds.  When,  by  the 
death  of  the  antelopes,  no  fresh  sowing  was  made,  the  African 
droughts  proved  too  much  for  this  form  of  vegetation.  But  even 
this  contingency  was  foreseen  by  the  Omniscient  One ; for,  as  we 
may  now  observe  in  the  Kalahari  Desert,  another  family  of  plants, 
the  mesembryanthemums,  stood  ready  to  neutralize  the  aridity 
which  must  otherwise  have  followed.  This  family  of  plants  pos- 
sesses seed-vessels  which  remain  firmly  shut  on  their  contents 
while  the  soil  is  hot  and  dry,  and  thus  preserve  the  vegetative 
power  intact  during  the  highest  heat  of  the  torrid  sun  ; but  when 
rain  falls,  the  seed-vessel  opens  and  sheds  its  contents  just  when 
there  is  the  greatest  probability  of  their  vegetating.  In  other 
plants  heat  and  drought  cause  the  seed-vessels  to  burst  and  shed 
their  charge. 

One  of  this  family  is  edible  (. Mesembryanthemum  edule ) ; an- 
other possesses  a tuberous  root,  which  may  be  eaten  raw  ; and  all 
are  furnished  with  thick,  fleshy  leaves,  having  pores  capable  of 
imbibing  and  retaining  moisture  from  a very  dry  atmosphere  and 
soil,  so  that,  if  a leaf  is  broken  during  a period  of  the  greatest 
drought,  it  shows  abundant  circulating  sap.  The  plants  of  this 
family  are  found  much  farther  north,  but  the  great  abundance 
of  the  grasses  prevents  them  from  making  any  show.  There, 
however,  they  stand  ready  to  fill  up  any  gap  which  may  occur  in 
the  present  prevailing  vegetation ; and  should  the  grasses  disap- 
pear, animal  life  would  not  necessarily  be  destroyed,  because  a re- 
serve supply,  equivalent  to  a fresh  act  of  creative  power,  has  been 
provided. 

One  of  this  family,  If.  turbiniforme,  is  so  colored  as  to  blend 
in  well  with  the  hue  of  the  soil  and  stones  around  it ; and  a 

H 


114 


DESERT  VEGETATION. 


gryllus  of  the  same  color  feeds  on  it.  In  the  case  of  the  insect, 
the  peculiar  color  is  given  as  compensation  for  the  deficiency  of 
the  powers  of  motion  to  enable  it  to  elude  the  notice  of  birds.  The 
continuation  of  the  species  is  here  the  end  in  view.  In  the  case  of 
the  plant  the  same  device  is  adopted  for  a sort  of  double  end,  viz., 
perpetuation  of  the  plant  by  hiding  it  from  animals,  with  the  view 
that  ultimately  its  extensive  appearance  will  sustain  that  race. 

As  this  new  vegetation  is  better  adapted  for  sheep  and  goats  in 
a dry  country  than  grass,  the  Boers  supplant  the  latter  by  imi- 
tating the  process  by  which  graminivorous  antelopes  have  so 
abundantly  disseminated  the  seed  of  grasses.  A few  wagon- 
loads of  mesembryantliemum  plants,  in  seed,  are  brought  to  a 
farm  covered  with  a scanty  crop  of  coarse  grass,  and  placed  on  a 
spot  to  which  the  sheep  have  access  in  the  evenings.  As  they 
eat  a little  every  night,  the  seeds  are  dropped  over  the  grazing 
grounds  in  this  simple  way,  with  a regularity  which  could  not  be 
matched  except  at  the  cost  of  an  immense  amount  of  labor. 
The  place  becomes  in  the  course  of  a few  years  a sheep-farm,  as 
these  animals  thrive  on  such  herbage.  As  already  mentioned, 
some  plants  of  this  family  are  furnished  with  an  additional  con- 
trivance for  withstanding  droughts,  viz.,  oblong  tubers,  which, 
buried  deep  enough  beneath  the  soil  for  complete  protection  from 
the  scorching  sun,  serve  as  reservoirs  of  sap  and  nutriment  dur- 
ing those  rainless  periods  which  recur  perpetually  in  even  the 
most  favored  spots  of  Africa.  I have  adverted  to  this  peculiarity 
as  often  seen  in  the  vegetation  of  the  Desert ; and,  though  rather 
out  of  place,  it  may  be  well — while  noticing  a clever  imitation  of 
one  process  in  nature  by  the  Cape  farmers — to  suggest  another 
for  their  consideration.  The  country  beyond  south  lat.  18° 
abounds  in  three  varieties  of  grape-bearing  vines,  and  one  of 
these  is  furnished  with  oblong  tubers  every  three  or  four  inches 
along  the  horizontal  root.  They  resemble  closely  those  of  the 
asparagus.  This  increase  of  power  to  withstand  the  effects  of 
climate  might  prove  of  value  in  the  more  arid  parts  of  the  Cape 
colony,  grapes  being  well  known  to  be  an  excellent  restorative  in 
the  debility  produced  by  heat:  by  ingrafting,  or  by  some  of 
those  curious  manipulations  which  we  read  of  in  books  on  garden- 
ing, a variety  might  be  secured  better  adapted  to  the  country 
than  the  foreign  vines  at  present  cultivated.  The  Americans 


ANIMALS  OF  THE  DESERT. 


115 


find  that  some  of  their  native  vines  yield  wines  superior  to  those 
made  from  the  very  best  imported  vines  from  France  and  Por- 
tugal. What  a boon  a vine  of  the  sort  contemplated  would  have 
been  to  a Rhenish  missionary  I met  at  a part  in  the  west  of  the 
colony  called  Ebenezer,  whose  children  had  never  seen  flowers, 
though  old  enough  to  talk  about  them ! 

The  slow  pace  at  which  we  wound  our  way  through  the  colony 
made  almost  any  subject  interesting.  The  attention  is  attracted 
to  the  names  of  different  places,  because  they  indicate  the  former 
existence  of  buffaloes,  elands,  and  elephants,  which  are  now  to  be 
found  only  hundreds  of  miles  beyond.  A few  blesbucks  ( Antilope 
jpygarga),  gnus,  bluebucks  ( A . cerulea ),  steinbucks,  and  the  ostrich 
(Strnthio  camelus),  continue,  like  the  Bushmen,  to  maintain  a pre- 
carious existence  when  all  the  rest  are  gone.  The  elephant,  the 
most  sagacious,  flees  the  sound  of  fire-arms  first ; the  gnu  and  os- 
trich, the  most  wary  and  the  most  stupid,  last.  The  first  emigrants 
found  the  Hottentots  in  possession  of  prodigious  herds  of  fine 
cattle,  but  no  horses,  asses,  or  camels.  The  original  cattle,  which 
may  still  be  seen  in  some  parts'  of  the  frontier,  must  have  been 
brought  south  from  the  north-northeast,  for  from  this  point  the 
natives  universally  ascribe  their  original  migration.  They  brought 
cattle,  sheep,  goats,  and  dogs ; why  not  the  horse,  the  delight  of 
savage  hordes  ? Horses  thrive  well  in  the  Cape  Colony  when  im- 
ported. Naturalists  point  out  certain  mountain  ranges  as  limiting 
the  habitat  of  certain  classes  of  animals ; but  there  is  no  Cordillera 
in  Africa  to  answer  that  purpose,  there  being  no  visible  barrier 
between  the  northeastern  Arabs  and  the  Hottentot  tribes  to  pre- 
vent the  different  hordes,  as  they  felt  their  way  southward,  from 
indulging  their  taste  for  the  possession  of  this  noble  animal. 

I am  here  led  to  notice  an  invisible  barrier,  more  insurmount- 
able than  mountain  ranges,  but  which  is  not  opposed  to  the 
southern  progress  of  cattle,  goats,  and  sheep.  The  tsetse  would 
prove  a barrier  only  until  its  well-defined  habitat  was  known,  but  the 
disease  passing  under  the  term  of  horse-sickness  ( 'peripneumonia ) 
exists  in  such  virulence  over  nearly  seven  degrees  of  latitude  that 
no  precaution  would  be  sufficient  to  save  these  animals.  The 
horse  is  so  liable  to  this  disease,  that  only  by  great  care  in  stabling 
can  he  be  kept  any  where  between  20°  and  27°  S.  during  the  time 
between  December  and  April.  The  winter,  beginning  in  the  lat- 


116 


HORSE-SICKNESS. 


ter  month,  is  the  only  period  in  which  Englishmen  can  hunt  on 
horseback,  and  they  are  in  danger  of  losing  all  their  studs  some 
months  before  December.  To  this  disease  the  horse  is  especially 
exposed,  and  it  is  almost  always  fatal.  One  attack,  however, 
seems  to  secure  immunity  from  a second.  Cattle,  too,  are  subject 
to  it,  but  only  at  intervals  of  a few,  sometimes  many  years ; but 
it  never  makes  a clean  sweep  of  the  whole  cattle  of  a village,  as 
it  would  do  of  a troop  of  fifty  horses.  This  barrier,  then,  seems  to 
explain  the  absence  of  the  horse  among  the  Hottentots,  though  it  is 
not  opposed  to  the  southern  migration  of  cattle,  sheep,  and  goats. 

When  the  flesh  of  animals  that  have  died  of  this  disease  is 
eaten,  it  causes  a malignant  carbuncle,  which,  when  it  appears 
over  any  important  organ,  proves  rapidly  fatal.  It  is  more 
especially  dangerous  over  the  pit  of  the  stomach.  The  effects  of 
the  poison  have  been  experienced  by  missionaries  who  had  eaten 
properly  cooked  food,  the  flesh  of  sheep  really  but  not  visibly 
affected  by  the  disease.  The  virus  in  the  flesh  of  the  animal  is 
destroyed  neither  by  boiling  nor  roasting.  This  fact,  of  which 
we  have  had  innumerable  examples,  shows  the  superiority  of  ex- 
periments on  a large  scale  to  those  of  acute  and  able  physiologists 
and  chemists  in  the  laboratory,  for  a well  known  physician  of 
Paris,  after  careful  investigation,  considered  that  the  virus  in  such 
cases  was  completely  neutralized  by  boiling. 

This  disease  attacks  wild  animals  too.  During  our  residence 
at  Chonuan  great  numbers  of  tolos,  or  koodoos,  were  attracted 
to  the  gardens  of  the  Bakwains,  abandoned  at  the  usual  period 
of  harvest  because  there  was  no  prospect  of  the  corn  ( JIolcus 
sorghum ) bearing  that  year.  The  koodoo  is  remarkably  fond  of 
the  green  stalks  of  this  kind  of  millet.  Free  feeding  produced 
that  state  of  fatness  favorable  for  the  development  of  this  disease, 
and  no  fewer  than  twenty-five  died  on  the  hill  opposite  our  house. 
Great  numbers  of  gnus  and  zebras  perished  from  the  same  cause, 
but  the  mortality  produced  no  sensible  diminution  in  the  numbers 
of  the  game,  any  more  than  the  deaths  of  many  of  the  Bakwains 
who  persisted,  in  spite  of  every  remonstrance,  in  eating  the  dead 
meat,  caused  any  sensible  decrease  in  the  strength  of  the  tribe. 

The  farms  of  the  Boers  consist  generally  of  a small  patch  of 
cultivated  land  in  the  midst  of  some  miles  of  pasturage.  They 
are  thus  less  an  agricultural  than  a pastoral  people.  Each  farm 


THE  BOERS  AS  FARMERS. 


117 


must  have  its  fountain ; and  where  no  such  supply  of  water  ex- 
ists, the  government  lands  are  unsalable.  An  acre  in  England  is 
thus  generally  more  valuable  than  a square  mile  in  Africa.  But 
the  country  is  prosperous,  and  capable  of  great  improvement.  The 
industry  of  the  Boers  augurs  well  for  the  future  formation  of  dams 
and  tanks,  and  for  the  greater  fruitfulness  that  would  certainly 
follow. 

As  cattle  and  sheep  farmers  the  colonists  are  very  successful. 
Larger  and  larger  quantities  of  wool  are  produced  annually,  and 
the  value  of  colonial  farms  increases  year  by  year.  But  the  sys- 
tem requires  that  with  the  increase  of  the  population  there  should 
be  an  extension  of  territory.  Wide  as  the  country  is,  and  thinly 
inhabited,  the  farmers  feel  it  to  be  too  limited,  and  they  are  gradu- 
ally spreading  to  the  north.  This  movement  proves  prejudicial 
to  the  country  behind,  for  labor,  which  would  be  directed  to  the 
improvement  of  the  colony,  is  withdrawn  and  expended  in  a mode 
of  life  little  adapted  to  the  exercise  of  industrial  habits.  That, 
however,  does  not  much  concern  the  rest  of  mankind.  Nor  does 
it  seem  much  of  an  evil  for  men  who  cultivate  the  soil  to  claim  a 
right  to  appropriate  lands  for  tillage  which  other  men  only  hunt 
over,  provided  some  compensation  for  the  loss  of  sustenance  be 
awarded.  The  original  idea  of  a title  seems  to  have  been  that 
“subduing”  or  cultivating  gave  that  right.  But  this  rather 
Chartist  principle  must  be  received  with  limitations,  for  its  recog- 
nition in  England  would  lead  to  the  seizure  of  all  our  broad  an- 
cestral acres  by  those  who  are  willing  to  cultivate  them.  And,  in 
the  case  under  consideration,  the  encroachments  lead  at  once  to 
less  land  being  put  under  the  plow  than  is  subjected  to  the  native 
hoe,  for  it  is  a fact  that  the  Basutos  and  Zulus,  or  Cadres  of  Na- 
tal, cultivate  largely,  and  undersell  our  farmers  wherever  they  have 
a fair  field  and  no  favor. 

Before  we  came  to  the  Orange  River  we  saw  the  last  portion  of 
a migration  of  springbucks  ( Gazella  euchore,  or  tsepe).  They 
come  from  the  great  Kalahari  Desert,  and,  when  first  seen  after 
crossing  the  colonial  boundary,  are  said  often  to  exceed  forty  thou- 
sand in  number.  I can  not  give  an  estimate  of  their  numbers, 
for  they  appear  spread  over  a vast  expanse  of  country,  and  make 
a quivering  motion  as  they  feed,  and  move,  and  toss  their  graceful 
horns.  They  feed  chiefly  on  grass ; and  as  they  come  from  the 


118 


MIGRATION  OR  SPRINGBUCKS. 


north  about  the  time  when  the  grass  most  abounds,  it  can  not  be 
want  of  food  that  prompts  the  movement.  Nor  is  it  want  of 
water,  for  this  antelope  is  one  of  the  most  abstemious  in  that  re- 
spect. Their  nature  prompts  them  to  seek  as  their  favorite  haunts 
level  plains  with  short  grass,  where  they  may  be  able  to  watch  the 
approach  of  an  enemy.  The  Bakalahari  take  advantage  of  this 
feeling,  and  burn  off  large  patches  of  grass,  not  only  to  attract  the 
game  by  the  new  crop  when  it  comes  up,  but  also  to  form  bare 
spots  for  the  springbuck  to  range  over. 

It  is  not  the  springbuck  alone  that  manifests  this  feeling. 
When  oxen  are  taken  into  a country  of  high  grass,  they  are  much 
more  ready  to  be  startled ; their  sense  of  danger  is  increased  by 
the  increased  power  of  concealment  afforded  to  an  enemy  by  such 
cover,  and  they  will  often  start  off  in  terror  at  the  ill-defined  out- 
lines of  each  other.  The  springbuck,  possessing  this  feeling  in 
an  intense  degree,  and  being  eminently  gregarious,  becomes  un- 
easy as  the  grass  of  the  Kalahari  becomes  tall.  The  vegetation 
being  more  sparse  in  the  more  arid  south,  naturally  induces  the 
different  herds  to  turn  in  that  direction.  As  they  advance  and 
increase  in  numbers,  the  pasturage  becomes  more  scarce ; it  is 
still  more  so  the  further  they  go,  until  they  are  at  last  obliged,  in 
order  to  obtain  the  means  of  subsistence,  to  cross  the  Orange  River, 
and  become  the  pest  of  the  sheep-farmer  in  a country  which  con- 
tains scarcely  any  of  their  favorite  grassy  food.  If  they  light  on 
a field  of  wheat  in  their  way,  an  army  of  locusts  could  not  make 
a cleaner  sweep  of  the  whole  than  they  will  do.  It  is  question- 
able whether  they  ever  return,  as  they  have  never  been  seen  as  a 
returning  body.  Many  perish  from  want  of  food,  the  country  to 
which  they  have  migrated  being  unable  to  support  them ; the  rest 
become  scattered  over  the  colony;  and  in  such  a wide  country 
there  is  no  lack  of  room  for  all.  It  is  probable  that,  notwithstand- 
ing the  continued  destruction  by  fire-arms,  they  will  continue  long 
to  hold  their  place. 

On  crossing  the  Orange  River  we  come  into  independent  terri- 
tory inhabited  by  Griquas  and  Bechuanas.  By  Griquas  is  meant 
any  mixed  race  sprung  from  natives  and  Europeans.  Those 
in  question  were  of  Dutch  extraction,  through  association  with 
Hottentot  and  Bushwomen.  Half-castes  of  the  first  generation 
consider  themselves  superior  to  those  of  the  second,  and  all  possess 


THE  GRIQUA  CHIEF  WATERBOER. 


119 


in  some  degree  the  characteristics  of  both  parents.  They  were 
governed  for  many  years  by  an  elected  chief,  named  Waterboer, 
who,  by  treaty,  received  a small  sum  per  annum  from  the  colo- 
nial government  for  the  support  of  schools  in  his  country,  and 
proved  a most  efficient  guard  of  our  northwest  boundary.  Cat- 
tle-stealing was  totally  unknown  during  the  whole  period  of  this 
able  chief’s  reign ; and  he  actually  drove  back,  single-handed,  a 
formidable  force  of  marauding  Mantatees  that  threatened  to  in- 
vade the  colony.*  But  for  that  brave  Christian  man,  Waterboer, 
there  is  every  human'  probability  that  the  northwest  would  have 
given  the  colonists  as  much  trouble  as  the  eastern  frontier;  for 
large  numbers  among  the  original  Griquas  had  as  little  scruple 
about  robbing  farmers  of  cattle  as  the  Caffres  are  reputed  to  have. 
On  the  election  of  Waterboer  to  the  chieftainship,  he  distinctly 
declared  that  no  marauding  should  he  allowed.  As  the  govern- 
ment of  none  of  these  tribes  is  despotic,  some  of  his  principal  men, 
in  spite  of  this  declaration,  plundered  some  villages  of  Corannas 
living  to  the  south  of  the  Orange  River.  He  immediately  seized 
six  of  the  ringleaders,  and,  though  the  step  put  his  own  position 
in  jeopardy,  he  summoned  his  council,  tried,  condemned,  and  pub- 
licly executed  the  whole  six.  This  produced  an  insurrection,  and 
the  insurgents  twice  attacked  his  capital,  Griqua  Town,  with  the 
intention  of  deposing  him  ; but  he  bravely  defeated  both  attempts, 
and  from  that  day  forth,  during  his  long  reign  of  thirty  years, 
not  a single  plundering  expedition  ever  left  his  territory.  Hav- 
ing witnessed  the  deleterious  effects  of  the  introduction  of  ardent 
spirits  among  his  people,  he,  with  characteristic  energy,  decreed 
that  any  Boer  or  Griqua  bringing  brandy  into  the  country  should 
have  his  property  in  ardent  spirits  confiscated  and  poured  out 
on  the  ground.  The  Griqua  chiefs  living  farther  east  were  una- 
ble to  carry  this  law  into  effect  as  he  did,  hence  the  greater  facil- 
ity with  which  Boers  in  that  direction  got  the  Griquas  to  part 
with  their  farms. 

Ten  years  after  he  was  firmly  established  in  power  he  enter- 
ed into  a treaty  with  the  colonial  government,  and  during  the 
twenty  years  which  followed  not  a single  charge  was  ever  brought 
against  either  him  or  his  people ; on  the  contrary,  his  faithful  ad- 
herence to  the  stipulated  provisions  elicited  numerous  expressions 
* For  an  account  of  this,  see  Moffat’s  “ Scenes  and  Labors  in  South  Africa.” 


120 


MEASURES  OF  COLONIAL  GOVERNMENT. 


of  approbation  from  successive  governments.  A late  governor, 
however,  of  whom  it  is  impossible  to  speak  without  respect,  in  a 
paroxysm  of  generalship  which  might  have  been  good,  had  it  not 
been  totally  inappropriate  to  the  case,  set  about  conciliating  a 
band  of  rebellious  British  subjects  (Boers),  who  murdered  the 
Honorable  Captain  Murray,  by  proclaiming  their  independence 
while  still  in  open  rebellion,  and  not  only  abrogated  the  treaty 
with  the  Griquas,  but  engaged  to  stop  the  long-accustomed  sup- 
plies of  gunpowder  for  the  defense  of  the  frontier,  and  even  to 
prevent  them  from  purchasing  it  for  their  own  defense  by  lawful 
trade. 

If  it  had  been  necessary  to  prevent  supplies  of  ammunition 
from  finding  their  way  into  the  country,  as  it  probably  was,  one 
might  imagine  that  the  exception  should  not  have  been  made  in 
favor  of  either  Boers  or  Cafires,  our  openly-avowed  enemies  ; but, 
nevertheless,  the  exception  was  made,  and  is  still  continued  in 
favor  of  the  Boers,  while  the  Beehuanas  and  Griquas,  our  con- 
stant friends,  are  debarred  from  obtaining  a single  ounce  for  ei- 
ther defense  or  trade ; indeed,  such  was  the  state  of  ignorance  as 
to  the  relation  of  the  border  tribes  with  the  English,  even  at 
Cape  Town,  that  the  magistrates,  though  willing  to  aid  my  re- 
searches, were  sorely  afraid  to  allow  me  to  purchase  more  than  ten 
pounds  of  gunpowder,  lest  the  Beehuanas  should  take  it  from  me 
by  force.  As  it  turned  out,  I actually  left  more  than  that  quan- 
tity for  upward  of  two  years  in  an  open  box  in  my  wagon  at 
Linyanti. 

The  lamented  Sir  George  Cathcart,  apparently  unconscious  of 
what  he  was  doing,  entered  into  a treaty  with  the  Transvaal  Boers, 
in  which  articles  were  introduced  for  the  free  passage  of  English 
traders  to  the  north,  and  for  the  entire  prohibition  of  slavery  in 
the  free  state.  Then  passed  the  “ gunpowder  ordinance,”  by 
which  the  Beehuanas,  whom  alone  the  Boers  dare  attempt  to 
enslave,  were  rendered  quite  defenseless.  The  Boers  never  at- 
tempt to  fight  with  Cafires,  nor  to  settle  in  Caffreland.  We  still 
continue  to  observe  the  treaty.  The  Boers  never  did,  and  nev- 
er intended  to  abide  by  its  provisions ; for,  immediately  on  the 
proclamation  of  their  independence,  a slave-hunt  was  undertaken 
against  the  Beehuanas  of  Sechele  by  four  hundred  Boers,  under 
ilr.  Peit  Scholz,  and  the  plan  was  adopted  which  had  been  clier- 


SUCCESS  OF  MISSIONARIES. 


121 


ished  in  their  hearts  ever  since  the  emancipation  of  the  Hottentots. 
Thus,  from  unfortunate  ignorance  of  the  country  he  had  to  govern, 
an  able  and  sagacious  governor  adopted  a policy  proper  and  wise 
had  it  been  in  front  of  our  enemies,  but  altogether  inappropriate 
for  our  friends  against  whom  it  has  been  applied.  Such  an  error 
could  not  have  been  committed  by  a man  of  local  knowledge 
and  experience,  such  as  that  noble  of  colonial  birth,  Sir  Andries 
Stockenstrom  ; and  such  instances  of  confounding  friend  and  foe, 
in  the  innocent  belief  of  thereby  promoting  colonial  interests,  will 
probably  lead  the  Cape  community,  the  chief  part  of  which  by  no 
means  feels  its  interest  to  lie  in  the  degradation  of  the  native 
tribes,  to  assert  the  right  of  choosing  their  own  governors.  This, 
with  colonial  representation  in  the  Imperial  Parliament,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  local  self-government  already  so  liberally  conceded, 
would  undoubtedly  secure  the  perpetual  union  of  the  colony  to 
the  English  crown. 

Many  hundreds  of  both  Griquas  and  Bechuanas  have  become 
Christians  and  partially  civilized  through  the  teaching  of  English 
missionaries.  My  first  impressions  of  the  progress  made  were 
that  the  accounts  of  the  effects  of  the  Gospel  among  them  had 
been  too  highly  colored.  I expected  a higher  degree  of  Christian 
simplicity  and  purity  than  exists  either  among  them  or  among 
ourselves.  I was  not  anxious  for  a deeper  insight  in  detecting 
shams  than  others,  but  I expected  character,  such  as  we  imagine 
the  primitive  disciples  had — and  was  disappointed.*  When,  how- 
ever, I passed  on  to  the  true  heathen  in  the  countries  beyond  the 
sphere  of  missionary  influence,  and  could  compare  the  people 

* The  popular  notion,  however,  of  the  primitive  Church  is  perhaps  not  very  ac- 
curate. Those  societies  especially  which  consisted  of  converted  Gentiles — men 
who  had  been  accustomed  to  the  vices  and  immoralities  of  heathenism — were  cer- 
tainly any  thing  but  pure.  In  spite  of  their  conversion,  some  of  them  carried  the 
stains  and  vestiges  of  their  former  state  with  them  when  they  passed  from  the  tem- 
ple to  the  church.  If  the  instructed  and  civilized  Greek  did  not  all  at  once  rise 
out  of  his  former  self,  and  understand  and  realize  the  high  ideal  of  his  new  faith, 
we  should  be  careful,  in  judging  of  the  work  of  missionaries  among  savage  tribes, 
not  to  apply  to  their  converts  tests  and  standards  of  too  great  severity.  If  the  scoff- 
ing Lucian’s  account  of  the  impostor  Peregrinus  may  be  believed,  we  find  a church 
probably  planted  by  the  apostles  manifesting  less  intelligence  even  than  modem 
missionary  churches.  Peregrinus,  a notoriously  wicked  man,  was  elected  to  the 
chief  place  among  them,  while  Romish  priests,  backed  by  the  power  of  France,  could 
not  find  a place  at  all  in  the  mission  churches  of  Tahiti  and  Madagascar. 


122 


DRESS  OF  THE  NATIVES. 


there  with  the  Christian  natives,  I came  to  the  conclusion  that,  if 
the  question  were  examined  in  the  most  rigidly  severe  or  scientific 
way,  the  change  effected  by  the  missionary  movement  would  be 
considered  unquestionably  great. 

We  can  not  fairly  compare  these  poor  people  with  ourselves, 
who  have  an  atmosphere  of  Christianity  and  enlightened  public 
opinion,  the  growth  of  centuries,  around  us,  to  influence  our  de- 
portment ; but  let  any  one  from  the  natural  and  proper  point  of 
view  behold  the  public  morality  of  Griqua  Town,  Kuruman, 
Likatlong,  and  other  villages,  and  remember  what  even  London 
was  a century  ago,  and  he  must  confess  that  the  Christian  mode 
of  treating  aborigines  is  incomparably  the  best. 

The  Griquas  and  Bechuanas  were  in  former  times  clad  much 
like  the  Caftres,  if  such  a word  may  be  used  where  there  is 
scarcely  any  clothing  at  all.  A bunch  of  leather  strings  about 
eighteen  inches  long  hung  from  the  lady’s  waist  in  front,  and  a 
prepared  skin  of  a sheep  or  antelope  covered  the  shoulders, 
leaving  the  breast  and  abdomen  bare : the  men  wore  a patch 
of  skin,  about  the  size  of  the  crown  of  one’s  hat,  which  barely 
served  for  the  purposes  of  decency,  and  a mantle  exactly  like 
that  of  the  women.  To  assist  in  protecting  the  pores  of  the  skin 
from  the  influence  of  the  sun  by  day  and  of  the  cold  by  night, 
all  smeared  themselves  with  a mixture  of  fat  and  ochre ; the 
head  was  anointed  with  pounded  blue  mica  schist  mixed  with  fat ; 
and  the  fine  particles  of  shining  mica,  falling  on  the  body  and  on 
strings  of  beads  and  brass  rings,  were  considered  as  highly  orna- 
mental, and  fit  for  the  most  fastidious  dandy.  Now  these  same 
people  come  to  church  in  decent  though  poor  clothing,  and  behave 
with  a decorum  certainly  superior  to  what  seems  to  have  been 
the  case  in  the  time  of  Mr.  Samuel  Pepys  in  London.  Sunday 
is  well  observed,  and,  even  in  localities  where  no  missionary  lives, 
religious  meetings  are  regularly  held,  and  children  and  adults 
taught  to  read  by  the  more  advanced  of  their  own  fellow-country- 
men ; and  no  one  is  allowed  to  make  a profession  of  faith  by  bap- 
tism unless  he  knows  how  to  read,  and  understands  the  nature  of 
the  Christian  religion. 

The  Becliuana  Mission  has  been  so  far  successful  that,  when 
coming  from  the  interior,  we  always  felt,  on  reaching  Kuruman, 
that  we  had  returned  to  civilized  life.  But  I would  not  give  any 


ARTICLES  OF  COMMERCE. 


123 


one  to  understand  by  this  that  they  are  model  Christians — we  can 
not  claim  to  be  model  Christians  ourselves — or  even  in  any  degree 
superior  to  the  members  of  our  country  churches.  They  are  more 
stingy  and  greedy  than  the  poor  at  home ; but  in  many  respects 
the  two  are  exactly  alike.  On  asking  an  intelligent  chief  what 
he  thought  of  them,  he  replied,  “You  white  men  have  no  idea  of 
how  wicked  we  are  ; we  know  each  other  better  than  you  ; some 
feign  belief  to  ingratiate  themselves  with  the  missionaries  ; some 
profess  Christianity  because  they  like  the  new  system,  which  gives 
so  much  more  importance  to  the  poor,  and  desire  that  the  old  sys- 
tem may  pass  away ; and  the  rest — a pretty  large  number — pro- 
fess because  they  are  really  true  believers.”  This  testimony  may 
be  considered  as  very  nearly  correct. 

There  is  not  much  prospect  of  this  country  ever  producing 
much  of  the  materials  of  commerce  except  wool.  At  present  the 
chief  articles  of  trade  are  karosses  or  mantles — the  skins  of  which 
they  are  composed  come  from  the  Desert ; next  to  them,  ivory,  the 
quantity  of  which  can  not  now  be  great,  inasmuch  as  the  means 
of  shooting  elephants  is  sedulously  debarred  entrance  into  the 
country.  A few  skins  and  horns,  and  some  cattle,  make  up  the 
remainder  of  the  exports.  English  goods,  sugar,  tea,  and  coffee 
are  the  articles  received  in  exchange.  All  the  natives  of  these 
parts  soon  become  remarkably  fond  of  coffee.  The  acme  of  re- 
spectability among  the  Bechuanas  is  the  possession  of  cattle  and  a 
wagon.  It  is  remarkable  that,  though  these  latter  require  frequent 
repairs,  none  of  the  Bechuanas  have  ever  learned  to  mend  them. 
Forges  and  tools  have  been  at  their  service,  and  teachers  willing 
to  aid  them,  but,  beyond  putting  together  a camp-stool,  no  effort 
has  ever  been  made  to  acquire  a knowledge  of  the  trades.  They 
observe  most  carefully  a missionary  at  work  until  they  under- 
stand whether  a tire  is  well  welded  or  not,  and  then  pronounce 
upon  its  merits  with  great  emphasis,  but  there  their  ambition  rests 
satisfied.  It  is  the  same  peculiarity  among  ourselves  which  leads 
us  in  other  matters,  such  as  book-making,  to  attain  the  excellence 
of  fault-finding  without  the  wit  to  indite  a page.  It  was  in  vain 
I tried  to  indoctrinate  the  Bechuanas  with  the  idea  that  criticism 
did  not  imply  any  superiority  over  the  workman,  or  even  equality 
with  him. 


124 


KURUMAN : ITS  FOUNTAIN. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Kuruman. — Its  fine  Fountain. — Vegetation  of  the  District. — Remains  of  ancient 
Forests. — Vegetable  Poison. — The  Bible  translated  by  Mr.  Moffat. — Capabilities 
of  the  Language. — Christianity  among  the  Natives. — The  Missionaries  should 
extend  their  Labors  more  beyond  the  Cape  Colony. — Model  Christians. — Dis- 
graceful Attack  of  the  Boers  on  the  Bakwains. — Letter  from  Sechele. — Details 
of  the  Attack. — Numbers  of  School-children  carried  away  into  Slavery. — De- 
struction of  House  and  Property  at  Ivolobeng. — The  Boers  vow  Vengeance  against 
me. — Consequent  Difficulty  of  getting  Servants  to  accompany  me  on  my  Jour- 
ney.— Start  in  November,  1852. — Meet  Sechele  on  his  way  to  England  to  obtain 
Redress  from  the  Queen. — He  is  unable  to  proceed  beyond  the  Cape. — Meet 
Mr.  Macabe  on  his  Return  from  Lake  Ngami.- — The  hot  Wind  of  the  Desert. — 
Electric  State  of  the  Atmosphere.  — Flock  of  Swifts. — Reach  Litubaruba. — 
The  Cave  Lepelole. — Superstitions  regarding  it. — Impoverished  State  of  the 
Bakwains. — Retaliation  on  the  Boers. — Slavery. — Attachment  of  the  Bechu- 
anas  to  Children.  — Hydrophobia  unknown. — Diseases  of  the  Bakwains  few 
in  number.  — Yearly  Epidemics.  — Hasty  Burials.  — Ophthalmia.  — Native 
Doctors.  — Knowledge  of  Surgery  at  a very  low  Ebb.  — Little  Attendance 
given  to  Women  at  their  Confinements. — The  “Child  Medicine.” — Salu- 
brity of  the  Climate  well  adapted  for  Invalids  suffering  from  pulmonary  Com- 
plaints. 

The  permanence  of  the  station  called  Kuruman  depends  entire- 
ly on  the  fine  ever-flowing  fountain  of  that  name.  It  comes  from 
beneath  the  trap-rock,  of  which  I shall  have  to  speak  when  de- 
scribing the  geology  of  the  entire  country ; and  as  it  usually  is- 
sues at  a temperature  of  72°  Fahr.,  it  probably  comes  from  the  old 
Silurian  schists,  which  formed  the  bottom  of  the  great  primeval 
valley  of  the  continent.  I could  not  detect  any  diminution  in  the 
flow  of  this  gushing  fountain  during  my  residence  in  the  country ; 
but  when  Mr.  Moffat  first  attempted  a settlement  here,  thirty-five 
years  ago,  he  made  a dam  six  or  seven  miles  below  the  present 
one,  and  led  out  the  stream  for  irrigation,  where  not  a drop  of  the 
fountain-water  ever  now  flows.  Other  parts,  fourteen  miles  below 
the  Kuruman  gardens,  are  pointed  out  as  having  contained,  within 
the  memory  of  people  now  living,  hippopotami,  and  pools  sufficient 
to  drown  both  men  and  cattle.  This  failure  of  water  must  be 
chiefly  ascribed  to  the  general  desiccation  of  the  country,  but 


ATTEMPTS  TO  OBTAIN  WATER. 


125 


partly  also  to  the  amount  of  irrigation  earned  on  along  both  banks 
of  the  stream  at  the  mission  station.  This  latter  circumstance 
would  have  more  weight  were  it  not  coincident  with  the  failure 
of  fountains  over  a wide  extent  of  country. 

Without  at  present  entering  minutely  into  this  feature  of  the 
climate,  it  may  be  remarked  that  the  Kuruman  district  presents 
evidence  of  this  dry  southern  region  having,  at  no  very  distant 
date,  been  as  well  watered  as  the  country  north  of  Lake  Ngami  is 
now.  Ancient  river-beds  and  water-courses  abound,  and  the  very 
eyes  of  fountains  long  since  dried  up  may  be  seen,  in  which  the 
flow  of  centuries  has  worn  these  orifices  from  a slit  to  an  oval  form, 
having  on  their  sides  the  tufa  so  abundantly  deposited  from  these 
primitive  waters ; and  just  where  the  splashings,  made  when  the 
stream  fell  on  the  rock  below,  may  be  supposed  to  have  reached 
and  evaporated,  the  same  phenomenon  appears.  Many  of  these 
failing  fountains  no  longer  flow,  because  the  brink  over  which 
they  ran  is  now  too  high,  or  because  the  elevation  of  the  western 
side  of  the  country  lifts  the  land  away  from  the  water  supply  be- 
low ; but  let  a cutting  be  made  from  a lower  level  than  the  brink, 
and  through  it  to  a part  below  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  water 
flows  perennially.  Several  of  these  ancient  fountains  have  been 
resuscitated  by  the  Bechuanas  near  Kuruman,  who  occasionally 
show  their  feelings  of  self-esteem  by  laboring  for  months  at  deep 
cuttings,  which,  having  once  begun,  they  feel  bound  in  honor  to 
persevere  in,  though  told  by  a missionary  that  they  can  never  force 
water  to  run  up  hill. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  the  industry  of  many  Boers  in  this 
region  in  making  long  and  deep  canals  from  lower  levels  up  to 
spots  destitute  of  the  slightest  indication  of  water  existing  beneath 
except  a few  rashes  and  a peculiar  kind  of  coarse,  reddish-colored 
grass  growing  in  a hollow,  which  anciently  must  have  been  the 
eye  of  a fountain,  but  is  now  filled  up  with  soft  tufa.  In  other 
instances,  the  indication  of  water  below  consists  of  the  rashes 
growing  on  a long,  sandy  ridge  a foot  or  two  in  height  instead  of 
in  a furrow.  A deep  transverse  cutting  made  through  the  higher 
part  of  this  is  rewarded  by  a stream  of  running  water.  The  reason 
why  the  ground  covering  this  water  is  higher  than  the  rest  of  the 
locality  is  that  the  winds  carry  quantities  of  fine  dust  and  sand 
about  the  country,  and  hedges,  bushes,  and  trees  cause  its  deposit. 


126 


VEGETATION. 


The  rushes  in  this  case  perform  the  part  of  the  hedges,  and  the 
moisture  rising  as  dew  by  night  fixes  the  sand  securely  among  the 
roots,  and  a height,  instead  of  a hollow,  is  the  result.  While  on 
this  subject  it  may  be  added  that  there  is  no  perennial  fountain 
in  this  part  of  the  country  except  those  that  come  from  beneath 
the  quartzose  trap,  which  constitutes  the  “filling  up”  of  tfie  ancient 
valley ; and  as  the  water  supply  seems  to  rest  on  the  old  silurian 
schists  which  form  its  bottom,  it  is  highly  probable  that  Artesian 
wells  would  in  several  places  perform  the  part  which  these  deep 
cuttings  now  do. 

The  aspect  of  this  part  of  the  country  during  most  of  the  year 
is  of  a light  yellow  color ; for  some  months  during  the  rainy 
season  it  is  of  a pleasant  green  mixed  with  yellow.  Ranges  of 
hills  appear  in  the  west,  but  east  of  them  we  find  hundreds  of 
miles  of  grass-covered  plains.  Large  patches  of  these  flats  are 
covered  with  -white  calcareous  tufa  resting  on  perfectly  horizontal 
strata  of  trap.  There  the  vegetation  consists  of  fine  grass  grow- 
ing in  tufts  among  low  bushes  of  the  “ wait-a-bit”  thorn  (Acacia 
detmens),  with  its  annoying  fish-hook-like  spines.  Where  these 
rocks  do  not  appear  on  the  surface,  the  soil  consists  of  yellow  sand 
and  tall,  coarse  grasses,  growing  among  berry-yielding  bushes, 
named  moretloa  ( Grewia  flava)  and  mohatla  ( Tarchonanthus ), 
which  has  enough  of  aromatic  resinous  matter  to  burn  brightly, 
though  perfectly  green.  In  more  sheltered  spots  we  come  on 
clumps  of  the  white-thorned  mimosa  ( Acacia  horrida,  also  A. 
atomiphylla :),  and  great  abundance  of  wild  sage  (Salvia  Africa- 
na ),  and  various  leguminosse,  ixias,  and  large-flowering  bulbs  : the 
Amaryllis  toxicaria  and  A.  Brunsvigia  multiflora  (the  former  a 
poisonous  bulb)  yield  in  the  decayed  lamellae  a soft,  silky  down, 
a good  material  for  stuffing  mattresses. 

In  some  few  parts  of  the  country  the  remains  of  ancient  forests 
of  wild  olive-trees  (Olea  similis)  and  of  the  camel-thorn  (Acacia 
giraffe)  are  still  to  be  met  with ; but  when  these  are  leveled  in 
the  proximity  of  a Bechuana  village,  no  young  trees  spring  up  to 
take  their  places.  This  is  not  because  the  wood  has  a growth  so 
slow  as  not  to  be  appreciable  in  its  increase  during  the  short  period 
that  it  can  be  observed  by  man,  which  might  be  supposed  from 
its  being  so  excessively  hard ; for  having  measured  a young  tree 
of  this  species  growing  in  the  corner  of  Mr.  Moffat’s  garden  near 


( VEGETABLE  POISON.  127 

the  water,  I found  that  it  increased  at  the  rate  of  a quarter  of  an 
inch  in  diameter  annually  during  a number  of  years.  Moreover, 
the  larger  specimens,  which  now  find  few  or  no  successors,  if  they 
had  more  rain  in  their  youth,  can  not  be  above  two  or  three  hund- 
red years  old. 

It  is  probable  that  this  is  the  tree  of  which  the  Ark  of  the  Cov- 
enant and  the  Tabernacle  were  constructed,  as  it  is  reported  to  be 
found  where  the  Israelites  were  at  the  time  these  were  made.  It 
is  an  imperishable  wood,  while  that  usually  pointed  out  as  the 
“shittim”  (or  Acacia  nilotica ) soon  decays  and  wants  beauty. 

In  association  with  it  we  always  observe  a curious  plant,  named 
ngotuane,  which  bears  such  a profusion  of  fine  yellow  strong- 
scented  flowers  as  quite  to  perfume  the  air.  This  plant  forms  a 
remarkable  exception  to  the  general  rule,  that  nearly  all  the  plants 
in  the  dry  parts  of  Africa  are  scentless,  or  emit  only  a disagree- 
able odor.  It,  moreover,  contains  an  active  poison ; a French 
gentleman,  having  imbibed  a mouthful  or  two  of  an  infusion  of  its 
flowers  as  tea,  found  himself  rendered  nearly  powerless.  Vinegar 
has  the  peculiar  property  of  rendering  this  poison  perfectly  inert, 
whether  in  or  out  of  the  body.  When  mixed  with  vinegar,  the 
poison  may  be  drunk  with  safety,  while,  if  only  tasted  by  itself,  it 
causes  a burning  sensation  in  the  throat.  This  gentleman  de- 
scribed the  action  of  the  vinegar,  when  he  was  nearly  deprived  of 
power  by  the  poison  imbibed,  to  have  been  as  if  electricity  had 
run  along  his  nerves  as  soon  as  he  had  taken  a single  glassful. 
The  cure  was  instantaneous  and  complete.  I had  always  to  re- 
gret want  of  opportunity  for  investigating  this  remarkable  and  yet 
controllable  agent  on  the  nervous  system.  Its  usual  proximity  to 
camel-thorn-trees  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  probability  that 
the  giraffe,  which  feeds  on  this  tree,  may  make  use  of  the  plant  as 
a medicine. 

During  the  period  of  my  visit  at  Kuruman,  Air.  Moffat,  who  has 
been  a missionary  in  Africa  during  upward  of  forty  .years,  and  is 
well  known  by  his  interesting  work,  “ Scenes  and  Labors  in 
South  Africa,”  was  busily  engaged  in  carrying  through  the  press, 
with  which  his  station  is  furnished,  the  Bible  in  the  language  of 
the  Bechuanas,  which  is  called  Sichuana.  This  has  been  a work 
of  immense  labor ; and  as  he  was  the  first  to  reduce  their  speech 
to  a written  form,  and  has  had  his  attention  directed  to  the  study 


128 


THE  BECHUANA  LANGUAGE. 


for  at  least  thirty  years,  lie  may  be  supposed  to  be  better  adapted 
for  the  task  than  any  man  living.  Some  idea  of  the  copiousness 
of  the  language  may  be  formed  from  the  fact  that  even  he  never 
spends  a week  at  his  work  without  discovering  new  words ; the 
phenomenon,  therefore,  of  any  man  who,  after  a few  months’  or 
years’  study  of  a native  tongue,  cackles  forth  a torrent  of  vocables, 
may  well  be  wondered  at,  if  it  is  meant  to  convey  instruction. 
In  my  own  case,  though  I have  had  as  much  intercourse  with  the 
purest  idiom  as  most  Englishmen,  and  have  studied  the  language 
carefully,  yet  I can  never  utter  an  important  statement  without 
doing  so  very  slowly,  and  repeating  it  too,  lest  the  foreign  accent, 
which  is  distinctly  perceptible  in  all  Europeans,  should  render 
the  sense  unintelligible.  In  this  I follow  the  example  of  the 
Bechuana  orators,  who,  on  important  matters,  always  speak  slow- 
ly, deliberately,  and  with  reiteration.  The  capabilities  of  this 
language  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  the  Pentateuch  is 
fully  expressed  in  Mr.  Moffat’s  translation  in  fewer  words  than 
in  the  Greek  Septuagint,  and  in  a very  considerably  smaller  num- 
ber than  in  our  own  English  version.  The  language  is,  however, 
so  simple  in  its  construction,  that  its  copiousness  by  no  means 
requires  the  explanation  that  the  people  have  fallen  from  a for- 
mer state  of  civilization  and  culture.  ■ Language  seems  to  be  an 
attribute  of  the  human  mind  and  thought ; and  the  inflections, 
various  as.  they  are  in  the  most  barbarous  tongues,  as  that  of  the 
Bushmen,  are  probably  only  proofs  of  the  race  being  human,  and 
endowed  with  the  power  of  thinking ; the  fuller  development  of 
language  taking  place  as  the  improvement  of  our  other  faculties 
goes  on.  It  is  fortunate  that  tire  translation  of  the  Bible  has  been 
effected  before  the  language  became  adulterated  with  half-uttered 
foreign  words,  and  while  those  who  have  heard  the  eloquence  of 
the  native  assemblies  are  still  living ; for  the  young,  who  are 
brought  up  in  our  schools,  know  less  of  the  language  than  the 
missionaries  ? and  Europeans  born  in  the  country,  while  possessed 
of  the  idiom  perfectly,  if  not  otherwise  educated,  can  not  be  re- 
ferred to  for  explanation  of  any  uncommon  word.  A person  who 
acted  as  interpreter  to  Sir  George  Cathcart  actually  told  his  ex- 
cellency that  the  language  of  the  Basutos  was  not  capable  of 
expressing  the  substance  of  a chief’s  diplomatic  paper,  while  every 
one  acquainted  with  Moshesh,  the  chief  who  sent  it,  well  knows 


TRANSLATION  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


129 


that  he  could  in  his  own  tongue  have  expressed  it  without  study 
all  over  again  in  three  or  four  different  ways.  The  interpreter 
could  scarcely  have  done  as  much  in  English. 

This  language  both  rich  and  poor  speak  correctly ; there  is  no 
vulgar  style ; but  children  have  a patois  of  their  own,  using  many 
words  in  their  play  which  men  would  scorn  to  repeat.  The  Bam- 
apela  have  adopted  a click  into  their  dialect,  and  a large  infusion 
of  the  ringing  n,  which  seems  to  have  been  for  the  purpose  of  pre- 
venting others  from  understanding  them. 

The  fact  of  the  complete  translation  of  the  Bible  at  a station 
seven  hundred  miles  inland  from  the  Cape  naturally  suggests  the 
question  whether  it  is  likely  to  be  permanently  useful,  and  wheth- 
er Christianity,  as  planted  by  modem  missions,  is  likely  to  retain 
its  vitality  without  constant  supplies  of  foreign  teaching  ? It 
would  certainly  be  no  cause  for  congratulation  if  the  Bechuana 
Bible  seemed  at  all  likely  to  meet  the  fate  of  Elliot’s  Choctaw 
version,  a specimen  of  which  may  be  seen  in  the  library  of  one 
of  the  American  colleges — as  God’s  word  in  a language  which  no 
living  tongue  can  articulate,  nor  living  mortal  understand  ; but  a 
better  destiny  seems  in  store  for  this,  for  the  Sichuana  language 
has  been  introduced  into  the  new  country  beyond  Lake  Ngami. 
There  it  is  the  court  language,  and  will  take  a stranger  any  where 
through  a district  larger  than  France.  The  Bechuanas,  moreover, 
in  all  probability  possess  that  imperishability  which  forms  so  re- 
markable a feature  in  the  entire  African  race. 

When  converts  are  made  from  heathenism  by  modern  mission- 
aries, it  becomes  an  interesting  question  whether  their  faith  pos- 
sesses the  elements  of  permanence,  or  is  only  an  exotic  too  tender 
for  self-propagation  when  the  fostering  care  of  the  foreign  cultiva- 
tors is  withdrawn.  If  neither  habits  of  self-reliance  are  cultivated, 
nor  opportunities  given  for  the  exercise  of  that  virtue,  the  most 
promising  converts  are  apt  to  become  like  spoiled  children.  In 
Madagascar,  a few  Christians  were  left  with  nothing  but  the  Bi- 
ble in  their  hands ; and  though  exposed  to  persecution,  and  even 
death  itself,  as  the  penalty  of  adherence  to  their  profession,  they 
increased  ten-fold  in  numbers,  and  are,  if  possible,  more  decided 
believers  now  than  they  were  when,  by  an  edict  of  the  queen  of 
that  island,  the  missionaries  ceased  their  teaching. 

In  South  Africa  such  an  experiment  could  not  be  made,  for 

I 


130 


TRUE  DUTY  OF  MISSIONARIES. 


such  a variety  of  Christian  sects  have  followed  the  footsteps  of 
the  London  Missionary  Society’s  successful  career,  that  converts 
of  one  denomination,  if  left  to  their  own  resources,  are  eagerly 
adopted  by  another,  and  are  thus  more  likely  to  become  spoiled 
than  trained  to  the  manly  Christian  virtues. 

Another  element  of  weakness  in  this  part  of  the  missionary 
field  is  the  fact  of  the  missionary  societies  considering  the  Cape 
Colony  itself  as  a proper  sphere  for  their  peculiar  operations.  In 
addition  to  a well-organized  and  efficient  Dutch  Deformed  Estab- 
lished Church,  and  schools  for  secular  instruction,  maintained  by 
government,  in  every  village  of  any  extent  in  the  colony,  we 
have  a number  of  other  sects,  as  the  Wesleyans,  Episcopalians, 
Moravians,  all  piously  laboring  at  the  same  good  work.  Now  it 
is  deeply  to  be  regretted  that  so  much  honest  zeal  should  be  so 
lavishly  expended  in  a district  wherein  there  is  so  little  scope  for 
success.  When  we  hear  an  agent  of  one  sect  urging  his  friends 
at  home  to  aid  him  quickly  to  occupy  some  unimportant  nook, 
because,  if  it  is  not  speedily  laid  hold  of,  he  will  “ not  have  room 
for  the  sole  of  his  foot,”  one  can  not  help  longing  that  both  he  and 
his  friends  would  direct  their  noble  aspirations  to  the  millions  of 
untaught  heathen  in  the  regions  beyond,  and  no  longer  continue 
to  convert  the  extremity  of  the  continent  into,  as  it  were,  a dam 
of  benevolence. 

I would  earnestly  recommend  all  young  missionaries  to  go  at 
once  to  the  real  heathen,  and  never  to  be  content  with  what  has 
been  made  ready  to  their  hands  by  men  of  greater  enterprise. 
The  idea  of  making  model  Christians  of  the  young  need  not  be 
entertained  by  any  one  who  is  secretly  convinced,  as  most  men 
who  know  their  own  hearts  are,  that  he  is  not  a model  Christian 
himself.  The  Israelitish  slaves  brought  out  of  Egypt  by  Moses 
were  not  converted  and  elevated  in  one  generation,  though  under 
the  direct  teaching  of  God  himself.  Notwithstanding  the  numbers 
of  miracles  he  wrought,  a generation  had  to  be  cut  off  because  of 
unbelief.  Our  own  elevation,  also,  has  been  the  work  of  centuries, 
and,  remembering  this,  we  should  not  indulge  in  overwrought  ex- 
pectations as  to  the  elevation  which  those  who  have  inherited  the 
degradation  of  ages  may  attain  in  our  day.  The  principle  might 
even  be  adopted  by  missionary  societies,  that  one  ordinary  mission- 
ary’s lifetime  of  teaching  should  be  considered  an  ample  supply  of 


MODERN  MISSIONS  AND  PRIMITIVE  MONASTERIES.  131 


foreign  teaching  for  any  tribe  in  a thinly-peopled  country,  for 
some  never  will  receive  the  Gospel  at  all,  while  in  other  parts, 
when  Christianity  is  once  planted,  the  work  is  sure  to  go  on.  A 
missionary  is  soon  known  to  be  supported  by  his  friends  at  home ; 
and  though  the  salary  is  but  a bare  subsistence,  to  Africans  it 
seems  an  enormous  sum  ; and,  being  unable  to  appreciate  the 
motives  by  which  he  is  actuated,  they  consider  themselves  enti- 
tled to  various  services  at  his  hands,  and  defrauded  if  these  are 
not  duly  rendered.  This  feeling  is  all  the  stronger  when  a young- 
man,  instead  of  going  boldly  to  the  real  heathen,  settles  down  in 
a comfortable  house  and  garden  prepared  by  those  into  whose  la- 
bors he  has  entered.  A remedy  for  this  evil  might  be  found  in 
appropriating  the  houses  and  gardens  raised  by  the  missionaries’ 
hands  to  their  own  families.  It  is  ridiculous  to  call  such  places 
as  Kuruman,  for  instance,  “Missionary  Society’s  property.”  This 
beautiful  station  was  made  what  it  is,  not  by  English  money,  but 
by  the  sweat  and  toil  of  fathers  whose  children  have,  notwith- 
standing, no  place  on  earth  which  they  can  call  a home.  The 
Society’s  operations  may  be  transferred  to  the  north,  and  then  the 
strong-built  mission  premises  become  the  home  of  a Boer,  and  the 
stately  stone  church  his  cattle-pen.  This  place  has  been  what 
the  monasteries  of  Europe  are  said  to  have  been  when  pure.  The 
monks  did  not  disdain  to  hold  the  plow.  They  introduced  fruit- 
trees,  flowers,  and  vegetables,  in  addition  to  teaching  and  emanci- 
pating the  serfs.  Their  monasteries  were  mission  stations,  which 
resembled  ours  in  being  dispensaries  for  the  sick,  almshouses  for 
the  poor,  and  nurseries  of  learning.  Can  wc  learn  nothing  from 
them  in  their  prosperity  as  the  schools  of  Europe,  and  see  naught 
in  their  history  but  the  pollution  and  laziness  of  their  decay? 
Can  our  wise  men  tell  us  why  the  former  mission  stations  (prim- 
itive monasteries)  were  self-supporting,  rich,  and  flourishing  as 
pioneers  of  civilization  and  agriculture,  from  which  w-e  even  now 
reap  benefits,  and  modern  mission  stations  are  mere  pauper  estab- 
lishments, without  that  permanence  or  ability  to  be  self-support- 
ing which  they  possessed  ? 

Protestant  missionaries  of  every  denomination  in  South  Africa 
all  agree  in  one  point,  that  no  mere  profession  of  Christianity  is 
sufficient  to  entitle  the  converts  to  the  Christian  name.  They 
are  all  anxious  to  place  the  Bible  in  the  hands  of  the  natives,  and, 


132 


ATTACK  OF  BOERS  ON  BAKWAINS. 


with  ability  to  read  that,  there  can  be  little  doubt  as  to  the  future. 
We  believe  Christianity  to  be  divine,  and  equal  to  all  it  has  to 
perform ; then  let  the  good  seed  be  widely  sown,  and,  no  matter 
to  what  sect  the  converts  may  belong,  the  harvest  will  be  glorious. 
Let  nothing  that  I have  said  be  interpreted  as  indicative  of  feel- 
ings inimical  to  any  body  of  Christians,  for  I never,  as  a mission- 
ary, felt  myself  to  be  either  Presbyterian,  Episcopalian,  or  Inde- 
pendent, or  called  upon  in  any  way  to  love  one  denomination  less 
than  another.  My  earnest  desire  is,  that  those  who  really  have 
the  best  interests  of  the  heathen  at  heart  should  go  to  them  ; and 
assuredly,  in  Africa  at  least,  self-denying  labors  among  real  hea- 
then will  not  fail  to  be  appreciated.  Christians  have  never  yet 
dealt  fairly  by  the  heathen  and  been  disappointed. 

When  Sechele  understood  that  we  could  no  longer  remain  with 
him  at  Kolobeng,  he  sent  his  children  to  Air.  Moffat,  at  Kuruman, 
for  instruction  in  all  the  knowledge  of  the  white  men.  Mr.  Mof- 
fat very  liberally  received  at  once  an  accession  of  five  to  his  fam- 
ily, with  their  attendants. 

Having  been  detained  at  Kuruman  about  a fortnight  by  the 
breaking  of  a wagon-wheel,  I was  thus  providentially  prevented 
from  being  present  at  the  attack  of  the  Boers  on  the  Bakwains, 
news  of  which  was  brought,  about  the  end  of  that  time,  by  Mase- 
bele,  the  wife  of  Sechele.  She  had  herself  been  hidden  in  a cleft 
of  a rock,  over  which  a number  of  Boers  were  firing.  Her  infant 
began  to  cry,  and,  terrified  lest  this  should  attract  the  attention  of 
the  men,  the  muzzles  of  whose  guns  appeared  at  every  discharge 
over  her  head,  she  took  off  her  armlets  as  playthings  to  quiet  the 
child.  She  brought  Mr.  Moffat  a letter,  which  tells  its  own  tale. 
Nearly  literally  translated  it  was  as  follows : 

“Friend  of  my  heart’s  lbve,  and  of  all  the  confidence  of  my 
heart,  I am  Sechele.  I am  undone  by  the  Boers,  who  attacked 
me,  though  I had  no  guilt  with  them.  They  demanded  that  I 
should  be  in  their  kingdom,  and  I refused.  They  demanded  that 
I should  prevent  the  English  and  Griquas  from  passing  (north- 
ward). I replied,  These  are  my  friends,  and  I can  prevent  no 
one  (of  them).  They  came  on  Saturday,  and  I besought  them 
not  to  fight  on  Sunday,  and  they  assented.  They  began  on 
Monday  morning  at  twilight,  and  fired  with  all  their  might,  and 


SECHELE’S  LETTER. 


133 


burned  the  town  with  fire,  and  scattered  us.  They  killed  sixty 
of  my  people,  and  captured  women,  and  children,  and  men.  And 
the  mother  of  Baleriling  (a  former  wife  of  Sechele)  they  also  took 
prisoner.  They  took  all  the  cattle  and  all  the  goods  of  the  Bak- 
wains  ; and  the  house  of  Livingstone  they  plundered,  taking  away 
all  his  goods.  The  number  of  wagons  they  had  was  eighty-five, 
and  a cannon ; and  after  they  had  stolen  my  own  wagon  and  that 
of  Macabe,  then  the  number  of  their  wagons  (counting  the  cannon 
as  one)  was  eighty-eight.  All  the  goods  of  the  hunters  (certain 
English  gentlemen  hunting  and  exploring  in  the  north)  were 
burned  in  the  town ; and  of  the  Boers  were  killed  twenty-eight. 
Yes,  my  beloved  friend,  now  my  wife  goes  to  see  the  children, 
and  Kobus  Hae  will  convey  her  to  you. 

“ I am,  Sechele, 

“ The  Son  of  Mochoasele/ 

This  statement  is  in  exact  accordance  with  the  account  given 
by  the  native  teacher  Mebalwe,  and  also  that  sent  by  some  of  the 
Boers  themselves  to  the  public  colonial  papers.  The  crime  of 
cattle-stealing,  of  which  we  hear  so  much  near  Caffreland,  was 
never  alleged  against  these  people,  and,  if  a single  case  had 
occurred  when  I was  in  the  country,  I must  have  heard  of  it,  and 
would  at  once  say  so.  But  the  only  crime  imputed  in  the  papers 
was  that  “ Sechele  was  getting  too  saucy.”  The  demand  made 
for  his  subjection  and  service  in  preventing  the  English  traders 
passing  to  the  north  was  kept  out  of  view. 

Very  soon  after  Pretorius  had  sent  the  marauding  party  against 
Kplobeng,  he  was  called  away  to  the  tribunal  of  infinite  justice. 
His  policy  is  justified  by  the  Boers  generally  from  the  instructions 
given  to  the  Jewish  warriors  in  Deuteronomy,  xx.,  10-14.  Hence, 
when  he  died,  the  obituary  notice  ended  with  “ Blessed  are  the 
dead  who  die  in  the  Lord.”  I wish  he  had  not  “forbidden  us  to 
preach  unto  the  Gentiles  that -they  may  be  saved.” 

The  report  of  this  outrage  on  the  Bakwains,  coupled  with  de- 
nunciations against  myself  for  having,  as  it  was  alleged,  taught 
them  to  kill  Boers,  produced  such  a panic  in  the  country,  that  I 
could  not  engage  a single  servant  to  accompany  me  to  the  north. 
I have  already  alluded  to  their  mode  of  warfare,  and  in  all  pre- 
vious Boerish  forays  the  killing  had  all  been  on  one  side ; now, 


134 


A PANIC. 


however,  that  a tribe  where  an  Englishman  had  lived  had  begun 
to  shed  their  blood  as  well,  it  was  considered  the  strongest 
presumptive  evidence  against  me.  Loud  vows  of  vengeance 
were  uttered  against  my  head,  and  threats  of  instant  pursuit 
by  a large  party  on  horseback,  should  I dare  to  go  into  or 
beyond  their  country ; and  as  these  were  coupled  with  the 
declaration  that  the  English  government  had  given  over  the 
whole  of  the  native  tribes  to  their  rule,  and  would  assist  in  their 
entire  subjection  by  preventing  fire-arms  and  ammunition  from 
entering  the  country,  except  for  the  use  of  the  Boers,  it  was  not 
to  be  wondered  at  that  I was  detained  for  months  at  Kuruman 
from  sheer  inability  to  get  wagon-drivers.  The  English  name, 
from  being  honored  and  respected  all  over  the  country,  had 
become  somewhat  more  than  suspected ; and  as  the  policy  of 
depriving  those  friendly  tribes  of  the  means  of  defense  was 
represented  by  the  Boers  as  proof  positive  of  the  wish  of  the  En- 
glish that  they  should  be  subjugated,  the  conduct  of  a govern- 
ment which  these  tribes  always  thought  the  paragon  of  justice 
and  friendship  was  rendered  totally  incomprehensible  to  them  ; 
they  could  neither  defend  themselves  against  their  enemies,  nor 
shoot  the  animals  in  the  produce  of  which  we  wished  them  to 
trade. 

At  last  I found  three  servants  willing  to  risk  a journey  to  the 
north ; and  a man  of  color  named  George  Fleming,  who  had  gen- 
erously been  assisted  by  Mr.  Id.  E.  Rutherford,  a mercantile  gen- 
tleman of  Cape  Town,  to  endeavor  to  establish  a trade  witli  the 
Makololo,  had  also  managed  to  get  a similar  number ; we  accord- 
ingly left  Kuruman  on  the  20th  of  November,  and  proceeded  on 
our  journey.  Our  servants  were  the  worst  possible  specimens  of 
those  who  imbibe  the  vices  without  the  virtues  of  Europeans,  but 
we  had  no  choice,  and  were  glad  to  get  away  on  any  terms. 

When  we  reached  Motito,  forty  miles  off,  we  met  Sechele  on 
his  way,  as  he  said,  “ to  the  Queen  of  England.”  Two  of  his  own 
children,  and  their  mother,  a former  wife,  were  among  the  captives 
seized  by  the  Boers ; and  being  strongly  imbued  with  the  then 
very  prevalent  notion  of  England’s  justice  and  generosity,  he 
thought  that  in  consequence  of  the  violated  treaty  he  had  a fail- 
case  to  lay  before  her  majesty.  He  employed  all  his  eloquence 
and  powers  of  persuasion  to  induce  me  to  accompany  him,  but  1 


SECHELE’S  INTENDED  JOURNEY  TO  ENGLAND. 


135 


excused  myself  on  the  ground  that  my  arrangements  were  already 
made  for  exploring  the  north.  On  explaining  the  difficulties  of 
the  way,  and  endeavoring  to  dissuade  him  from  the  attempt,  on 
account  of  the  knowledge  I possessed  of  the  governor’s  policy,  he 
put  the  pointed  question,  “ Will  the  queen  not  listen  to  me,  sup- 
posing I should  reach  her?”  I replied,  “I  believe  she  would 
listen,  but  the  difficulty  is  to  get  to  her.”  “Well,  I shall  reach 
her,”  expressed  his  final  determination.  Others  explained  the 
difficulties  more  fully,  but  nothing  could  shake  his  resolution. 
When  he  reached  Bloemfontein  he  found  the  English  army  just 
returning  from  a battle  with  the  Basutos,  in  which  both  parties 
claimed  the  victory,  and  both  were  glad  that  a second  engage- 
ment was  not  tried.  Our  officers  invited  Sechele  to  dine  with 
them,  heard  his  story,  and  collected  a handsome  sum  of  money 
to  enable  him  to  pursue  his  journey  to  England.  The  com- 
mander refrained  from  noticing  him,  as  a single  word  in  favor 
of  the  restoration  of  the  children  of  Sechele  would  have  been  a 
virtual  confession  of  the  failure  of  his  own  policy  at  the  very  out- 
set. Sechele  proceeded  as  far  as  the  Cape ; but  his  resources  be- 
ing there  expended,  he  was  obliged  to  return  to  his  own  country, 
one  thousand  miles  distant,  without  accomplishing  the  object  of 
his  journey. 

On  his  return  he  adopted  a mode  of  punishment  which  he  had 
seen  in  the  colony,  namely,  making  criminals  work  on  the  public 
roads.  And  he  has  since,  I am  informed,  made  himself  the  mis- 
sionary to  his  own  people.  He  is  tall,  rather  corpulent,  and  has 
more  of  the  negro  feature  than  common,  but  has  large  eyes.  He 
is  very  dark,  and  his  people  swear  by  “ Black  Sechele.”  He  has 
great  intelligence,  reads  well,  and  is  a fluent  speaker.  Great  num- 
bers of  the  tribes  formerly  living  under  the  Boers  have  taken  ref- 
uge under  his  sway,  and  he  is  now  greater  in  power  than  he  was 
before  the  attack  on  Kolobeng. 

Having  parted  with  Sechele,  we  skirted  along  the  Kalahari 
Desert,  and  sometimes  within  its  borders,  giving  the  Boers  a wide 
berth.  A larger  fall  of  rain  than  usual  had  occurred  in  1852,  and 
that  was  the  completion  of  a cycle  of  eleven  or  twelve  years,  at 
which  the  same  phenomenon  is  reported  to  have  happened  on  three 
occasions.  An  unusually  large  crop  of  melons  had  appeared  in 
consequence.  We  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  with  Mr.  J.  Ma- 


136 


MEETING  WITH  MR.  MACABE. 


cabe  returning  from  Lake  Ngami,  which  he  had  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing by  going  right  across  the  Desert  from  a point  a little  to  the 
south  of  Kolobeng.  The  accounts  of  the  abundance  of  water- 
melons were  amply  confirmed  by  this  energetic  traveler ; for,  hav- 
ing these  in  vast  quantities,  his  cattle  subsisted  on  the  fluid  con- 
tained in  them  for  a period  of  no  less  than  twenty-one  days ; and 
when  at  last  they  reached  a supply  of  water,  they  did  not  seem 
to  care  much  about  it.  Coming  to  the  lake  from  the  southeast, 
he  crossed  the  Tcoughe,  and  went  round  the  northern  part  of  it, 
and  is  the  only  European  traveler  who  had  actually  seen  it  all. 
His  estimate  of  the  extent  of  the  lake  is  higher  than  that  given 
by  Mr.  Oswell  and  myself,  or  from  about  ninety  to  one  hund- 
red miles  in  circumference.  Before  the  lake  was  discovered, 
Macabe  wrote  a letter  in  one  of  the  Cape  papers  recommending 
a certain  route  as  likely  to  lead  to  it.  The  Transvaal  Boers 
fined  him  500  dollars  for  writing  about  “ ouze  felt,”  our  coun- 
try, and  imprisoned  him,  too,  till  the  fine  was  paid.  I now  learned 
from  his  own  lips  that  the  public  report  of  this  is  true.  Mr.  Ma- 
cabe’s  companion,  Mahar?  was  mistaken  by  a tribe  of  Barolongs 
for  a Boer,  and  shot  as  he  approached  their  village.  When  Ma- 
cabe came  up  and  explained  that  he  was  an  Englishman,  they  ex- 
pressed the  utmost  regret,  and  helped  to  bury  him.  This  was  the 
first  case  in  recent  times  of  an  Englishman  being  slain  by  the  Be- 
chuanas.  We  afterward  heard  that  there  had  been  some  fight- 
ing between  these  Barolongs  and  the  Boers,  and  that  there  had 
been  capturing  of  cattle  on  both  sides.  If  this  was  true,  I can 
only  say  that  it  was  the  first  time  that  I ever  heard  of  cattle  be- 
ing taken  by  Bechuanas.  This  was  a Caffre  war  in  stage  the  sec- 
ond ; the  third  stage  in  the  development  is  when  both  sides  are 
equally  well  armed  and  afraid  of  each  other ; the  fourth,  when  the 
English  take  up  a quarrel  not  their  own,  and  the  Boers  slip  out 
of  the  fray. 

Two  other  English  gentlemen  crossed  and  recrossed  the  Desert 
about  the  same  time,  and  nearly  in  the  same  direction.  On  re- 
turning, one  of  them,  Captain  Shelley,  while  riding  forward  on 
horseback,  lost  himself,  and  was  obliged  to  find  his  way  alone 
to  Kuruman,  some  hundreds  of  miles  distant.  Reaching  that 
station  shirtless,  and  as  brown  as  a Griqua,  he  was  taken  for  one 
by  Mrs.  Moffat,  and  was  received  by  her  with  a salutation  in 


HOT  WIND.— ELECTRICITY. 


137 


Dutch,  that  being  the  language  spoken  by  this  people.  His 
sufferings  must  have  been  far  more  severe  than  any  we  endured. 
The  result  of  the  exertions  of  both  Shelley  and  Macabe  is  to 
prove  that  the  general  view  of  the  Desert  always  given  by  the  na- 
tives has  been  substantially  correct. 

Occasionally,  during  the  very  dry  seasons  which  succeed  our 
winter  and  precede  our  rains,  a hot  wind  blows  over  the  Desert 
from  north  to  south.  It  feels  somewhat  as  if  it  came  from  an 
oven,  and  seldom  blows  longer  at  a time  than  three  days.  It  re- 
sembles in  its  effects  the  harmattan  of  the  north  of  Africa,  and  at 
the  time  the  missionaries  first  settled  in  the  country,  thirty-five 
years  ago,  it  came  loaded  with  fine  reddish-colored  sand.  Though 
no  longer  accompanied  by  sand,  it  is  so  devoid  of  moisture  as  to 
cause  the  wood  of  the  best  seasoned  English  boxes  and  furniture 
to  shrink,  so  that  every  wooden  article  not  made  in  the  country 
is  warped.  The  veils  of  ramrods  made  in  England  are  loosened, 
and  on  returning  to  Europe  fasten  again.  This  wind  is  in  such 
an  electric  state  that  a bunch  of  ostrich  feathers  held  a few  sec- 
onds against  it  becomes  as  strongly  charged  as  if  attached  to  a 
powerful  electrical  machine,  and  clasps  the  advancing  hand  with 
a sharp  crackling  sound. 

When  this  hot  wind  is  blowing,  and  even  at  other  times,  the 
peculiarly  strong  electrical  state  of  the  atmosphere  causes  the 
movement  of  a native  in  his  kaross  to  produce  therein  a stream 
of  small  sparks.  The  first  time  I noticed  this  appearance  was 
while  a chief  was  traveling  with  me  in  my  wagon.  Seeing  part 
of  the  fur  of  his  mantle,  which  was  exposed  to  slight  friction  by 
the  movement  of  the  wagon,  assume  quite  a luminous  appear- 
ance, I rubbed  it  smartly  with  the  hand,  and  found  it  readily 
gave  out  bright  sparks,  accompanied  with  distinct  cracks.  “ Don’t 
you  see  this?”  said  I.  “ The  white  men  did  not  show  us  this,” 
he  replied ; “we  had  it  long  before  white  men  came  into  the 
country,  we  and  our  forefathers  of  old.”  Unfortunately,  I never 
inquired  the  name  winch  they  gave  to  this  appearance,  but  I 
have  no  doubt  there  is  one  for  it  in  the  language.  Otto  von 
Guerrike  is  said,  by  Baron  Humboldt,  to  have  been  the  first  that 
ever  observed  this  effect  in  Europe,  but  the  phenomenon  had  been 
familiar  to  the  Bechuanas  for  ages.  Nothing  came  of  that,  how- 
ever, for  they  viewed  the  sight  as  if  with  the  eyes  of  an  ox.  The 


138 


FLOCKS  OF  SWIFTS.— SACRED  CAVE. 


human  mind  has  remained  here  as  stagnant  to  the  present  day, 
in  reference  to  the  physical  operations  of  the  universe,  as  it  once 
did  in  England.  No  science  has  been  developed,  and  few  ques- 
tions are  ever  discussed  except  those  which  have  an  intimate  con- 
nection with  the  wants  of  the  stomach. 

Very  large  flocks  of  swifts  (Cypselus  opus)  were  observed  flying 
over  the  plains  north  of  Kuruman.  I counted  a stream  of  them, 
which,  by  the  time  it  took  to  pass  toward  the  reeds  of  that  valley, 
must  have  numbered  upward  of  four  thousand.  Only  a few  of 
these  birds  breed  at  any  time  in  this  country.  I have  often  ob- 
served them,  and  noticed  that  there  was  no  appearance  of  their 
having  paired ; there  was  no  chasing  of  each  other,  nor  any  play- 
ing together.  There  are  several  other  birds  which  continue  in 
flocks,  and  move  about  like  wandering  gipsies,  even  during  the 
breeding  season,  which  in  this  country  happens  in  the  intervals 
between  the  cold  and  hot  seasons,  cold  acting  somewhat  in  the 
same  way  here  as  the  genial  warmth  of  spring  does  in  Europe. 
Are  these  the  migratory  birds  of  Europe,  which  return  there  to 
breed  and  rear  their  young  ? 

On  the  31st  of  December,  1852,  we  reached  the  town  of  Sechele, 
called,  from  the  part  of  the  range  on  which  it  is  situated,  Litu- 
baruba.  Near  the  village  there  exists  a cave  named  Lepelole ; 
it  is  an  interesting  evidence  of  the  former  existence  of  a gushing 
fountain.  No  one  dared  to  enter  the  Loliaheng,  or  cave,  for  it 
was  the  common  belief  that  it  was  the  habitation  of  the  Deity. 
As  we  never  had  a holiday  from  January  to  December,  and  our 
Sundays  were  the  periods  of  our  greatest  exertions  in  teaching, 
I projected  an  excursion  into  the  cave  on  a week-day  to  see  the 
god  of  the  Bakwains.  The  old  men  said  that  every  one  who 
went  in  remained  there  forever,  adding,  “ If  the  teacher  is  so 
mad  as  to  kill  himself,  let  him  do  so  alone,  we  shall  not  be  to 
blame.”  The  declaration  of  Sechele,  that  he  would  follow  where 
I led,  produced  the  greatest  consternation.  It  is  curious  that  in 
all  their  pretended  dreams  or  visions  of  their  god  he  has  always 
a crooked  leg,  like  the  Egyptian  Thau.  Supposing  that  those 
who  were  reported  to  have  perished  in  this  cave  had  fallen  over 
some  precipice,  we  went  well  provided  with  lights,  ladder,  lines, 
&c.  ; but  it  turned  out  to  be  only  an  open  cave,  with  an  entrance 
about  ten  feet  square,  which  contracts  into  two  water-worn 


RETALIATION  ON  BOERS. 


139 


branches,  ending  in  round  orifices  through  which  the  water  once 
flowed.  The  only  inhabitants  it  seems  ever  to  have  had  were 
baboons.  I left  at  the  end  of  the  upper  branch  one  of  Father 
Mathew’s  leaden  teetotal  tickets. 

I never  saw  the  Bakwains  looking  so  haggard  and  lean  as  at 
this  time.  Most  of  their  cattle  had  been  swept  away  by  the  Boers, 
together  with  about  eighty  fine  draught  oxen ; and  much  provision 
left  with  them  by  two  officers,  Captains  Codrington  and  Webb,  to 
serve  for  their  return  journey  south,  had  been  carried  off  also. 
On  their  return  these  officers  found  the  skeletons  of  the  Bakwains 
where  they  expected  to  find  their  own  goods.  All  the  corn, 
clothing,  and  furniture  of  the  people,  too,  had  been  consumed  in 
the  flames  which  the  Boers  had  forced  the  subject  tribes  to  apply 
to  the  town  during  the  fight,  so  that  its  inhabitants  were  now  lit- 
erally starving. 

Sechele  had  given  orders  to  his  people  not  to  commit  any  act  of 
revenge  pending  his  visit  to  the  Queen  of  England ; but  some  of 
the  young  men  ventured  to  go  to  meet  a party  of  Boers  returning 
from  hunting,  and,  as  the  Boers  became  terrified  and  ran  off,  they 
brought  their  wagons  to  Litubaruba.  This  seems  to  have  given 
the  main  body  of  Boers  an  idea  that  the  Bakwains  meant  to  begin 
a guerrilla  war  upon  them.  This  “Caffre  war”  was,  however,  only 
in  embryo,  and  not  near  that  stage  of  development  in  which  the 
natives  have  found  out  that  the  hide-and-seek  system  is  the  most 
successful. 

The  Boers,  in  alarm,  sent  four  of  their  number  to  ask  for  peace! 
I,  being  present,  heard  the  condition : “ Sechele’s  children  must 
be  restored  to  him.”  I never  saw  men  so  completely  and  uncon- 
sciously in  a trap  as  these  four  Boers  were.  Strong  parties  of 
armed  Bakwains  occupied  every  pass  in  the  hills  and  gorges 
around  ; and  had  they  not  promised  much  more  than  they  intend- 
ed, or  did  perform,  that  day  would  have  been  their  last.  The 
commandant  Scholz  had  appropriated  the  children  of  Sechele  to 
be  his  own  domestic  slaves.  I was  present  when  one  little  boy, 
Khari,  son  of  Sechele,  was  returned  to  his  mother ; the  child  had 
been  allowed  to  roll  into  the  fire,  and  there  were  three  large  un- 
bound open  sores  on  different  parts  of  his  body.  His  mother  and 
the  women  received  him  with  a flood  of  silent  tears. 

Slavery  is  said  to  be  mild  and  tender-hearted  in  some  places. 


140 


LOVE  OF  CHILDREN. 


The  Boers  assert  that  they  are  the  best  of  masters,  and  that,  if  the 
English  had  possessed  the  Hottentot  slaves,  they  would  have  re- 
ceived much  worse  treatment  than  they  did : what  that  would 
have  been  it  is  difficult  to  imagine.  I took  down  the  names  of 
some  scores  of  boys  and  girls,  many  of  whom  I knew  as  our  schol- 
ars ; but  I could  not  comfort  the  weeping  mothers  by  any  hope  of 
their  ever  returning  from  slavery. 

The  Bechuanas  are  universally  much  attached  to  children.  A 
little  child  toddling  near  a party  of  men  while  they  are  eating  is 
sure  to  get  a handful  of  the  food.  This  love  of  children  may 
arise,  in  a great  measure,  from  the  patriarchal  system  under  which 
they  dwell.  Every  little  stranger  forms  an  increase  of  property 
to  the  whole  community,  and  is  duly  reported  to  the  chief— boys 
being  more  welcome  than  girls.  The  parents  take  the  name  of 
the  child,  and  often  address  their  children  as  Ma  (mother),  or  Ba 
(father).  Our  eldest  boy  being  named  Robert,  Mrs.  Livingstone 
was,  after  his  birth,  always  addressed  as  Ma-Robert,  instead  of 
Mary,  her  Christian  name. 

I have  examined  several  cases  in  which  a grandmother  has 
taken  upon  herself  to  suckle  a grandchild.  Masina  of  Kuruman 
had  no  children  after  the  birth  of  her  daughter  Sina,  and  had  no 
milk  after  Sina  was  weaned,  an  event  which  usually  is  deferred 
till  the  child  is  two  or  three  years  old.  Sina  married  when  she 
was  seventeen  or  eighteen,  and  had  twins;  Masina,  after  at  least 
fifteen  years’  interval  since  she  had  suckled  a child,  took  posses- 
sion of  one  of  them,  applied  it  to  her  breast,  and  milk  flowed,  so 
that  she  was  able  to  nurse  the  child  entirely.  Masina  was  at  this 
time  at  least  forty  years  of  age.  I have  witnessed  several  other 
cases  analogous  to  this.  A grandmother  of  forty,  or  even  less,  for 
they  become  withered  at  an  early  age,  when  left  at  home  with  a 
young  child,  applies  it  to  her  own  shriveled  breast,  and  milk  soon 
follows.  In  some  cases,  as  that  of  Ma-bogosing,  the  chief  wife  of 
Mahure,who  was  about  thirty-five  years  of  age,  the  child  was  not 
entirely  dependent  on  the  grandmother’s  breast,  as  the  mother  suck- 
led it  too.  I had  witnessed  the  production  of  milk  so  frequently 
by  the  simple  application  of  the  lips  of  the  child,  that  I was  not 
therefore  surprised  when  told  by  the  Portuguese  in  Eastern  Africa 
of  a native  doctor  who,  by  applying  a poultice  of  the  pounded 
larva;  of  hornets  to  the  breast  of  a woman,  aided  by  the  attempts 


PHENOMENON  IN  THE  NURTURE  OF  CHILDREN. 


141 


of  the  child,  could  bring  back  the  milk.  Is  it  not  possible  that 
the  story  in  the  “ Cloud  of  Witnesses”  of  a man,  during  the  time 
of  persecution  in  Scotland,  putting  his  child  to  his  own  breast, 
and  finding,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  whole  country,  that  milk 
followed  the  act,  may  have  been  literally  true  ? It  was  regarded 
and  is  quoted  as  a miracle ; but  the  feelings  of  the  father  toward 
the  child  of  a murdered  mother  must  have  been  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible analogous  to  the  maternal  feeling ; and,  as  anatomists  de- 
clare the  structure  of  both  male  and  female  breasts  to  be  identical, 
there  is  nothing  physically  impossible  in  the  alleged  result.  The 
illustrious  Baron  Humboldt  quotes  an  instance  of  the  male  breast 
yielding  milk ; and,  though  I am  not  conscious  of  being  over-cred- 
ulous, the  strange  instances  I have  examined  in  the  opposite  sex 
make  me  believe  that  there  is  no  error  in  that  philosopher’s  state- 
ment. 

The  Boers  know  from  experience  that  adult  captives  may  as 
well  be  left  alone,  for  escape  is  so  easy  in  a wild  country  that  no 
fugitive-slave-law  can  come  into  operation ; they  therefore  adopt 
the  system  of  seizing  only  the  youngest  children,  in  order  that 
these  may  forget  their  parents  and  remain  in  perpetual  bondage. 
I have  seen  mere  infants  in  their  houses  repeatedly.  This  fact 
was  formerly  denied ; and  the  only  thing  which  was  wanting  to 
make  the  previous  denial  of  the  practice  of  slavery  and  slave-hunt- 
ing  by  the  Transvaal  Boers  no  longer  necessary  was  the  declara- 
tion of  their  independence. 

In  conversation  with  some  of  my  friends  here  I learned  that 
Maleke,  a chief  of  the  Bakwains,  who  formerly  lived  on  the  hill  Li- 
tubaruba,  had  been  killed  by  the  bite  of  a mad  dog.  My  curiosity 
was  strongly  excited  by  this  statement,  as  rabies  is  so  rare  in  this 
country.  I never  heard  of  another  case,  and  could  not  satisfy  my- 
self that  even  this  was  real  hydrophobia.  While  I was  at  Ma- 
botsa,  some  dogs  became  affected  by  a disease  which  led  them  to 
run  about  in  an  incoherent  state ; but  I doubt  whether  it  was  any- 
thing but  an  affection  of  the  brain.  No  individual  or  animal  got 
the  complaint  by  inoculation  from  the  animals’  teeth ; and  from 
all  that  I could  hear,  the  prevailing  idea  of  hydrophobia  not  exist- 
ing within  the  tropics  seems  to  be  quite  correct. 

The  diseases  known  among  the  Bakwains  are  remarkably  few. 
There  is  no  consumption  nor  scrofula,  and  insanity  and  hydro- 


142 


DISEASES. 


cephalus  are  rare.  Cancer  and  cholera  are  quite  unknown. 
Small-pox  and  measles  passed  through  the  country  about  twenty 
years  ago,  and  committed  great  ravages ; hut,  though  the  former 
has  since  broken  out  on  the  coast  repeatedly,  neither  disease  has 
since  traveled  inland.  For  small-pox,  the  natives  employed,  in 
some  parts,  inoculation  in  the  forehead  with  some  animal  deposit ; 
in  other  parts,  they  employed  the  matter  of  the  small-pox  itself; 
and  in  one  village  they  seem  to  have  selected  a virulent  case  for 
the  matter  used  in  the  operation,  for  nearly  all  the  village  was 
swept  off  by  the  disease  in  a malignant  confluent  form.  Where 
the  idea  came  from  I can  not  conceive.  It  was  practiced  by  the 
Bakwains  at  a time  when  they  had  no  intercourse,  direct  or  indi- 
rect, with  the  southern  missionaries.  They  all  adopt  readily  the 
use  of  vaccine  virus  when  it  is  brought  within  their  reach. 

A certain  loathsome  disease,  which  decimates  the  North  Amer- 
ican Indians,  and  threatens  extirpation  to  the  South  Sea  Island- 
ers, dies  out  in  the  interior  of  Africa  without  the  aid  of  medicine ; 
and  the  Bangwaketse,  who  brought  it  from  the  west  coast,  lost  it 
when  they  came  into  their  own  land  southwest  of  Kolobeng.  It 
seems  incapable  of  permanence  in  any  form  in  persons  of  pure  Af- 
rican blood  any  where  in  the  centre  of  the  country.  In  persons 
of  mixed  blood  it  is  otherwise ; and  the  virulence  of  the  secondary 
symptoms  seemed  to  be,  in  all  the  cases  that  came  under  my  care, 
in  exact  proportion  to  the  greater  or  less  amount  of  European  blood 
in  the  patient.  Among  the  Corannas  and  Griquas  of  mixed  breed 
it  produces  the  same  ravages  as  in  Europe ; among  half-blood 
Portuguese  it  is  equally  frightful  in  its  inroads  on  the  system ; 
but  in  the  pure  Negro  of  the  central  parts  it  is  quite  incapable  of 
permanence.  Among  the  Barotse  I found  a disease  called  manas- 
sah,  which  closely  resembles  that  of  th zjoeda  mulier  of  history. 

Equally  unknown  is  stone  in  the  bladder  and  gravel.  I never 
met  with  a case,  though  the  waters  are  often  so  strongly  impreg- 
nated with  sulphate  of  lime  that  kettles  quickly  become  incrust- 
ed  internally  with  the  salt ; and  some  of  my  patients,  who  were 
troubled  with  indigestion,  believed  that  their  stomachs  had  got 
into  the  same  condition.  This  freedom  from  calculi  would  appear 
to  be  remarkable  in  the  negro  race,  even  in  the  United  States  ; for 
seldom  indeed  have  the  most  famed  lithotomists  there  ever  oper- 
ated on  a negro. 


PREMATURE  BURIALS. — OPHTHALMIA. 


143 


The  diseases  most  prevalent  are  the  following : pneumonia, 
produced  by  sudden  changes  of  temperature,  and  other  inflamma- 
tions, as  of  the  bowels,  stomach,  and  pleura ; rheumatism  ; dis- 
ease of  the  heart — but  these  become  rare  as  the  people  adopt  the 
European  dress — various  forms  of  indigestion  and  ophthalmia ; 
hooping-cough  comes  frequently  ; and  every  year  the  period  pre- 
ceding the  rains  is  marked  by  some  sort  of  epidemic.  Sometimes 
it  is  general  ophthalmia,  resembling  closely  the  Egyptian.  In 
another  year  it  is  a kind  of  diarrhoea,  which  nothing  will  cure  un- 
til there  is  a fall  of  rain,  and  any  thing  acts  as  a charm  after  that. 
One  year  the  epidemic  period  was  marked  by  a disease  which 
looked  like  pneumonia,  but  had  the  peculiar  symptom  strongly 
developed  of  great  pain  in  the  seventh  cervical  process.  Many 
persons  died  of  it,  after  being  in  a comatose  state  for  many  hours 
or  days  before  their  decease.  IMo  inspection  of  the  body  being 
ever  allowed  by  these  people,  and  the  place  of  sepulture  being 
carefully  concealed,  I had  to  rest  satisfied  with  conjecture.  Fre- 
quently the  Bakwains  buried  their  dead  in  the  huts  where  they 
died,  for  fear  lest  the  witches  (Baloi)  should  disinter  their  friends, 
and  use  some  part  of  the  body  in  their  fiendish  arts.  Scarcely 
is  the  breath  out  of  the  body  when  the  unfortunate  patient  is 
hurried  away  to  be  buried.  An  ant-eater’s  hole  is  often  selected, 
in  order  to  save  the  trouble  of  digging  a grave.  On  two  occasions 
while  I was  there  this  hasty  burial  was  followed  by  the  return 
home  of  the  men,  who  had  been  buried  alive,  to  their  affrighted 
relatives.  They  had  recovered,  while  in  their  graves,  from  pro- 
longed swoons. 

In  ophthalmia  the  doctors  cup  on  the  temples,  and  apply  to  the 
eyes  the  pungent  smoke  of  certain  roots,  the  patient,  at  the  same 
time,  taking  strong  draughts  of  it  up  his  nostrils.  We  found  the 
solution  of  nitrate  of  silver,  two  or  three  grains  to  the  ounce  of 
rain-water,  answer  the  same  end  so  much  more  effectually,  that 
every  morning  numbers  of  patients  crowded  round  our  house  for 
the  collyrium.  It  is  a good  preventive  of  an  acute  attack  when 
poured  into  the  eyes  as  soon  as  the  pain  begins,  and  might  prove 
valuable  for  travelers.  Cupping  is  performed  with  the  horn  of  a 
goat  or  antelope,  having  a little  hole  pierced  in  the  small  end. 
In  some  cases  a small  piece  of  wax  is  attached,  and  a temporary 
hole  made  through  it  to  the  horn.  When  the  air  is  well  with- 


144 


CUPPING.— NATIVE  DOCTORS. 


drawn,  and  kept  out  by  touching  the  orifice,  at  every  inspiration, 
with  the  point  of  the  tongue,  the  wax  is  at  last  pressed  together 
with  the  teeth,  and  the  little  hole  in  it  closed  up,  leaving  a vacuum 
within  the  horn  for  the  blood  to  flow  from  the  already  scarified 
parts.  The  edges  of  the  horn  applied  to  the  surface  are  wetted, 
and  cupping  is  well  performed,  though  the  doctor  occasionally,  by 
separating  the  fibrine  from  the  blood  in  a basin  of  water  by  his 
side,  and  exhibiting  it,  pretends  that  he  has  extracted  something 
more  than  blood.  He  can  thus  explain  the  rationale  of  the  cure 
by  his  own  art,  and  the  ocular  demonstration  given  is  well  appre- 
ciated. 

Those  doctors  who  have  inherited  their  profession  as  an  heir- 
loom from  their  fathers  and  grandfathers  generally  possess  some 
valuable  knowledge,  the  result  of  long  and  close  observation ; 
but  if  a man  can  not  say  that  the  medical  art  is  in  his  family,  he 
may  be  considered  a quack.  With  the  regular  practitioners  I al- 
ways remained  on  the  best  terms,  by  refraining  from  appearing  to 
doubt  their  skill  in  the  presence  of  their  patients.  Any  explana- 
tion in  private  was  thankfully  received  by  them,  and  wrong  treat- 
ment changed  into  something  more  reasonable  with  cordial  good- 
will, if  no  one  but  the  doctor  and  myself  were  present  at  the  con- 
versation. English  medicines  were  eagerly  asked  for  and  accept- 
ed by  all ; and  we  always  found  medical  knowledge  an  import- 
ant aid  in  convincing  the  people  that  we  were  really  anxious  for 
their  welfare.  We  can  not  accuse  them  of  ingratitude;  in  fact, 
we  shall  remember  the  kindness  of  the  Bakwains  to  us  as  long  as 
we  live. 

The  surgical  knowledge  of  the  native  doctors  is  rather  at  a low 
ebb.  No  one  ever  attempted  to  remove  a tumor  except  by  ex- 
ternal applications.  Those  with  which  the  natives  are  chiefly 
troubled  are  fatty  and  fibrous  tumors ; and  as  they  all  have  the 
vis  meclicatrix  natures  in  remarkable  activity,  I safely  removed  an 
immense  number.  In  illustration  of  their  want  of  surgical  knowl- 
edge may  be  mentioned  the  case  of  a man  who  had  a tumor 
as  large  as  a child’s  head.  This  was  situated  on  the  nape  of 
his  neck,  and  prevented  his  walking  straight.  He  applied  to 
his  chief,  and  he  got  some  famous  strange  doctor  from  the  East 
Coast  to  cure  him.  He  and  his  assistants  attempted  to  dissolve 
it  by  kindling  on  it  a little  fire  made  of  a few  small  pieces 


LOW  STATE  OF  SURGICAL  KNOWLEDGE. 


145 


of  medicinal  roots.  I removed  it  for  him,  and  he  always  walked 
with  his  head  much  more  erect  than  he  needed  to  do  ever 
afterward.  Both  men  and  women  submit  to  an  operation  without 
wincing,  or  any  of  that  shouting  which  caused  young  students  to 
faint  in  the  operating  theatre  before  the  introduction  of  chloro- 
form. The  women  pride  themselves  on  their  ability  to  bear  pain. 
A mother  will  address  her  little  girl,  from  whose  foot  a thorn  is 
to  he  extracted,  with,  “ Now,  ma,  you  are  a woman ; a woman 
does  not  cry.”  A man  scorns  to  shed  tears.  When  we  were 
passing  one  of  the  deep  wells  ii\  the  Kalahari,  a hoy,  the  son  of 
an  aged  father,  had  been  drowned  in  it  while  playing  on  its 
brink.  When  all  hope  was  gone,  the  father  uttered  an  exceed- 
ingly  great  and  bitter  cry.  It  was  sorrow  without  hope.  This 
was  the  only  instance  I ever  met  with  of  a man  weeping  in  this 
country. 

Their  ideas  on  obstetrics  are  equally  unscientific,  and  a med- 
ical man  going  near  a woman  at  her  confinement  appeared  to 
them  more  out  of  place  than  a female  medical  student  appears  to 
us  in  a dissecting-room.  A case  of  twins,  however,  happening, 
and  the  ointment  of  all  the  doctors  of  the  town  proving  utterly 
insufficient  to  effect  the  relief  which  a few  seconds  of  English  art 
afforded,  the  prejudice  vanished  at  once.  As  it  would  have  been 
out  of  the  question  for  me  to  have  entered  upon  this  branch  of 
the  profession — as  indeed  it  would  be  inexpedient  for  any  medical 
man  to  devote  himself  exclusively,  in  a thinly-peopled  country,  to 
the  practice  of  medicine — I thereafter  reserved  myself  for  the  dif- 
ficult cases  only,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  often  conferring 
great  benefits  on  poor  women  in  their  hour  of  sorrow.  The  poor 
creatures  are  often  placed  in  a little  hut  built  for  the  purpose, 
and  are  left  without  any  assistance  whatever,  and  the  numbers  of 
umbilical  hernias  which  are  met  with  in  consequence  is  very  great. 
The  women  suffer  less  at  their  confinement  than  is  the  case  in 
civilized  countries  ; perhaps  from  their  treating  it,  not  as  a disease, 
but  as  an  operation  of  nature,  requiring  no  change  of  diet  except 
a feast  of  meat  and  abundance  of  fresh  air.  The  husband  on 
these  occasions  is  bound  to  slaughter  for  his  lady  an  ox,  or  goat, 
or  sheep,  according  to  his  means. 

My  knowledge  in  the  above  line  procured  for  me  great 
fame  in  a department  in  which  I could  lay  no  claim  to  merit. 

K 


146 


CHILD  MEDICINE. 


A woman  came  a distance  of  one  hundred  miles  for  relief  in 
a complaint  which  seemed  to  have  baffled  the  native  doctors ; 
a complete  cure  was  the  result.  Some  twelve  months  after 
she  returned  to  her  husband,  she  bore  a son.  Her  husband 
having  previously  reproached  her  for  being  barren,  she  sent  me  a 
handsome  present,  and  proclaimed  all  over  the  country  that  1 
possessed  a medicine  for  the  cure  of  sterility.  The  consequence 
was,  that  I was  teased  with  applications  from  husbands  and 
wives  from  all  parts  of  the  country.  Some  came  upward  of  two 
hundred  miles  to  purchase  the  great  boon,  and  it  was  in  vain  for 
me  to  explain  that  I had  only  cured  the  disease  of  the  other 
case.  The  more  I denied,  the  higher  their  offers  rose ; they 
would  give  any  money  for  the  “child  medicine;”  and  it  was 
really  heart-rending  to  hear  the  earnest  entreaty,  and  see  the 
tearful  eye,  which  spoke  the  intense  desire  for  offspring : “I  am 
getting  old  ; you  see  gray  hairs  here  and  there  on  my  head,  and 
I have  no  child ; you  know  how  Bechuana  husbands  cast  their 
old  Avives  away ; what  can  I do  ? I have  no  child  to  bring  Avater 
to  me  Avhen  I am  sick,”  etc. 

The  whole  of  the  country  adjacent  to  the  Desert,  from  Ivuru- 
man  to  Kolobeng,  or  Litubaruba,  and  beyond  up  to  the  latitude 
of  Lake  Ngami,  is  remarkable  for  its  great  salubrity  of  climate. 
Not  only  the  natives,  but  Europeans  Avhose  constitutions  have 
been  impaired  by  an  Indian  climate,  find  the  tract  of  country 
indicated  both  healthy  and  restorative.  The  health  and  longevity 
of  the  missionaries  have  always  been  fair,  though  mission-AVork 
is  not  very  conducive  to  either  elsewhere.  Cases  have  been 
knoAvn  in  Avhich  patients  have  come  from  the  coast  Avith  com- 
plaints closely  resembling,  if  they  Avere  not  actually,  those  of  con- 
sumption ; and  they  have  recovered  by  the  influence  of  the  cli- 
mate alone.  It  must  always  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  climate 
near  the  coast,  from  which  we  received  such  very  favorable  re- 
ports of  the  health  of  the  British  troops,  is  actually  inferior  for 
persons  suffering  from  pulmonary  complaints  to  that  of  any  part 
not  subjected  to  the  influence  of  sea-air.  I have  never  seen  the 
beneficial  effects  of  the  inland  climate  on  persons  of  shattered 
constitutions,  nor  heard  their  high  praises  of  the  benefit  they  have 
derived  from  traveling,  without  wishing  that  its  bracing  effects 
should  become  more  extensively  known  in  England.  No  one 


SALUBRITY  OF  CLIMATE. 


147 


who  has  visited  the  region  I have  above  mentioned  fails  to  re- 
member with  pleasure  the  wild,  healthful  gipsy  life  of  wagon-trav- 

A considerable  proportion  of  animal  diet  seems  requisite  here. 
Independent  of  the  want  of  salt,  we  required  meat  in  as  large  quan- 
tity daily  as  we  do  in  England,  and  no  bad  effects,  in  the  way  of 
biliousness,  followed  the  free  use  of  flesh,  as  in  other  hot  climates. 
A vegetable  diet  causes  acidity  and  heartburn. 

Mr.  Oswell  thought  this  climate  much  superior  to  that  of  Peru, 
as  far  as  pleasure  is  concerned  ; the  want  of  instruments  unfortu- 
nately prevented  my  obtaining  accurate  scientific  data  for  the 
medical  world  on  this  subject ; and  were  it  not  for  the  great  ex- 
pense of  such  a trip,  I should  have  no  hesitation  in  recommending 
the  borders  of  the  Kalahari  Desert  as  admirably  suited  for  all  pa- 
tients having  pulmonary  complaints.  It  is  the  complete  antipo- 
des to  our  cold,  damp,  English  climate.  The  winter  is  perfectly 
dry ; and  as  not  a drop  of  rain  falls  during  that  period,  namely, 
from  the  beginning  of  May  to  the  end  of  August,  damp  and  cold 
are  never  combined.  However  hot  the  day  may  have  been  at  Ko- 
lobeng — and  the  thermometer  sometimes  rose,  previous  to  a fall 
of  rain,  up  to  96°  in  the  coolest  part  of  our  house — yet  the  at- 
mosphere never  has  that  steamy  feeling  nor  those  debilitating  ef- 
fects so  well  known  in  India  and  on  the  coast  of  Africa  itself.  In 
the  evenings  the  air  becomes  deliciously  cool,  and  a pleasant  re- 
freshing night  follows  the  hottest  day.  The  greatest  heat  ever 
felt  is  not  so  oppressive  as  it  is  when  there  is  much  humidity  in 
the  air ; and  the  great  evaporation  consequent  on  a fall  of  rain 
makes  the  rainy  season  the  most  agreeable  for  traveling.  Noth- 
ing can  exceed  the  balmy  feeling  of  the  evenings  and  mornings 
during  the  whole  year.  You  wish  for  an  increase  neither  of  cold 
nor  heat ; and  you  can  sit  out  of  doors  till  midnight  without  ever 
thinking  of  colds  or  rheumatism ; or  you  may  sleep  out  at  night, 
looking  up  to  the  moon  till  you  fall  asleep,  without  a thought  or 
sign  of  moon-blindness.  Indeed,  during  many  months  there  is 
scarcely  any  dew. 


148 


DEPARTURE  FROM  BAKWAIN  COUNTRY. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Departure  from  the  Country  of  the  Bakwains. — Large  black  Ant.— Land  Tor- 
toises.— Diseases  of  wild  Animals. — Habits  of  old  Lions. — Cowardice  of  the 
Lion. — Its  Dread  of  a Snare. — Major  Vardon’s  Note. — The  Roar  of  the  Lion  re- 
sembles the  Cry  of  the  Ostrich. — Seldom  attacks  full-grown  Animals. — Buffaloes 
and  Lions. — Mice. — Serpents. — Treading  on  one. — Venomous  and  harmless  Va- 
rieties.— Fascination. — Sekomi’s  Ideas  of  Honesty. — Ceremony  of  the  Sechu  for 
Boys. — The  Boyale  for  young  Women. — Bamangwato  Hills. — The  Unicorn’s 
Pass. — The  Country  beyond. — Grain. — Scarcity  of  Water. — Honorable  Conduct 
of  English  Gentlemen. — Gordon  Cumming’s  hunting  Adventures. — A Word  of 
Advice  for  young  Sportsmen. — Bushwomen  drawing  Water.  — Ostrich. — Silly 
Habit. — Paces. — Eggs. — Food. 

Having  remained  five  days  with  the  wretched  Bakwains,  see- 
ing the  effects  of  war,  of  which  only  a very  inadequate  idea  can 
ever  be  formed  by  those  who  have  not  been  eye-witnesses  of  its 
miseries,  we  prepared  to  depart  on  the  15th  of  January,  1853. 
Several  dogs,  in  better  condition  by  far  than  any  of  the  people, 
had  taken  up  their  residence  at  the  water.  No  one  would  own 
them ; there  they  had  remained,  and,  coming  on  the  trail  of  the 
people,  long  after  their  departure  from  the  scene  of  conflict,  it  was 
plain  they  had 

“ Held  o’er  the  dead  their  carnival.” 

Hence  the  disgust  with  which  they  were  viewed. 

On  our  way  from  Khopong,  along  the  ancient  river-bed  which 
forms  the  pathway  to  Boatlanama,  I found  a species  of  cactus,  be- 
ing the  third  I have  seen  in  the  country,  namely,  one  in  the  colo- 
ny with  a bright  red  flower,  one  at  Lake  Ngami,  the  flower  of  which 
was  liver-colored,  and  the  present  one,  flower  unknown.  That 
the  plant  is  uncommon  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  the 
Bakwains  find  so  much  difficulty  in  recognizing  the  plant  again 
after  having  once  seen  it,  that  they  believe  it  has  the  power  of 
changing  its  locality. 

On  the  21st  of  January  we  reached  the  wells  of  Boatlanama, 
and  found  them  for  the  first  time  empty.  Lopepe,  which  I had  for- 
merly seen  a stream  running  from  a large  reedy  pool,  was  also  dry. 
The  hot  salt  spring  of  Serinane,  east  of  Lopepe,  being  undrinkable, 


LAND  TORTOISES. 


149 


we  pushed  on  to  Mashiie  for  its  delicious  waters.  In  traveling 
through  this  country,  the  olfactory  nerves  are  frequently  excited 
by  a strong  disagreeable  odor.  This  is  caused  by  a large  jet- 
black  ant  named  “ Leshonya.”  It  is  nearly  an  inch  in  length,  and 
emits  a pungent  smell  when  alarmed,  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
skunk.  The  scent  must  be  as  volatile  as  ether,  for,  on  irritating 
the  insect  with  a stick  six  feet  long,  the  odor  is  instantly  per- 
ceptible. 

Occasionally  we  lighted  upon  land  tortoises,  which,  with  their 
unlaid  eggs,  make  a very  agreeable  dish.  We  saw  many  of  their 
trails  leading  to  the  salt  fountain ; they  must  have  come  great 
distances  for  this  health-giving  article.  In  lieu  thereof  they  often 
devour  wood-ashes.  It  is  wonderful  how  this  reptile  holds  its 
place  in  the  country.  When  seen,  it  never  escapes.  The  young 
are  taken  for  the  sake  of  their  shells  ; these  are  made  into  boxes, 
which,  filled  with  sweet-smelling  roots,  the  women  hang  around 
their  persons.  When  older  it  is  used  as  food,  and  the  shell  con- 
verted into  a rude  basin  to  hold  food  or  water.  It  owes  its  con- 
tinuance neither  to  speed  nor  cunning.  Its  color,  yellow  and 
dark  brown,  is  well  adapted,  by  its  similarity  to  the  surrounding 
grass  and  brushwood,  to  render  it  indistinguishable ; and,  though 
it  makes  an  awkward  attempt  to  run  on  the  approach  of  man,  its 
trust  is  in  its  bony  covering,  from  which  even  the  teeth  of  a hyama 
glance  off  foiled.  When  this  long-lived  creature  is  about  to  deposit 
her  eggs,  she  lets  herself  into  the  ground  by  throwing  the  earth 
up  round  her  shell,  until  only  the  top  is  visible ; then  covering 
up  the  eggs,  she  leaves  them  until  the  rains  begin  to  fall  and  the 
fresh  herbage  appears  ; the  young  ones  then  come  out,  their  shells 
still  quite  soft,  and,  unattended  by  their  dam,  begin  the  world  for 
themselves.  Their  food  is  tender  grass  and  a plant  named  tho- 
tona,  and  they  frequently  resort  to  heaps  of  ashes  and  places  con- 
taining efflorescence  of  the  nitrates  for  the  salts  these  contain. 

Inquiries  among  the  Bushmen  and  Bakalahari,  who  are  inti- 
mately acquainted  with  the  habits  of  the  game,  lead  to  the  belief 
that  many  diseases  prevail  among  wild  animals.  I have  seen  the 
kokong  or  gnu,  kama  or  hartebeest,  the  tsessebe,  kukama,  and 
the  giraffe,  so  mangy  as  to  be  uneatable  even  by  the  natives. 
Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  peripneumonia  which  cuts 
off  horses,  tolos  or  koodoos.  Great  numbers  also  of  zebras  are 


150 


DISEASES  OF  WILD  ANIMALS. 


found  dead  with  masses  of  foam  at  the  nostrils,  exactly  as  occurs 
in  the  common  “horse-sickness.”  The  production  of  the  malig- 
nant carbuncle  called  kuatsi,  or  selonda,  by  the  flesh  when  eaten, 
is  another  proof  of  the  disease  of  the  tame  and  wild  being  identical. 
1 once  found  a buffalo  blind  from  ophthalmia  standing  by  the 
fountain  Otse ; when  he  attempted  to  run  he  lifted  up  his  feet  in 
the  manner  peculiar  to  blind  animals.  The  rhinoceros  has  often 
worms  on  the  conjunction  of  his  eyes  ; but  these  are  not  the  cause 
of  the  dimness  of  vision  which  will  make  him  charge  past  a man 
who  has  wounded  him,  if  he  stands  perfectly  still,  in  the  belief  that 
his  enemy  is  a tree.  It  probably  arises  from  the  horn  being  in 
the  line  of  vision,  for  the  variety  named  kuabaoba,  which  has  a 
straight  horn  directed  downward  away  from  that  line,  possesses 
acute  eyesight,  and  is  much  more  wary. 

All  the  wild  animals  are  subject  to  intestinal  worms  besides.  I 
have  observed  bunches  of  a tape-like  thread  and  short  worms  of 
enlarged  sizes  in  the  rhinoceros.  The  zebra  and  elephants  are 
seldom  without  them,  and  a thread-worm  may  often  be  seen  under 
the  peritoneum  of  these  animals.  Short  red  larva?,  which  convey 
a stinging  sensation  to  the  hand,  are  seen  clustering  round  the 
orifice  of  the  windpipe  (trachea)  of  this  animal  at  the  back  of  the 
throat ; others  are  seen  in  the  frontal  sinus  of  antelopes ; and 
curious  flat,  leech-like  worms,  with  black  eyes,  are  found  in  the 
stomachs  of  leches.  The  zebra,  giraffe,  eland,  and  kukama  have 
been  seen  mere  skeletons  from  decay  of  their  teeth  as  well  as  from 
disease. 

The  carnivora,  too,  become  diseased  and  mangy ; lions  become 
lean  and  perish  miserably  by  reason  of  the  decay  of  the  teeth. 
When  a lion  becomes  too  old  to  catch  game,  he  frequently  takes 
to  killing  goats  in  the  villages  ; a woman  or  child  happening  to  go 
out  at  night  falls  a prey  too  ; and  as  this  is  his  only  source  of  sub- 
sistence now,  he  continues  it.  From  this  circumstance  has  arisen 
the  idea  that  the  lion,  when  he  has  once  tasted  human  flesh,  loves 
it  better  than  any  other.  A man-eater  is  invariably  an  old  lion : 
and  when  he  overcomes  his  fear  of  man  so  far  as  to  come  to  villages 
for  goats,  the  people  remark,  “ His  teeth  are  worn,  he  will  soon  kill 
men.”  They  at  once  acknowledge  the  necessity  of  instant  action, 
and  turn  out  to  kill  him.  When  living  far  away  from  population, 
or  when,  as  is  the  case  in  some  parts,  he  entertains  a wholesome 


THE  LION. 


151 


dread  of  the  Bushmen  and  Bakalahari,  as  soon  as  either  disease  or 
old  age  overtakes  him,  he  begins  to  catch  mice  and  other  small 
rodents,  and  even  to  eat  grass ; the  natives,  observing  undigested 
vegetable  matter  in  his  droppings,  follow  up  his  trail  in  the  cer- 
tainty of  finding  him  scarcely  able  to  move  under  some  tree,  and 
dispatch  him  without  difficulty.  The  grass  may  have  been  eaten 
as  medicine,  as  is  observed  in  dogs. 

That  the  fear  of  man  often  remains  excessively  strong  in  the 
carnivora  is  proved  from  well-authenticated  cases  in  which  the 
lioness,  in  the  vicinity  of  towns  where  the  large  game  had  been 
unexpectedly  driven  away  by  fire-arms,  has  been  known  to  assuage 
the  paroxysms  of  hunger  by  devouring  her  own  young.  It  must 
be  added,  that,  though  the  effluvium  which  is  left  by  the  footsteps 
of  man  is  in  general  sufficient  to  induce  lions  to  avoid  a village, 
there  are  exceptions;  so  many  came  about  our  half- deserted 
houses  at  Chonuane  while  we  were  in  the  act  of  removing  to 
Kolobeng,  that  the  natives  who  remained  with  Mrs.  Livingstone 
were  terrified  to  stir  out  of  doors  in  the  evenings.  Bitches,  also, 
have  been  known  to  be  guilty  of  the  horridly  unnatural  act  of 
eating  their  own  young,  probably  from  the  great  desire  for  animal 
food,  which  is  experienced  by  the  inhabitants  as  well. 

When  a lion  is  met  in  the  daytime,  a circumstance  by  no 
means  unfrequent  to  travelers  in  these  parts,  if  preconceived  no- 
tions do  not  lead  them  to  expect  something  very  “ noble”  or  “ma- 
jestic,” they  will  see  merely  ?tn  animal  somewhat  larger  than  the 
biggest  dog  they  ever  saw,  and  partaking  very  strongly  of  the  ca- 
nine features ; the  face  is  not  much  like  the  usual  drawings  of  a 
lion,  the  nose  being  prolonged  like  a dog’s ; not  exactly  such  as 
our  painters  make  it — though  they  might  learn  better  at  the  Zoo- 
logical Gardens — their  ideas  of  majesty  being  usually  shown  by 
making  their  lions’  faces  like  old  women  in  nightcaps.  When 
encountered  in  the  daytime,  the  lion  stands  a second  or  two,  gaz- 
ing, then  turns  slowly  round,  and  walks  as  slowly  away  for  a doz- 
en paces,  looking  over  his  shoulder ; then  begins  to  trot,  and,  when 
he  thinks  himself  out  of  sight,  bounds  off  like  a greyhound.  By 
day  there  is  not,  as  a ride,  the  smallest  danger  of  lions  which  arc 
not  molested  attacking  man,  nor  even  on  a clear  moonlight  night, 
except  when  they  possess  the  breeding  aropyr)  (natural  affection) : 
this  makes  them  brave  almost  any  danger;  and  if  a man  hap- 


152 


HABITS  OF  THE  LION. 


pens  to  cross  to  the  windward  of  them,  both  lion  and  lioness 
will  rush  at  him,  in  the  manner  of  a bitch  with  whelps.  This 
does  not  often  happen,  as  I only  became  aware  of  two  or  three 
instances  of  it.  In  one  case  a man,  passing  where  the  wind 
blew  from  him  to  the  animals,  was  bitten  before  he  could  climb  a 
tree ; and  occasionally  a man  on  horseback  has  been  caught  by 
the  leg  under  the  same  circumstances.  So  general,  however,  is 
the  sense  of  security  on  moonlight  nights,  that  we  seldom  tied  up 
our  oxen,  but  let  them  lie  loose  by  the  wagons ; while  on  a dark, 
rainy  night,  if  a lion  is  in  the  neighborhood,  he  is  almost  sure  to 
venture  to  kill  an  ox.  His  approach  is  always  stealthy,  except 
when  wounded ; and  any  appearance  of  a trap  is  enough  to  cause 
him  to  refrain  from  making  the  last  spring.  This  seems  charac- 
teristic of  the  feline  species ; when  a goat  is  picketed  in  India  for 
the  purpose  of  enabling  the  huntsmen  to  shoot  a tiger  by  night, 
if  on  a plain,  he  would  whip  off  the  animal  so  quickly  by  a stroke 
of  the  paw  that  no  one  could  take  aim ; to  obviate  this,  a small 
pit  is  dug,  and  the  goat  is  picketed  to  a stake  in  the  bottom ; a 
small  stone  is  tied  in  the  ear  of  the  goat,  which  makes  him  cry 
the  whole  night.  When  the  tiger  sees  the  appearance  of  a trap,  he 
walks  round  and  round  the  pit,  and  allows  the  hunter,  who  is  lying 
in  wait,  to  have  a fair  shot. 

When  a lion  is  very  hungry,  and  lying  in  wait,  the  sight  of 
an  animal  may  make  him  commence  stalking  it.  In  one  case  a 
man,  while  stealthily  crawling  toward  a rhinoceros,  happened  to 
glance  behind  him,  and  found  to  his  horror  a lion  stalking  Mm  ; 
he  only  escaped  by  springing  up  a tree  like  a cat.  At  Lopepe  a 
lioness  sprang  on  the  after  quarter  of  Mr.  Oswell’s  horse,  and 
when  we  came  up  to  him  we  found  the  marks  of  the  claws  on 
the  horse,  and  a scratch  on  Mr.  O.’s  hand.  The  horse,  on  feeling 
the  lion  on  him,  sprang  away,  and  the  rider,  caught  by  a wait-a- 
bit  thorn,  was  brought  to  the  ground  and  rendered  insensible. 
His  dogs  saved  him.  Another  English  gentleman  (Captain  Cod- 
rington)  was  surprised  in  the  same  way,  though  not  hunting  the 
lion  at  the  time,  but  turning  round  he  shot  him  dead  in  the 
neck.  By  accident  a horse  belonging  to  Codrington  ran  away, 
but  was  stopped  by  the  bridle  catching  a stump ; there  he 
remained  a prisoner  two  days,  and  when  found  the  whole  space 
around  was  marked  by  the  footprints  of  lions.  They  had  evi- 


HABITS  OF  THE  LION. 


153 


dently  been  afraid  to  attack  the  haltered  horse  from  fear  that  it 
was  a trap.  Two  lions  came  up  by  night  to  within  three  yards 
of  oxen  tied  to  a wagon,  and  a sheep  tied  to  a tree,  and  stood  roar- 
ing, but  afraid  to  make  a spring.  On  another  occasion  one  of  our 
party  was  lying  sound  asleep  and  unconscious  of  danger  between 
two  natives  behind  a bush  at  Mashue ; the  fire  was  nearly  out  at 
their  feet  in  consequence  of  all  being  completely  tired  out  by  the 
fatigues  of  the  previous  day ; a lion  came  up  to  within  three  yards 
of  the  fire,  and  there  commenced  roaring  instead  of  making  a 
spring : the  fact  of  their  riding-ox  being  tied  to  the  bush  was  the 
only  reason  the  lion  had  for  not  following  his  instinct,  and  making 
a meal  of  flesh.  He  then  stood  on  a knoll  three  hundred  yards 
distant,  and  roared  all  night,  and  continued  his  growling  as  the 
party  moved  off  by  daylight  next  morning. 

Nothing  that  I ever  learned  of  the  lion  would  lead  me  to  at- 
tribute to  it  either  the  ferocious  or  noble  character  ascribed  to  it 
elsewhere.  It  possesses  none  of  the  nobility  of  the  Newfoundland 
or  St.  Bernard  dogs.  With  respect  to  its  great  strength  there  can 
be  no  doubt.  The  immense  masses  of  muscle  around  its  jaws, 
shoulders,  and  forearms  proclaim  tremendous  force.  They  would 
seem,  however,  to  be  inferior  in  power  to  those  of  the  Indian  tiger. 
Most  of  those  feats  of  strength  that  I have  seen  performed  by 
lions,  such  as  the  taking  away  of  an  ox,  were  not  carrying,  but 
dragging  or  trailing  the  carcass  along  the  ground:  they  have 
sprung  on  some  occasions  on  to  the  hind-quarters  of  a horse,  but 
no  one  has  ever  seen  them  on  the  withers  of  a giraffe.  They  do 
not  mount  on  the  hind-quarters  of  an  eland  even,  but  try  to  tear 
him  down  with  their  claws.  Messrs.  Oswell  and  Vardon  once 
saw  three  lions  endeavoring  to  drag  down  a buffalo,  and  they  were 
unable  to  do  so  for  a time,  though  he  was  then  mortally  wounded 
by  a two-ounce  ball.* 


* This  singular  encounter,  in  the  words  of  an  eye-witness,  happened  as  follows : 
“ My  South  African  Journal  is  now  before  me,  and  I have  got  hold  of  the  ac- 
count of  the  lion  and  buffalo  affair;  here  it  is:  ‘15th  September,  1846.  Oswell 
and  I were  riding  this  afternoon  along  the  banks  of  the  Limpopo,  when  a water- 
buck  started  in  front  of  us.  I dismounted,  and  was  following  it  through  the  jungle, 
when  three  buffaloes  got  up,  and,  after  going  a little  distance,  stood  still,  and  the 
nearest  bull  turned  round  and  looked  at  me.  A ball  from  the  two-ouncer  crashed 
into  his  shoulder,  and  they  all  three  made  off.  Oswell  and  I followed  as  soon  as  I 


154 


HABITS  OF  THE  LION. 


In  general  the  lion  seizes  the  animal  he  is  attacking  by  the 
flank  near  the  hind  leg,  or  by  the  throat  below  the  jaw.  It  is 
questionable  whether  he  ever  attempts  to  seize  an  animal  by  the 
withers.  The  flank  is  the  most  common  point  of  attack,  and  that 
is  the  part  he  begins  to  feast  on  first.  The  natives  and  lions  are 
very  similar  in  their  tastes  in  the  selection  of  tit-bits : an  eland 
may  be  seen  disemboweled  by  a lion  so  completely  that  he 
scarcely  seems  cut  up  at  all.  The  bowels  and  fatty  parts  form  a 
full  meal  for  even  the  largest  lion.  The  jackal  comes  sniffing 
about,  and  sometimes  suffers  for  his  temerity  by  a stroke  from  the 
lion’s  paw  laying  him  dead.  When  gorged,  the  lion  falls  fast 
asleep,  and  is  then  easily  dispatched.  Hunting  a lion  with  dogs 
involves  very  little  danger  as  compared  with  hunting  the  Indian 
tiger,  because  the  dogs  bring  him  out  of  cover  and  make  him 
stand  at  bay,  giving  the  hunter  plenty  of  time  for  a good  deliber- 
ate shot. 

Where  game  is  abundant,  there  you  may  expect  lions  in  pro- 
portionately large  numbers.  They  are  never  seen  in  herds,  but 
six  or  eight,  probably  one  family,  occasionally  hunt  together.  One 


had  reloaded,  and  when  we  were  in  sight  of  the  buffalo,  and  gaining  on  him  at 
every  stride,  three  lions  leaped  on  the  unfortunate  brute ; he  bellowed  most  lustily 
as  he  kept  up  a kind  of  running  fight,  but  he  was,  of  course,  soon  overpowered  and 
pulled  down.  We  had  a fine  view  of  the  struggle,  and  saw  the  lions  on  their  hind 
legs  tearing  away  with  teeth  and  claws  in  most  ferocious  style.  We  crept  up 
within  thirty  yards,  and,  kneeling  down,  blazed  away  at  the  lions.  My  rifle  was  a 
single  barrel,  and  I had  no  spare  gun.  One  lion  fell  dead  almost  on  the  buffalo ; 
he  had  merely  time  to  turn  toward  us,  seize  a bush  with  his  teeth,  and  drop 
dead  with  the  stick  in  his  jaws.  The  second  made  oft'  immediately;  and  the 
third  raised  his  head,  coolly  looked  round  for  a moment,  then  went  on  tearing 
and  biting  at  the  carcass  as  hard  as  ever.  We  retired  a short  distance  to  load, 
then  again  advanced  and  fired.  The  lion  made  off,  but  a ball  that  he  received 
ought  to  have  stopped  him,  as  it  went  clean  through  his  shoulder-blade.  He 
was  followed  up  and  killed,  after  having  charged  several  times.  Both  lions 
were  males.  It  is  not  often  that  one  lags  a brace  of  lions  and  a bull  buffalo 
in  about  ten  minutes.  It  was  an  exciting  adventure,  and  I shall  never  forget 
it.’ 

“ Such,  my  dear  Livingstone,  is  the  plain  unvarnished'  account.  The  buffalo 
had,  of  course,  gone  close  to  where  the  lions  were  lying  down  for  the  day;  and 
they,  seeing  him  lame  and  bleeding,  thought  the  opportunity  too  good  a one  to  be 
lost. 

“ Ever  yours, 

“ Frank  Vardon.” 


THEEE  LIONS  ATTEMPTING  TO  DRAG  DOWN  A BUFFALO,  AS  SEEN  BY  MR.  OSWELL  AND  MAJOR  VARDON 


■ 


I 


HIS  ROAR. 


157 


is  in  much  more  danger  of  being  run  over  when  walking  in  the 
streets  of  London,  than  he  is  of  being  devoured  by  lions  in  Africa, 
unless  engaged  in  hunting  the  animal.  Indeed,  nothing  that  I 
have  seen  or  heard  about  lions  would  constitute  a barrier  in  the 
way  of  men  of  ordinary  courage  and  enterprise. 

The  same  feeling  which  has  induced  the  modern  painter  to 
caricature  the  lion,  has  led  the  sentimentalist  to  consider  the 
lion’s  roar  the  most  terrific  of  all  earthly  sounds.  We  hear  of  the 
“majestic  roar  of  the  king  of  beasts.”  It  is,  indeed,  well  cal- 
culated to  inspire  fear  if  you  hear  it  in  combination  with  the 
tremendously  loud  thunder  of  that  country,  on  a night  so  pitchy 
dark  that  every  flash  of  the  intensely  vivid  lightning  leaves  you 
with  the  impression  of  stone-blindness,  while  the  rain  pours  down 
so  fast  that  your  fire  goes  out,  leaving  you  without  the  protection 
of  even  a tree,  or  the  chance  of  your  gun  going  off.  But  when 
you  are  in  a comfortable  house  or  wagon,  the  case  is  very  dif- 
ferent, and  you  hear  the  roar  of  the  lion  without  any  awe  or  alarm. 
The  silly  ostrich  makes  a noise  as  loud,  yet  he  never  was  feared 
by  man.  To  talk  of  the  majestic  roar  of  the  lion  is  mere  majes- 
tic twaddle.  On  my  mentioning  this  fact  some  years  ago,  the 
assertion  was  doubted,  so  I have  been  careful  ever  since  to  inquire 
the  opinions  of  Europeans,  who  have  heard  both,  if  they  could  de- 
tect any  difference  between  the  roar  of  a lion  and  that  of  an  ostrich; 
the  invariable  answer  was,  that  they  could  not  when  the  animal 
was  at  any  distance.  The  natives  assert  that  they  can  detect  a 
variation  between  the  commencement  of  the  noise  of  each.  There 
is,  it  must  be  admitted,  considerable  difference  between  the  sing- 
ing noise  of  a lion  when  full,  and  his  deep,  gruff  growl  when  hun- 
gry. In  general  the  lion’s  voice  seems  to  come  deeper  from  the 
chest  than  that  of  the  ostrich,  but  to  this  day  I can  distinguish 
between  them  with  certainty  only  by  knowing  that  the  ostrich 
roars  by  day  and  the  lion  by  night. 

The  African  lion  is  of  a tawny  color,  like  that  of  some  mas- 
tiffs. The  mane  in  the  male  is  large,  and  gives  the  idea  of  great 
power.  In  some  lions  the  ends  of  the  hair  of  the  mane  are  black; 
these  go  by  the  name  of  black-maned  lions,  though  as  a whole 
all  look  of  the  yellow  tawny  color.  At  the  time  of  the  discovery 
of  the  lake,  Messrs.  Oswell  and  Wilson  shot  two  specimens  of 
another  variety.  One  was  an  old  lion,  whose  teeth  were  mere 


158 


LIONS  AUD  BUFFALOES. 


stumps,  and  his  claws  worn  quite  blunt ; the  other  was  full  grown, 
in  the  prime  of  life,  with  white,  perfect  teeth ; both  were*  entirely 
destitute  of  mane.  The  lions  in  the  country  near  the  lake  give 
tongue  less  than  those  further  south.  We  scarcely  ever  heard 
them  roar  at  all. 

The  lion  has  other  checks  on  inordinate  increase  besides  man. 
He  seldom  attacks  full-grown  animals ; but  frequently,  when  a 
buffalo  calf  is  caught  by  him,  the  cow  rushes  to  the  rescue,  and  a 
toss  from  her  often  kills  him.  One  we  found  was  killed  thus ; 
and  on  the  Leeambye  another,  which  died  near  Sesheke,  had  all 
the  appearance  of  having  received  his  death-blow  from  a buffalo. 
It  is  questionable  if  a single  lion  ever  attacks  a full-grown  buffalo. 
The  amount  of  roaring  heard  at  night,  on  occasions  when  a buffalo 
is  killed,  seems  to  indicate  there  are  always  more  than  one  lion 
engaged  in  the  onslaught. 

On  the  plain,  south  of  Sebituane’s  ford,  a herd  of  buffaloes 
kept  a number  of  lions  from  their  young  by  the  males  turning 
their  heads  to  the  enemy.  The  young  and  the  cows  were  in  the 
rear.  One  toss  from  a bull  would  kill  the  strongest  lion  that 
ever  breathed.  I have  been  informed  that  in  one  part  of  India 
even  the  tame  buffaloes  feel  their  superiority  to  some  wild  ani- 
mals, for  they  have  been  seen  to  chase  a tiger  up  the  hills,  bel- 
lowing as  if  they  enjoyed  the  sport.  Lions  never  go  near  any 
elephants  except  the  calves,  which,  when  young,  are  sometimes 
torn  by  them ; every  living  thing  retires  before  the  lordly  ele- 
phant, yet  a full-grown  one  would  be  an  easier  prey  than  the 
rhinoceros ; the  lion  rushes  off  at  the  mere  sight  of  this  latter 
beast. 

In  the  country  adjacent  to  Mashue  great  numbers  of  different 
kinds  of  mice  exist.  The  ground  is  often  so  undermined  with 
their  burrows  that  the  foot  sinks  in  at  every  step.  Little  hay- 
cocks, about  two  feet  high,  and  rather  more  than  that  in  breadth, 
are  made  by  one  variety  of  these  little  creatures.  The  same 
thing  is  done  in  regions  annually  covered  with  snow  for  obvious 
purposes,  but  it  is  difficult  here  to  divine  the  reason  of  the  hay- 
making in  the  climate  of  Africa.* 

* Euryotis  unisulcatus  (F.  Cuvier),  Mus  purnelio  (Spar.),  and  Mus  lehocla  (Smith), 
all  possess  this  habit  in  a greater  or  less  degree.  The  first-named  may  be  seen 
escaping  danger  with  its  young  hanging  to  the  after-part  of  its  body. 


BUFFALO  COW  DEFENDING  HER  DALE. 


. 


* 

' 


SERPENTS. 


161 


Wherever  mice  abound,  serpents  may  be  expected,  for  the  one 
preys  on  the  other.  A cat  in  a house  is  therefore  a good  pre- 
ventive against  the  entrance  of  these  noxious  reptiles.  Occasion- 
ally, however,  notwithstanding  every  precaution,  they  do  find 
their  way  in,  but  even  the  most  venomous  sorts  bite  only  when 
put  in  bodily  fear  themselves,  or  when  trodden  upon,  or  when  the 
sexes  come  together.  I once  found  a coil  of  serpents’  skins,  made 
by  a number  of  them  twisting  together  in  the  manner  described 
by  the  Druids  of  old.  When  in  the  country,  one  feels  nothing  of 
that  alarm  and  loathing  which  we  may  experience  when  sitting  in 
a comfortable  English  room  reading  about  them ; yet  they  are 
nasty  things,  and  we  seem  to  have  an  instinctive  feeling  against 
them.  In  making  the  door  for  our  Mabotsa  house,  I happened  to 
leave  a small  hole  at  the  corner  below.  Early  one  morning  a 
man  came  to  call  for  some  article  I had  promised.  I at  once  went 
to  the  door,  and,  it  being  dark,  trod  on  a serpent.  The  moment  I 
felt  the  cold  scaly  skin  twine  round  a part  of  my  leg,  my  latent 
instinct  was  roused,  and  I jumped  up  higher  than  I ever  did  be- 
fore or  hope  to  do  again,  shaking  the  reptile  off  in  the  leap.  I 
probably  trod  on  it  near  the  head,  and  so  prevented  it  biting  me, 
but  did  not  stop  to  examine. 

Some  of  the  serpents  are  particularly  venomous.  One  was 
killed  at  Kolobeng  of  a dark  brown,  nearly  black  color,  8 feet  3 
inches  long.  This  species  (picakholu)  is  so  copiously  supplied 
with  poison  that,  when  a number  of  dogs  attack  it,  the  first  bitten 
dies  almost  instantaneously,  the  second  in  about  five  minutes,  the 
third  in  an  hour  or  so,  while  the  fourth  may  live  several  hours. 
In  a cattle-pen  it  produces  great  mischief  in  the  same  way.  The 
one  we  killed  at  Kolobeng  continued  to  distill  clear  poison  from 
the  fangs  for  hours  after  its  head  was  cut  off.  This  was  probably 
that  which  passes  by  the  name  of  the  “ spitting  serpent,”  which 
is  believed  to  be  able  to  eject  its  poison  into  the  eyes  when  the 
wind  favors  its  forcible  expiration.  They  all  require  water,  and 
come  long  distances  to  the  Zouga,  and  other  rivers  and  pools,  hi 
search  of  it.  We  have  another  dangerous  serpent,  the  puff  adder, 
and  several  vipers.  One,  named  by  the  inhabitants  “ Noga-put- 
sane,”  or  serpent  of  a kid,  utters  a cry  by  night  exactly  like  the 
bleating  of  that  animal.  I heard  one  at  a spot  where  no  kid 

L 


162 


SERPENTS. — FASCINATION. 


could  possibly  have  been.  It  is  supposed  by  the  natives  to  lure 
travelers  to  itself  by  this  bleating.  Several  varieties,  when 
alarmed,  emit  a peculiar  odor,  by  which  the  people  become 
aware  of  their  presence  in  a house.  "We  have  also  the  cobra 
( Naia  haje,  Smith)  of  several  colors  or  varieties.  When  an- 
noyed, they  raise  their  heads  up  about  a foot  from  the  ground, 
and  flatten  the  neck  in  a threatening  manner,  darting  out  the 
tongue  and  retracting  it  with  great  velocity,  while  their  fixed 
glassy  eyes  glare  as  if  in  anger.  There  are  also  various  species 
of  the  genus  Dendrojphis,  as  the  Bucephalus  viridis,  or  green  tree- 
climber.  They  climb  trees  in  search  of  birds  and  eggs,  and  are 
soon  discovered  by  all  the  birds  in  the  neighborhood  collecting 
and  sounding  an  alarm.*  Their  fangs  are  formed  not  so  much  for 

* “As  this  snake,  Bucephalus  Capensis,  in  our  opinion,  is  not  provided  with  a 
poisonous  fluid  to  instill  into  wounds  which  these  fangs  may  inflict,  they  must  con- 
sequently be  intended  for  a purpose  different  to  those  which  exist  in  poisonous  rep- 
tiles. Their  use  seems  to  be  to  offer  obstacles  to  the  retrogression  of  animals,  such 
as  birds,  etc.,  while  they  are  only  partially  within  the  mouth  ; and  from  the  circum- 
stance of  these  fangs  being  directed  backward,  and  not  admitting  of  being  raised 
so  as  to  form  an  angle  with  the  edge  of  the  jaw,  they  are  well  fitted  to  act  as  power- 
ful holders  when  once  they  penetrate  the  skin  and  soft  parts  of  the  prey  which  their 
possessors  may  be  in  the  act  of  swallowing.  Without  such  fangs  escapes  would  be 
common ; with  such  they  are  rare. 

‘ ‘ The  natives  of  South  Africa  regard  the  Bucephalus  Capensis  as  poisonous ; but 
in  their  opinion  we  can  not  concur,  as  we  have  not  been  able  to  discover  the  exist- 
ence of  any  glands  manifestly  organized  for  the  secretion  of  poison.  The  fangs 
are  inclosed  in  a soft,  pulpy  sheath,  the  inner  surface  of  which  is  commonly  coated 
with  a thin  glairy  secretion.  This  secretion  possibly  may  have  something  acrid 
and  irritating  in  its  qualities,  which  may,  when  it  enters  a wound,  cause  pain  and 
even  swelling,  but  nothing  of  greater  importance. 

“The  Bucephalus  Capensis  is  generally  found  on  trees,  to  which  it  resorts  for 
the  purpose  of  catching  birds,  upon  which  it  delights  to  feed.  The  presence  of  a 
specimen  in  a tree  is  generally  soon  discovered  by  the  birds  of  the  neighborhood, 
who  collect  around  it  and  fly  to  and  fro,  uttering  the  most  piercing  cries,  until  some 
one,  more  terror-struck  than  the  rest,  actually  scans  its  lips,  and,  almost  without  re- 
sistance, becomes  a meal  for  its  enemy.  During  such  a proceeding  the  snake  is 
generally  observed  with  its  head  raised  about  ten  or  twelve  inches  above  the  branch 
round  which  its  body  and  tail  are  entwined,  with  its  mouth  open  and  its  neck  in- 
flated, as  if  anxiously  endeavoring  to  increase  the  terror  which  it  would  almost  ap- 
pear it  was  aware  would  sooner  or  later  bring  within  its  grasp  some  one  of  the  feath- 
ered group. 

“ Whatever  may  be  said  in  ridicule  of  fascination,  it  is  nevertheless  true  that 
birds,  and  even  quadrupeds,  are,  under  certain  circumstances,  unable  to  retire 
from  the  presence  of  certain  of  their  enemies;  and,  what  is  even  more  extra- 


SERPENTS. 


163 


injecting  poison  on  external  objects  as  for  keeping  in  any  animal 
or  bird  of  which  they  have  got  hold.  In  the  case  of  the  Dasy- 
jpeltis  inornatus  (Smith),  the  teeth  are  small,  and  favorable  for 
the  passage  of  thin-shelled  eggs  without  breaking.  The  egg  is 
taken  in  unbroken  till  it  is  within  the  gullet,  or  about  two  inches 
behind  the  head.  The  gular  teeth  placed  there  break  the  shell 
without  spilling  the  contents,  as  would  be  the  case  if  the  front 
teeth  were  large.  The  shell  is  then  ejected.  Others  appear  to 
be  harmless,  and  even  edible.  Of  the  latter  sort  is  the  large  py- 
thon, metse  pallah,  or  tari.  The  largest  specimens  of  this  are 
about  15  or  20  feet  in  length.  They  are  perfectly  harmless,  and 
live  on  small  animals,  chiefly  the  rodentia  ; occasionally  the  stein- 
buck  and  pallah  fall  victims,  and  are  sucked  into  its  comparative- 
ly small  mouth  in  boa-constrictor  fashion.  One  we  shot  was  11 
feet  10  inches  long,  and  as  thick  as  a man’s  leg.  "When  shot 
through  the  spine,  it  was  capable  of  lifting  itself  up  about  five  feet 
high,  and  opened  its  mouth  in  a threatening  manner,  but  the  poor 
thing  was  more  inclined  to  crawl  away.  The  flesh  is  much  rel- 
ished by  the  Bakalahari  and  Bushmen.  They  carry  away  each 
his  portion,  like  logs  of  wood,  over  their  shoulders. 

Some  of  the  Bayeiye  we  met  at  Sebituane’s  Ford  pretended 
to  be  unaffected  by  the  bite  of  serpents,  and  showed  the  feat 
of  lacerating  their  arms  with  the  teeth  of  such  as  are  unfur- 
nished with  the  poison-fangs.  They  also  swallow  the  poison, 
by  way  of  gaining  notoriety ; but  Dr.  Andrew  Smith  put  the  sin- 


ordinary,  unable  to  resist  the  propensity  to  advance  from  a situation  of  actual 
safety  into  one  of  the  most  imminent  danger.  This  I have  often  seen  exempli- 
fied in  the  case  of  birds  and  snakes ; and  I have  heard  of  instances  equally  curi- 
ous, in  which  antelopes  and  other  quadrupeds  have  been  so  bewildered  by  the  sud- 
den appearance  of  crocodiles,  and  by  the  grimaces  and  contortions  they  practiced, 
as  to  be  unable  to  fly  or  even  move  from  the  spot  toward  which  they  were  approach- 
ing to  seize  them.” — Dr.  Andrew  Smith’s  “ Reptilia.” 

In  addition  to  these  interesting  statements  of  the  most  able  naturalist  from 
whom  I have  taken  this  note,  it  may  be  added  that  fire  exercises  a fascinating 
effect  on  some  kinds  of  toads.  They  may  be  seen  rushing  into  it  in  the  even- 
ings without  ever  starting  back  on  feeling  pain.  Contact  with  the  hot  embers 
rather  increases  the  energy  with  which  they  strive  to  gain  the  hottest  parts,  and 
they  never  cease  their  struggles  for  the  centre  even  when  their  juices  are  co- 
agulating and  their  limbs  stiffening  in  the  roasting  heat.  Various  insects,  also, 
are  thus  fascinated ; but  the  scorpions  may  be  seen  coming  away  from  the  fire 
in  fierce  disgust,  and  they  are  so  irritated  as  to  inflict  at  that  time  their  most  pain- 
ful stings. 


164 


THE  “SECHU.’ 


cerity  of  such  persons  to  the  test  by  offering  them  the  fangs  of 
a really  poisonous  variety,  and  found  they  shrank  from  the  ex- 
periment. 

When  we  reached  the  Bamangwato,  the  chief,  Sekomi,  was  par- 
ticularly friendly,  collected  all  his  people  to  the  religious  services 
we  held,  and  explained  his  reasons  for  compelling  some  English- 
men to  pay  him  a horse.  “ They  would  not  sell  him  any  pow- 
der, though  they  had  plenty  ; so  he  compelled  them  to  give  it  and 
the  horse  for  nothing.  He  would  not  deny  the  extortion  to  me ; 
that  would  be  ‘ boherehere’  (swindling).”  He  thus  thought  ex- 
tortion better  than  swindling.  I could  not  detect  any  difference 
in  the  morality  of  the  two  transactions,  but  Sekomi’s  ideas  of 
honesty  are  the  lowest  I have  met  with  in  any  Bechuana  chief, 
and  this  instance  is  mentioned  as  the  only  approach  to  demand- 
ing payment  for  leave  to  pass  that  I have  met  with  in  the  south. 
In  all  other  cases  the  difficulty  has  been  to  get  a chief  to  give  us 
men  to  show  the  way,  and  the  payment  has  only  been  for  guides. 
Englishmen  have  always  very  properly  avoided  giving  that  idea 
to  the  native  mind  which  we  shall  hereafter  find  prove  trouble- 
some, that  payment  ought  to  be  made  for  passage  through  a 
country. 

All  the  Bechuana  and  Caffre  tribes  south  of  the  Zambesi 
practice  circumcision  ( boguera ),  but  the  rites  observed  are  care- 
fully concealed.  The  initiated  alone  can  approach,  but  in  this 
town  I was  once  a spectator  of  the  second  part  of  the  ceremony 
of  the  circumcision,  called  “ seclxu.”  Just  at  the  dawn  of  day, 
a row  of  boys  of  nearly  fourteen  years  of  age  stood  naked  in 
the  kotla,  each  having  a pair  of  sandals  as  a shield  on  his  hands. 
Facing  them  stood  the  men  of  the  town  in  a similar  state  of  nu- 
dity, all  armed  with  long  thin  wands,  of  a tough,  strong,  supple 
bush  called  moretloa  ( Grewia  flava),  and  engaged  in  a dance 
named  “ koha,”  in  which  questions  are  put  to  the  boys,  as  “ Will 
you  guard  the  chief  well?”  “Will  you  herd  the  cattle  well?” 
and,  while  the  latter  give  an  affirmative  response,  the  men  rush 
forward  to  them,  and  each  aims  a full-weight  blow  at  the  back  of 
one  of  the  boys.  Shielding  himself  with  the  sandals  above  his 
head,  he  causes  the  supple  wand  to  descend  and  bend  into  his 
back,  and  every  stroke  inflicted  thus  makes  the  blood  squirt  out 
of  a wound  a foot  or  eighteen  inches  long.  At  the  end  of  the 


THE  “BOGUERA.’ 


165 


dance,  the  boys’  backs  are  seamed  with  wounds  and  weals,  the 
scars  of  which  remain  through  life.  This  is  intended  to  harden 
the  young  soldiers,  and  prepare  them  for  the  rank  of  men.  After 
this  ceremony,  and  after  killing  a rhinoceros,  they  may  marry  a 
wife. 

In  the  “koha”  the  same  respect  is  shown  to  age  as  in  many 
other  of  their  customs.  A younger  man,  rushing  from  the  ranks 
to  exercise  his  wand  on  the  backs  of  the  youths,  may  be  him- 
self the  object  of  chastisement  by  the  older,  and,  on  the  occasion 
referred  to,  Sekomi  received  a severe  cut  on  the  leg  from  one  of 
his  gray-haired  people.  On  my  joking  with  some  of  the  young- 
men  on  their  want  of  courage,  notwithstanding  all  the  beatings 
of  which  they  bore  marks,  and  hinting  that  our  soldiers  were 
brave  without  suffering  so  much,  one  rose  up  and  said,  “Ask 
him  if,  when  he  and  I were  compelled  by  a lion  to  stop  and  make 
a fire,  I did  not  lie  down  and  sleep  as  well  as  himself.”  In  other 
parts  a challenge  to  try  a race  would  have  been  given,  and  you 
may  frequently  see  grown  men  adopting  that  means  of  testing 
superiority,  like  so  many  children. 

The  sechu  is  practiced  by  three  tribes  only.  Boguera  is  ob- 
served by  all  the  Bechuanas  and  Caffres,  but  not  by  the  negro 
tribes  beyond  20°  south.  The  “boguera”  is  a civil  rather  than 
a religious  rite.  All  the  boys  of  an  age  between  ten  and  four- 
teen or  fifteen  are  selected  to  be  the  companions  for  life  of  one 
of  the  sons  of  the  chief.  They  are  taken  out  to  some  retired 
spot  in  the  forest,  and  huts  are  erected  for  their  accommodation ; 
the  old  men  go  out  and  teach  them  to  dance,  initiating  them, 
at  the  same  time,  into  all  the  mysteries  of  African  politics  and 
government.  Each  one  is  expected  to  compose  an  oration  in 
praise  of  himself,  called  a “leina”  or  name,  and  to  be  able  to 
repeat  it  with  sufficient  fluency.  A good  deal  of  beating  is 
required  to  bring  them  up  to  the  required  excellency  in  different 
matters,  so  that,  when  they  return  from  the  close  seclusion  in 
which  they  are  kept,  they  have  generally  a number  of  scars 
to  show  on  their  backs.  These  bands  or  regiments,  named 
mepato  in  the  plural  and  mopato  in  the  singular,  receive  par- 
ticular appellations  ; as,  the  Matsatsi — the  suns ; the  Mabusa — 
the  rulers ; equivalent  to  our  Coldstreams  or  Enniskillens  ; and, 
though  living  in  different  parts  of  the  town,  they  turn  out  at  the 


166 


CEREMONIES  OF  AFRICAN  TRIBES. 


call,  ancl  act  under  the  chiefs  son  as  their  commander.  They 
recognize  a sort  of  equality  and  partial  communism  ever  after- 
ward, and  address  each  other  by  the  title  of  molekane  or  com- 
rade. In  cases  of  offence  against  their  rules,  as  eating  alone 
when  any  of  their  comrades  are  within  call,  or  in  cases  of 
cowardice  or  dereliction  of  duty,  they  may  strike  one  another, 
or  any  member  of  a younger  mopato,  but  never  any  one  of  an 
older  band ; and  when  three  or  four  companies  have  been  made, 
the  oldest  no  longer  takes  the  field  in  time  of  war,  but  remains 
as  a guard  over  the  women  and  children.  When  a fugitive 
comes  to  a tribe,  he  is  directed  to  the  mopato  analogous  to 
that  to  which  in  his  own  tribe  he  belongs,  and  does  duty  as  a 
member.  No  one  of  the  natives  knows  how  old  he  is.  If  asked 
his  age,  he  answers  by  putting  another  question,  “Does  a man 
remember  when  he  was  born  ?”  Age  is  reckoned  by  the 
number  of  mepato  they  have  seen  pass  through  the  formulae 
of  admission.  When  they  see  four  or  five  mepato  younger  than 
themselves,  they  are  no  longer  obliged  to  bear  arms.  The  oldest 
individual  I ever  met  boasted  he  had  seen  eleven  sets  of  boys 
submit  to  the  boguera.  Supposing  him  to  have  been  fifteen 
when  he  saw  his  own,  and  fresh  bands  were  added  every  six  or 
seven  years,  he  must  have  been  about  forty  when  he  saw  the 
fifth,  and  may  have  attained  seventy-five  or  eighty  years,  which 
is  no  great  age;  but  it  seemed  so  to  them,  for  he  had  now 
doubled  the  age  for  superannuation  among  them.  It  is  an 
ingenious  plan  for  attaching  the  members  of  the  tribe  to  the 
chiefs  family,  and  for  imparting  a discipline  which  renders  the 
tribe  easy  of  command.  On  their  return  to  the  town  from  attend- 
ance on  the  ceremonies  of  initiation,  a prize  is  given  to  the  lad 
who  can  run  fastest,  the  article  being  placed  where  all  may  see 
the  winner  run  up  to  snatch  it.  They  are  then  considered  men 
(banona,  viri),  and  can  sit  among  the  elders  in  the  kotla.  For- 
merly they  were  only  boys  (basimane,  pueri).  The  first  mis- 
sionaries set  their  faces  against  the  boguera,  on  account  of  its 
connection  with  heathenism,  and  the  fact  that  the  youths  learned 
much  evil,  and  became  disobedient  to  their  parents.  From  the 
general  success  of  these  men,  it  is  perhaps  better  that  younger 
missionaries  should  tread  in  their  footsteps  ; for  so  much  evil 
may  result  from  breaking  down  the  authority  on  which,  to  those 


“BOY ALE.”— BAMANGWATO  HILLS. 


167 


who  can  not  read,  the  whole  system  of  our  influence  appears  to 
rest,  that  innovators  ought  to  be  made  to  propose  their  new 
measures  as  the  Locrians  did  new  laws — with  ropes  around  their 
necks. 

Probably  the  “boguera”  was  only  a sanitary  and  political 
measure ; and  there  being  no  continuous  chain  of  tribes  practicing 
the  rite  between  the  Arabs  and  the  Bechuanas,  or  Caflres,  and  as 
it  is  not  a religious  ceremony,  it  can  scarcely  be  traced,  as  is  often 
done,  to  a Mohammedan  source. 

A somewhat  analogous  ceremony  (boyale)  takes  place  for  young 
women,  and  the  protegees  appear  abroad  drilled  under  the  surveil- 
lance of  an  old  lady  to  the  carrying  of  water.  They  are  clad  dur- 
ing the  whole  time  in  a dress  composed  of  ropes  made  of  alternate 
pumpkin-seeds  and  bits  of  reed  strung  together,  and  wound  round 
the  body  in  a figure-of-eight  fashion.  They  are  inured  in  this 
way  to  bear  fatigue,  and  carry  large  pots  of  water  under  the  guid- 
ance of  the  stern  old  hag.  They  have  often  scars  from  bits  of 
burning  charcoal  having  been  applied  to  the  forearm,  which  must 
have  been  done  to  test  their  power  of  bearing  pain. 

The  Bamangwato  hills  are  part  of  the  range  called  Bakaa. 
The  Bakaa  tribe,  however,  removed  to  Kolobeng,  and  is  now 
joined  to  that  of  Sechele.  The  range  stands  about  700  or  800 
feet  above  the  plains,  and  is  composed  of  great  masses  of  black 
basalt.  It  is  probably  part  of  the  latest  series  of  volcanic  rocks 
in  South  Africa.  At  the  eastern  end  these  hills  have  curious 
fungoid  or  cup-shaped  hollows,  of  a size  which  suggests  the  idea 
of  craters.  Within  these  are  masses  of  the  rock  crystallized  in 
the  columnar  form  of  this  formation.  The  tops  of  the  columns 
are  quite  distinct,  of  the  hexagonal  form,  like  the  bottom  of  the 
cells  of  a honeycomb,  but  they  are  not  parted  from  each  other  as 
in  the  Cave  of  Fingal.  In  many  parts  the  lava-streams  may  be 
recognized,  for  there  the  rock  is  rent  and  split  in  every  direction, 
but  no  soil  is  yet  found  in  the  interstices.  When  we  were  sitting- 
in  the  evening,  after  a hot  day,  it  was  quite  common  to  hear 
these  masses  of  basalt  split  and  fall  among  each  other  with  the 
peculiar  ringing  sound  which  makes  people  believe  that  this  rock 
contains  much  iron.  Several  large  masses,  in  splitting  thus  by 
the  cold  acting  suddenly  on  parts  expanded  by  the  heat  of  the 
day,  have  slipped  down  the  sides  of  the  hills,  and,  impinging 


168 


THE  UNICORN’S  PASS. 


against  each  other,  have  formed  cavities  in  which  the  Bakaa  took 
refuge  against  their  enemies.  The  numerous  chinks  and  crannies 
left  by  these  huge  fragments  made  it  quite  impossible  for  their  en- 
emies to  smoke  them  out,  as  was  done  by  the  Boers  to  the  people 
of  Mankopane. 

This  mass  of  basalt,  about  six  miles  long,  has  tilted  up  the 
rocks  on  both  the  east  and  west ; these  upheaved  rocks  are  the 
ancient  silurian  schists  which  formed  the  bottom  of  the  great 
primasval  valley,  and,  like  all  the  recent  volcanic  rocks  of  this 
country,  have  a hot  fountain  in  then-  vicinity,  namely,  that  of  Seri- 
nane. 

In  passing  through  these  hills  on  our  way  north  we  enter  a 
pass  named  Manakalongwe,  or  Unicorn’s  Pass.  The  unicorn 
here  is  a large  edible  caterpillar,  with  an  erect,  horn -like  tail. 
The  pass  was  also  called  Porapora  (or  gurgling  of  water),  from  a 
stream  having  run  through  it.  The  scene  must  have  been  very 
different  in  former  times  from  what  it  is  now.  This  is  part  of 
the  River  Mahalapi,  which  so-called  river  scarcely  merits  the 
name,  any  more  than  the  meadows  of  Edinburgh  deserve  the 
title  of  North  Loch.  These  lulls  are  the  last  we  shall  see  for 
months.  The  country  beyond  consisted  of  large  patches  of  trap- 
covered  tufa,  having  little  soil  or  vegetation  except  tufts  of 
grass  and  wait-a-bit  thorns,  in  the  midst  of  extensive  sandy, 
grass-covered  plains.  These  yellow-colored,  grassy  plains,  with 
moretloa  and  mahatla  bushes,  form  quite  a characteristic  feature 
of  the  country.  The  yellow  or  dun-color  prevails  during  a great 
part  of  the  year.  The  Bakwain  hills  are  an  exception  to  the 
usual  flat  surface,  for  they  are  covered  with  green  trees  to  their 
tops,  and  the  valleys  are  often  of  the  most  lovely  green.  The 
trees  are  larger  too,  and  even  the  plains  of  the  Bakwain  country 
contain  trees  instead  of  bushes.  If  you  look  north  from  the  hills 
we  are  now  leaving,  the  country  partakes  of  this  latter  character. 
It  appears  as  if  it  were  a flat  covered  with  a forest  of  ordinary- 
sized trees  from  20  to  30  feet  high,  but  when  you  travel  over  it 
they  are  not  so  closely  planted  but  that  a wagon  with  care  may 
be  guided  among  them.  The  grass  grows  in  tufts  of  the  size  of 
one’s  hat,  with  bare  soft  sand  between.  Nowhere  here  have  we 
an  approach  to  English  lawns,  or  the  pleasing  appearance  of  En- 
glish greensward. 


ME.  GORDON  CUMMING. 


169 


In  no  part  of  this  country  could  European  grain  be  cultivated 
without  irrigation.  The  natives  all  cultivate  the  dourrha  or 
holcus  sorghum,  maize,  pumpkins,  melons,  cucumbers,  and  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  beans ; and  they  are  entirely  dependent  for  the 
growth  of  these  on  rains.  Their  instrument  of  culture  is  the 
hoe,  and  the  chief  labor  falls  on  the  female  portion  of  the  com- 
munity. In  this  respect  the  Bechuanas  closely  resemble  the 
Caffres.  The  men  engage  in  hunting,  milk  the  cows,  and  have 
the  entire  control  of  the  cattle ; they  prepare  the  skins,  make 
the  clothing,  and  in  many  respects  may  be  considered  a nation  of 
tailors. 

When  at  Sekomi’s  we  generally  have  heard  his  praises  sounded 
by  a man  who  rises  at  break  of  day,  and  utters  at  the  top  of  his 
voice  the  oration  which  that  ruler  is  said  to  have  composed  at  his 
boguera.  This  repetition  of  his  “ leina,”  or  oration,  is  so  pleas- 
ing to  a chief,  that  he  generally  sends  a handsome  present  to  the 
man  who  does  it. 

January  2%th.  Passing  on  to  Letloche,  about  twenty  miles 
beyond  the  Bamangwato,  we  found  a tine  supply  of  water.  This 
is  a point  of  so  much  interest  in  that  country  that  the  first  ques- 
tion we  ask  of  passers  by  is,  “ Have  you  had  water  ?”  the  first 
inquiry  a native  puts  to  a fellow-countryman  is,  “ Where  is  the 
rain  ?”  and,  though  they  are  by  no  means  an  untruthful  nation, 
the  answer  generally  is,  “I  don’t  know — there  is  none — we  are 
killed  with  hunger  and  by  the  sun.”  If  news  is  asked  for,  they 
commence  with,  “ There  is  no  news : I heard  some  lies  only,”  and 
then  tell  all  they  know. 

This  spot  was  Mr.  Gordon  Cumming’s  furthest  station  north. 
Our  house  at  Kolobeng  having  been  quite  in  the  hunting- 
country,  rhinoceros  and  buffaloes  several  times  rushed  past,  and 
I was  able  to  shoot  the  latter  twice  from  our  own  door.  We 
were  favored  by  visits  from  this  famous  hunter  during  each  of 
the  five  years  of  his  warfare  with  wild  animals.  Many  English 
gentlemen  following  the  same  pursuits  paid  their  guides  and 
assistants  so  punctually  that  in  making  arrangements  for  them 
we  had  to  be  careful  that,  four  did  not  go  where  two  only  were 
wanted : they  knew  so  well  that  an  Englishman  would  pay  that 
they  depended  implicitly  on  his  word  of  honor,  and  not  only 
would  they  go  and  hunt  for  five  or  six  months  in  the  north, 


170 


SPORTING. 


enduring  all  tlie  hardships  of  that  trying  mode  of  life,  with  little 
else  but  meat  of  game  to  subsist  on,  but  they  willingly  went  seven 
hundred  or  eight  hundred  miles  to  Graham’s  Town,  receiving  for 
wages  only  a musket  worth  fifteen  shillings. 

No  one  ever  deceived  them  except  one  man  ; and  as  I believed 
that  he  was  afflicted  with  a slight  degree  of  the  insanity  of  greedi- 
ness, I upheld  the  honor  of  the  English  name  by  paying  his 
debts.  As  the  guides  of  Mr.  Gumming  were  furnished  through 
my  influence,  and  usually  got  some  strict  charges  as  to  their 
behavior  before  parting,  looking  upon  me  in  the  light  of  a fa- 
ther, they  always  came  to  give  me  an  account  of  their  service, 
and  told  most  of  those  hunting  adventures  which  have  since  been 
given  to  the  world,  before  we  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  our 
friend  relate  them  himself  by  our  own  fireside.  I had  thus  a 
tolerably  good  opportunity  of  testing  their  accuracy,  and  I have 
no  hesitation  in  saying  that  for  those  who  love  that  sort  of  thing 
Mr.  Cuipming’s  book  conveys  a truthful  idea  of  South  African 
hunting.  Some  things  in  it  require  explanation,  but  the  numbers 
of  animals  said  to  have  been  met  with  and  killed  are  by  no 
means  improbable,  considering  the  amount  of  large  game  then  in 
the  country.  Two  other  gentlemen  hunting  in  the  same  region 
destroyed  in  one  season  no  fewer  than  seventy-eight  rhinoceroses 
alone.  Sportsmen,  however,  would  not  now  find  an  equal  num- 
ber, for  as  guns  are  introduced  among  the  tribes  all  these  fine 
animals  melt  away  like  snow  in  spring.  In  the  more  remote 
districts,  where  fire-arms  have  not  yet  been  introduced,  with  the 
single  exception  of  the  rhinoceros,  the  game  is  to  be  found  in 
numbers  much  greater  than  Mr.  Cumming  ever  saw.  The  tsetse 
is,  however,  an  insuperable  barrier  to  hunting  with  horses  there, 
and  Europeans  can  do  nothing  on  foot.  The  step  of  the  elephant 
when  charging  the  hunter,  though  apparently  not  quick,  is  so 
long  that  the  pace  equals  the  speed  of  a good  horse  at  a canter. 
A young  sportsman,  no  matter  how  great  among  pheasants,  foxes, 
and  hounds,  would  do  well  to  pause  before  resolving  to  brave 
fever  for  the  excitement  of  risking  such  a terrific  charge ; the 
scream  or  trumpeting  of  this  enormous  brute  when  infuriated  is 
more  like  what  the  shriek  of  a French  steam-whistle  would  be  to 
a man  standing  on  the  dangerous  part  of  a rail-road  than  any 
other  earthly  sound : a horse  unused  to  it  will  sometimes  stand 


SCARCITY  OF  WATER.— THE  OSTRICH. 


171 


shivering  instead  of  taking  his  rider  out  of  danger.  It  has  hap- 
pened often  that  the  poor  animal’s  legs  do  their  duty  so  badly 
that  he  falls  and  causes  his  rider  to  he  trodden  into  a mummy ; 
or,  losing  his  presence  of  mind,  the  rider  may  allow  the  horse  to 
dash  under  a tree  and  crack  his  cranium  against  a branch.  As 
one  charge  from  an  elephant  has  made  embryo  Nimrods  bid  a 
final  adieu  to  the  chase,  incipient  Gordon  Cummings  might  try 
their  nerves  by  standing  on  railways  till  the  engines  were  within 
a few  yards  of  them.  Hunting  elephants  on  foot  would  be  not 
less  dangerous,*  unless  the  Ceylon  mode  of  killing  them  by  one 
shot  could  be  followed : it  has  never  been  tried  in  Africa. 

Advancing  to  some  wells  beyond  Letloche,  at  a spot  named 
Kanne,  we  found  them  carefully  hedged  round  by  the  people  of 
a Bakalahari  village  situated  near  the  spot.  We  had  then  sixty 
miles  of  country  in  front  without  water,  and  very  distressing  for 
the  oxen,  as  it  is  generally  deep  soft  sand.  There  is  one  suck- 
ing-place, around  which  were  congregated  great  numbers  of  Bush- 
women  with  their  egg-shells  and  reeds.  Mathuluane  now  con- 
tained no  water,  and  Motlatsa  only  a small  supply,  so  we  sent 
the  oxen  across  the  country  to  the  deep  well  Nkauane,  and  half 
were  lost  on  the  way.  When  found  at  last  they  had  been  five 
whole  days  without  water.  Very  large  numbers  of  elands  were 
met  with  as  usual,  though  they  seldom  can  get  a sip  of  drink. 
Many  of  the  plains  here  have  large  expanses  of  grass  without 
trees,  but  you  seldom  see  a treeless  horizon.  The  ostrich  is 
generally  seen  .quietly  feeding  on  some  spot  where  no  one  can 
approach  him  without  being  detected  by  his  wary  eye.  As  the 
wagon  moves  along  far  to  the  windward  he  thinks  it  is  intend- 
ing to  circumvent  him,  so  he  rushes  up  a mile  or  so  from  the  lee- 
ward, and  so  near  to  the  front  oxen  that  one  sometimes  gets  a 
shot  at  the  silly  bird.  When  he  begins  to  run  all  the  game  in 
sight  follow  his  example.  I have  seen  this  folly  taken  advantage 
of  when  he  was  feeding  quietly  in  a valley  open  at  both  ends.  A 
number  of  men  would  commence  running,  as  if  to  cut  off  his  re- 
treat from  the  end  through  which  the  wind  came ; and  although 
he  had  the  whole  country  hundreds  of  miles  before  him  by  going 

* Since  writing  the  above  statement,  it  has  received  confirmation  in  the 
reported  death  of  Mr.  Walhberg  while  hunting  elephants  on  foot  at  Lake 
Ngami. 


172 


THE  OSTRICH. 


to  the  other  end,  on  he  madly  rushed  to  get  past  the  men,  and  so 
was  speared.  He  never  swerves  from  the  course  he  once  adopts, 
but  only  increases  his  speed. 

When  the  ostrich  is  feeding  his  pace  is  from  twenty  to  twenty- 
two  inches;  when  walking,  but  not  feeding,  it  is  twenty -six 
inches ; and  when  terrified,  as  in  the  case  noticed,  it  is  from 
eleven  and  a half  to  thirteen  and  even  fourteen  feet  in  length. 
Only  in  one  case  was  I at  all  satisfied  of  being  able  to  count  the 
rate  of  speed  by  a stop-watch,  and,  if  I am  not  mistaken,  there 
were  thirty  in  ten  seconds ; generally  one’s  eye  can  no  more  fol- 
low the  legs  than  it  can  the  spokes  of  a carriage-wheel  in  rapid 
motion.  If  we  take  the  above  number,  and  twelve  feet  stride  as 
the  average  pace,  we  have  a speed  of  twenty-six  miles  an  hour. 
It  can  not  be  very  much  above  that,  and  is  therefore  slower  than 
a railway  locomotive.  They  are  sometimes  shot  by  the  horseman 
making  a cross  cut  to  their  undeviating  course,  but  few  English- 
men ever  succeed  in  killing  them. 

The  ostrich  begins  to  lay  her  eggs  before  she  has  fixed  on  a 
spot  for  a nest,  which  is  only  a hollow  a few  inches  deep  in  the 
sand,  and  about  a yard  in  diameter.  Solitary  eggs,  named  by  the 
Bechuanas  “ lesetla,”  are  thus  found  lying  forsaken  all  over  the 
country,  and  become  a prey  to  the  jackal.  She  seems  averse  to 
risking  a spot  for  a nest,  and  often  lays  her  eggs  in  that  of  an- 
other ostrich,  so  that  as  many  as  forty-five  have  been  found  in  one 
nest.  Some  eggs  contain  small  concretions  of  the  matter  which 
forms  the  shell,  as  occurs  also  in  the  egg  of  the  common  fowl : 
this  has  given  rise  to  the  idea  of  stones  in  the  eggs.  Both  male 
and  female  assist  in  the  incubations  ; but  the  numbers  of  females 
being  always  greatest,  it  is  probable  that  cases  occur  in  which 
the  females  have  the  entire  charge.  Several  eggs  lie  out  of  the 
nest,  and  are  thought  to  be  intended  as  food  for  the  first  of  the 
newly-hatched  brood  till  the  rest  come  out  and  enable  the  whole 
to  start  in  quest  of  food.  I have  several  times  seen  newly-hatch- 
ed young  in  charge  of  the  cock,  who  made  a very  good  attempt 
at  appearing  lame  in  the  plover  fashion,  in  order  to  draw  off  the 
attention  of  pursuers.  The  young  squat  down  and  remain  im- 
movable when  too  small  to  run  far,  but  attain  a wonderful  degree 
of  speed  when  about  the  size  of  common  fowls.  It  can  not  be 
asserted  that  ostriches  are  polygamous,  though  they  often  appear 


THE  OSTRICH.  173 

to  be  so.  When  caught  they  are  easily  tamed,  but  are  of  no  use 
in  their  domesticated  state. 

The  egg  is  possessed  of  very  great  vital  power.  One  kept  in 
a room  during  more  than  three  months,  in  a temperature  about 
60°,  when  broken  was  found  to  have  a partially-developed  live 
chick  in  it.  The  Bushmen  carefully  avoid  touching  the  eggs,  or 
leaving  marks  of  human  feet  near  them,  when  they  find  a nest. 
They  go  up  the  wind  to  the  spot,  and  with  a long  stick  remove 
some  of  them  occasionally,  and,  by  preventing  any  suspicion,  keep 
the  hen  laying  on  for  months,  as  we  do  with  fowls.  The  eggs 
have  a strong,  disagreeable  flavor,  which  only  the  keen  appetite  of 
the  Desert  can  reconcile  one  to.  The  Hottentots  use  their  trow- 
sers  to  carry  home  the  twenty  or  twenty-five  eggs  usually  found 
in  a nest ; and  it  has  happened  that  an  Englishman,  intending  to 
imitate  this  knowing  dodge,  comes  to  the  wagons  with  blistered 
legs,  and,  after  great  toil,  finds  all  the  eggs  uneatable,  from  having 
been  some  time  sat  upon.  Our  countrymen  invariably  do  best 
when  they  continue  to  think,  speak,  and  act  in  their  own  proper 
character. 

The  food  of  the  ostrich  consists  of  pods  and  seeds  of  different 
kinds  of  leguminous  plants,  with  leaves  of  various  plants ; and,  as 
these  are  often  hard  and  dry,  he  picks  up  a great  quantity  of 
pebbles,  many  of  which  are  as  large  as  marbles.  He  picks  up 
also  some  small  bulbs,  and  occasionally  a wild  melon  to  afford 
moisture,  for  one  was  found  with  a melon  which  had  choked  him 
by  sticking  in  his  throat.  It  requires  the  utmost  address  of  the 
Bushmen,  crawling  for  miles  on  their  stomachs,  to  stalk  them 
successfully ; yet  the  quantity  of  feathers  collected  annually 
shows  that  the  numbers  slain  must  be  considerable,  as  each  bird 
has  only  a few  in  the  wings  and  tail.  The  male  bird  is  of  a jet 
black  glossy  color,  with  the  single  exception  of  the  white  feath- 
ers, which  are  objects  of  trade.  Nothing  can  be  finer  than  the 
adaptation  of  those  flossy  feathers  for  the  climate  of  the  Kala- 
hari, where  these  birds  abound  ; for  they  afford  a perfect  shade 
to  the  body,  with  free  ventilation  beneath  them.  The  hen  os- 
trich is  of  a dark  brownish-gray  color,  and  so  are  the  half-grown 
cocks. 

The  organs  of  vision  in  this  bird  are  placed  so  high  that  he  can 
detect  an  enemy  at  a great  distance,  but  the  lion  sometimes  kills 


174 


THE  OSTRICH. 


him.  The  flesh  is  white  and  coarse,  though,  when  in  good  con- 
dition, it  resembles  in  some  degree  that  of  a tough  turkey.  It 
seeks  safety  in  flight ; but  when  pursued  by  dogs  it  may  be  seen 
to  turn  upon  them  and  inflict  a kick,  which  is  vigorously  applied, 
and  sometimes  breaks  the  dog’s  back. 


EFFECTS  OF  MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 


175 


t 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Effects  of  Missionary  Efforts. — Belief  in  the  Deity. — Ideas  of  the  Bakwains  on  Re- 
ligion.— Departure  from  their  Country. — Salt-pans. — Sour  Curd. — Nchokotsa. — 
Bitter  Waters. — Thirst  suffered  by  the  wild  Animals. — Wanton  Cruelty  in  Hunt- 
ing.— Ntwetwe. — Mowana-trees. — Their  extraordinary  Vitality. — The  Mopane- 
tree. — The  Morala. — The  Bushmen. — Their  Superstitions. — Elephant-hunting. — 
Superiority  of  civilized  over  barbarous  Sportsmen. — The  Chief  Kaisa. — His  Fear 
of  Responsibility. — Beauty  of  the  Country  at  Unku. — The  Mohonono  Bush. — 
Severe  Labor  in  cutting  our  Way. — Party  seized  with  Fever. — Escape  of  our 
Cattle. — Bakwain  Mode  of  recapturing  them. — Vagaries  of  sick  Servants. — Dis- 
covery of  grape-bearing  Vines. — An  Ant-eater. — Difficulty  of  passing  through 
the  Forest. — Sickness  of  my  Companion. — The  Bushmen. — Their  Mode  of  de- 
stroying Lions. — Poisons. — The  solitary  Hill. — A picturesque  Valley. — Beauty 
of  the  Country. — Arrive  at  the  Sanshureh  River.  — The  flooded  Prairies. — A 
pontooning  Expedition. — A night  Bivouac. — The  Chobe. — Arrive  at  the  Village 
of  Moremi. — Surprise  of  the  Makololo  at  our  sudden  Appearance. — Cross  the 
Chobe  on  our  way  to  Linyanti. 

Tiie  Bakalaliari,  who  live  at  Motlatsa  wells,  have  always  been 
very  friendly  to  us,  and  listen  attentively  to  instruction  conveyed 
to  them  in  their  own  tongue.  It  is,  however,  difficult  to  give 
an  idea  to  a European  of  the  little  effect  teaching  produces, 
because  no  one  can  realize  the  degradation  to  which  their  minds 
have  been  sunk  by  centuries  of  barbarism  and  hard  struggling  for 
the  necessaries  of  life : like  most  others,  they  listen  with  respect 
and  attention,  but,  when  we  kneel  down  and  address  an  unseen 
Being,  the  position  and  the  act  often  appear  to  them  so  ridicu- 
lous that  they  can  not  refrain  from  bursting  into  uncontrollable 
laughter.  After  a few  services  they  get  over  this  tendency.  I 
was  once  present  when  a missionary  attempted  to  sing  among  a 
wild  heathen  tribe  of  Bechuanas,  who  had  no  music  in  their  com- 
position ; the  effect  on  the  risible  faculties  of  the  audience  was 
such  that  the  tears  actually  ran  down  their  cheeks.  Nearly  all 
their  thoughts  are  directed  to  the  supply  of  their  bodily  wants, 
and  this  has  been  the  case  with  the  race  for  ages.  If  asked,  then, 
what  effect  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  has  at  the  commence- 
ment on  such  individuals,  I am  unable  to  tell,  except  that  some 


176 


RELIGIOUS  IDEAS  OF  BAKWAINS. 


have  confessed  long  afterward  that  they  then  first  began  to  pray 
in  secret.  Of  the  effects  of  a long-continued  course  of  instruction 
there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt,  as  mere  nominal  belief  has 
never  been  considered  sufficient  proof  of  conversion  by  any  body 
of  missionaries ; and,  after  the  change  which  has  been  brought 
about  by  this  agency,  we  have  good  reason  to  hope  well  for  the 
future — those  I have  myself  witnessed  behaving  in  the  manner 
described,  when  kindly  treated  in  sickness  often  utter  imploring 
words  to  Jesus,  and  I believe  sometimes  really  do  pray  to  him 
in  their  afflictions.  As  that  great  Redeemer  of  the  guilty  seeks 
to  save  all  he  can,  we  may  hope  that  they  find  mercy  through 
His  blood,  though  little  able  to  appreciate  the  sacrifice  He  made. 
The  indirect  and  scarcely  appreciable  blessings  of  Christian  mis- 
sionaries going  about  doing  good  are  thus  probably  not  so  despi- 
cable as  some  might  imagine ; there  is  no  necessity  for  beginning 
to  tell  even  the  most  degraded  of  these  people  of  the  existence  of 
a God  or  of  a future  state,  the  facts  being  universally  admitted. 
Every  thing  that  can  not  be  accounted  for  by  common  causes  is 
ascribed  to  the  Deity,  as  creation,  sudden  death,  etc.  “How 
curiously  God  made  these  things!”  is  a common  expression;  as 
is  also,  “He  was  not  killed  by  disease,  he  was  killed  by  God.” 
And,  when  speaking  of  the  departed — though  there  is  naught  in 
the  physical  appearance  of  the  dead  to  justify  the  expression — 
they  say,  “He  has  gone  to  the  gods,”  the  phrase  being  identical 
with  “ abiit  ad plures.” 

On  questioning  intelligent  men  among  the  Bakwains  as  to 
their  former  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  of  God  and  the  future 
state,  they  have  scouted  the  idea  of  any  of  them  ever  having 
been  without  a tolerably  clear  conception  on  all  these  subjects. 
Respecting  their  sense  of  right  and  wrong,  they  profess  that 
nothing  we  indicate  as  sin  ever  appeared  to  them  as  otherwise, 
except  the  statement  that  it  was  wrong  to  have  more  wives  than 
one;  and  they  declare  that  they  spoke  in  the  same  way  of  the 
direct  influence  exercised  by  God  in  giving  rain  in  answer  to 
prayers  of  the  rain-makers,  and  in  granting  deliverances  in  times- 
of  danger,  as  they  do  now,  before  they  ever  heard  of  white  men. 
The  want,  however,  of  any  form  of  public  worship,  or  of  idols,  or 
of  formal  prayers  or  sacrifice,  make  both  Caffres  and  Bechuanas 
appear  as  among  the  most  godless  races  of  mortals  known  any 


LEAVE  BAKWAIN  COUNTRY. 


177 


where.  But,  though  they  all  possess  a distinct  knowledge  of  a 
deity  and  of  a future  state,  they  show  so  little  reverence,  and  feel 
so  little  connection  with  either,  that  it  is  not  surprising  that  some 
have  supposed  them  entirely  ignorant  on  the  subject.  At  Lotla- 
kani  we  met  an  old  Bushman  who  at  first  seemed  to  have  no 
conception  of  morality  whatever  ; when  his  heart  was  warmed  by 
our  presents  of  meat,  he  sat  by  the  fire  relating  his  early  adven- 
tures: among  these  was  killing  five  other  Bushmen.  “Two,” 
said  he,  counting  on  his  fingers,  “ were  females,  one  a male,  and 
the  other  two  calves.”  “ What  a villain  you  are,  to  boast  of  kill- 
ing women  and  children  of  your  own  nation  ! what  will  God  say 
when  you  appear  before  him?”  “He  will  say,”  replied  he,  “ that 
I was  a very  clever  fellow.”  This  man  now  appeared  to  me  as 
without  any  conscience,  and,  of  course,  responsibility  ; but,  on 
trying  to  enlighten  him  by  further  conversation,  I discovered  that, 
though  he  was  employing  the  word  that  is  used  among  the  Bak- 
wains  when  speaking  of  the  Deity,  he  had  only  the  idea  of  a chief, 
and  was  all  the  while  referring  to  Sekomi,  while  his  victims  were 
a party  of  rebel  Bushmen  against  whom  he  had  been  sent.  If  I 
had  known  the  name  of  God  in  the  Bushman  tongue  the  mistake 
could  scarcely  have  occurred.  It  must,  however,  be  recollected, 
while  reflecting  on  the  degradation  of  the  natives  of  South  Africa, 
that  the  farther  north,  the  more  distinct  do  the  native  ideas  on  re- 
ligious subjects  become,  and  I have  not  had  any  intercourse  with 
either  Caffres  or  Bushmen  in  their  own  tongues. 

Leaving  Motlatsa  on  the  8th  of  February,  1853,  we  passed  down 
the  Mokoko,  which,  in  the  memory  of  persons  now  living,  was  a 
flowing  stream.  We  ourselves  once  saw  a heavy  thunder-show- 
er make  it  assume  its  ancient  appearance  of  running  to  the  north. 
Between  Lotlakani  and  Nchokotsa  we  passed  the  small  well 
named  Orapa ; and  another  called  Thutsa  lay  a little  to  our 
right — its  water  is  salt  and  purgative ; the  salt-pan  Chuantsa, 
having  a cake  of  salt  one  inch  and  a half  in  thickness,  is  about 
ten  miles  to  the  northeast  of  Orapa.  This  deposit  contains  a 
bitter  salt  in  addition,  probably  the  nitrate  of  lime ; the  natives, 
in  order  to  render  it  palatable  and  wholesome,  mix  the  salt  with 
the  juice  of  a gummy  plant,  then  place  it  in  the  sand  and  bake  it 
by  making  a fire  over  it ; the  lime  then  becomes  insoluble  and 
tasteless. 


M 


178 


NCHOKOTSA.— BITTER  WATERS. 


The  Bamangwato  keep  large  flocks  of  sheep  and  goats  at  vari- 
ous spots  on  this  side  of  the  Desert.  They  thrive  wonderfully 
well  wherever  salt  and  bushes  are  to  be  found.  The  milk  of  goats 
does  not  coagulate  with  facility,  like  that  of  cows,  on  account  of 
its  richness ; but  the  natives  have  discovered  that  the  infusion 
of  the  fruit  of  a solanaceous  plant,  Toluane,  quickly  produces  the 
effect.  The  Bechuanas  put  their  milk  into  sacks  made  of  untan- 
ned hide,  with  the  hair  taken  off.  Hung  in  the  sun,  it  soon  coag- 
ulates ; the  whey  is  then  drawn  off  by  a plug  at  the  bottom,  and 
fresh  milk  added,  until  the  sack  is  full  of  a thick,  sour  curd,  which, 
when  one  becomes  used  to  it,  is  delicious.  The  rich  mix  this  in 
the  porridge  into  which  they  convert  their  meal,  and,  as  it  is  thus 
rendered  nutritious  and  strength-giving,  an  expression  of  scorn 
is  sometimes  heard  respecting  the  poor  or  weak,  to  the  effect  that 
“they  are  water-porridge  men.”  It  occupies  the  place  of  our 
roast  beef. 

At  Nchokotsa,  the  rainy  season  having  this  year  been  delayed 
beyond  the  usual  time,  we  found  during  the  day  the  thermom- 
eter stand  at  96°  in  the  coolest  possible  shade.  This  height  at 
Kolobeng  always  portended  rain  at  hand.  At  Kuruman,  when 
it  rises  above  84°,  the  same  phenomenon  may  be  considered 
near ; while  farther  north  it  rises  above  100°  before  the  cooling 
influence  of  the  evaporation  from  rain  may  be  expected.  Here 
the  bulb  of  the  thermometer,  placed  two  inches  beneath  the 
soil,  stood  at  128°.  All  around  Nchokotsa  the  country  looked 
parched,  and  the  glare  from  the  white  efflorescence  which  covers 
the  extensive  pans  on  all  sides  was  most  distressing  to  the  eyes. 
The  water  of  Nchokotsa  was  bitter,  and  presented  indications 
not  to  be  mistaken  of  having  passed  through  animal  systems 
before.  All  these  waters  contain  nitrates,  which  stimulate  the 
kidneys  and  increase  the  thirst.  The  fresh  additions  of  water 
required  in  cooking  meat,  each  imparting  its  own  portion  of  salt, 
make  one  grumble  at  the  cook  for  putting  too  much  seasoning 
in,  while  in  fact  he  has  put  in  none  at  all,  except  that  contained 
in  the  water.  Of  bitter,  bad,  disgusting  waters  I have  drunk  not 
a few  nauseous  draughts ; you  may  try  alum,  vitriol,  boiling, 
etc.,  etc.,  to  convince  yourself  that  you  are  not  more  stupid  than 
travelers  you  will  meet  at  home,  but  the  ammonia  and  other 


CRUELTY  OF  HUNTERS.  179 

salts  are  there  still ; and  the  only  remedy  is  to  get  away  as  quick- 
ly as  possible  to  the  north. 

We  dug  out  several  wells ; and  as  we  had  on  each  occasion  to 
wait  till  the  water  flowed  in  again,  and  then  allow  our  cattle  to 
feed  a day  or  two  and  slake  their  thirst  thoroughly,  as  far  as 
that  could  be  done,  before  starting,  our  progress  was  but  slow. 
At  Koobe  there  was  such  a mass  of  mud  in  the  pond,  worked  up 
by  the  wallowing  rhinoceros  to  the  consistency  of  mortar,  that 
only  by  great  labor  could  we  get  a space  cleared  at  one  side 
for  the  water  to  ooze  through  and  collect  in  for  the  oxen.  Should 
the  rhinoceros  come  back,  a single  roll  in  the  great  mass  we  had 
thrown  on  one  side  would  have  rendered  all  our  labor  vain.  It 
was  therefore  necessary  for  us  to  guard  the  spot  at  night.  On 
these  great  flats  all  around  we  saw  in  the  white  sultry  glare 
herds  of  zebras,  gnus,  and  occasionally  buffaloes,  standing  for 
days,  looking  wistfully  toward  the  wells  for  a share  of  the  nasty 
water.  It  is  mere  wanton  cruelty  to  take  advantage  of  the  ne- 
cessities of  these  poor  animals,  and  shoot  them  down  one  after 
another,  without  intending  to  make  the  smallest  use  of  either  the 
flesh,  skins,  or  horns.  In  shooting  by  night,  animals  are  more 
frequently  wounded  than  killed  ; the  flowing  life-stream  increases 
the  thirst,  so  that  in  desperation  they  come  slowly  up  to  drink 
in  spite  of  the  danger,  “ I must  drink,  though  I die.”  The  ostrich, 
even  when  not  wounded,  can  not,  with  all  his  wariness,  resist  the 
excessive  desire  to  slake  his  burning  thirst.  It  is  Bushman-like 
practice  to  take  advantage  of  its  piteous  necessities,  for  most  of 
the  feathers  they  obtain  are  procured  in  this  way ; but  they  eat 
the  flesh,  and  are  so  far  justifiable. 

I could  not  order  my  men  to  do  what  I would  not  do  myself; 
but,  though  I tried  to  justify  myself  on  the  plea  of  necessity, 
I could  not  adopt  this  mode  of  hunting.  If  your  object  is  to 
secure  the  best  specimens  for  a museum,  it  may  be  allowable,  and 
even  deserving  of  commendation,  as  evincing  a desire  to  kill  only 
those  really  wanted ; but  if,  as  has  been  practiced  by  some 
Griquas  and  others  who  came  into  the  country  after  Mr.  Cum- 
ming,  and  fired  away  indiscriminately,  great  numbers  of  animals 
are  wounded  and  allowed  to  perish  miserably,  or  are  killed  on 
the  spot  and  left  to  be  preyed  on  by  vultures  and  hyenas,  and 
all  for  the  sole  purpose  of  making  a “ bag,”  then  I take  it  to  be 


180 


VITALITY  OF  THE  MOWANA-TREE. 


evident  that  such  sportsmen  are  pretty  far  gone  in  the  hunting 
form  of  insanity. 

My  men  shot  a black  rhinoceros  in  this  way,  and  I felt  glad  to 
get  away  from  the  only  place  in  which  I ever  had  any  share  in 
night-hunting.  We  passed  over  the  immense  pan  Ntwetwe,  on 
which  the  latitude  could  be  taken  as  at  sea.  Great  tracts  of 
this  part  of  the  country  are  of  calcareous  tufa,  with  only  a thin 
coating  of  soil;  numbers  of  “baobab”  and  “mopane”  trees 
abound  all  over  this  hard,  smooth  surface.  About  two  miles 
beyond  the  northern  bank  of  the  pan  we  unyoked  under  a 
fine  specimen  of  the  baobab,  here  called,  in  the  language  of 
Bechuanas,  Mowana ; it  consisted  of  six  branches  united  into  one 
trunk.  At  three  feet  from  the  ground  it  was  eighty-five  feet  in 
circumference. 

These  mowana-trees  are  the  most  wonderful  examples  of  vitality 
in  the  country ; it  was  therefore  with  surprise  that  we  came  upon 
a dead  one  at  Tlomtla,  a few  miles  beyond  this  spot.  It  is  the 
same  as  those  which  Adamson  and  others  believed,  from  speci- 
mens seen  in  Western  Africa,  to  have  been  alive  before  the  flood. 
Arguing  with  a peculiar  mental  idiosyncracy  resembling  color- 
blindness, common  among  the  French  of  the  time,  these  savans 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  “ therefore  there  never  was  any  flood 
at  all.”  I would  back  a true  mowana  against  a dozen  floods,  pro- 
vided you  do  not  boil  it  in  hot  sea-water ; but  I can  not  believe 
that  any  of  those  now  alive  had  a chance  of  being  subjected  to 
the  experiment  of  even  the  Noachian  deluge.  The  natives  make 
a strong  cord  from  the  fibres  contained  in  the  pounded  bark. 
The  whole  of  the  trunk,  as  high  as  they  can  reach,  is  consequently 
often  quite  denuded  of  its  covering,  which  in  the  case  of  almost 
any  other  tree  would  cause  its  death,  but  this  has  no  effect  on  the 
mowana  except  to  make  it  throw  out  a new  bark,  which  is  done 
in  the  way  of  granulation.  This  stripping  of  the  bark  is  repeated 
frequently,  so  that  it  is  common  to  see  the  lower  five  or  six  feet  an 
inch  or  two  less  in  diameter  than  the  parts  above ; even  portions  of 
the  bark  which  have  broken  in  the  process  of  being  taken  off,  but 
remain  separated  from  the  parts  below,  though  still  connected  with 
the  tree  above,  continue  to  grow,  and  resemble  closely  marks  made 
in  the  necks  of  the  cattle  of  the  island  of  Mull  and  of  Caffre  oxen, 
where  a piece  of  skin  is  detached  and  allowed  to  hang  down.  No 


VITALITY  OF  THE  MOW  ANA-TREE. 


181 


external  injury,  not  even  a fire,  can  destroy  this  tree  from  with- 
out ; nor  can  any  injury  he  done  from  within,  as  it  is  quite  com- 
mon to  find  it  hollow ; and  I have  seen  one  in  which  twenty  or 
thirty  men  could  lie  down  and  sleep  as  in  a hut.  Nor  does  cut- 
ting down  exterminate  it,  for  I saw  instances  in  Angola  in  which 
it  continued  to  grow  in  length  after  it  was  lying  on  the  ground. 
Those  trees  called  exogenous  grow  by  means  of  successive  layers 
on  the  outside.  The  inside  may  be  dead,  or  even  removed  alto- 
gether, without  affecting  the  life  of  the  tree.  This  is  the  case 
with  most  of  the  trees  of  our  climate.  The  other  class  is  called 
endogenous,  and  increases  by  layers  applied  to  the  inside ; and 
when  the  hollow  there  is  full,  the  growth  is  stopped — the  tree  must 
die.  Any  injury  is  felt  most  severely  by  the  first  class  on  the 
bark ; by  the  second  on  the  inside ; while  the  inside  of  the  exo- 
genous may  be  removed,  and  the  outside  of  the  endogenous  may 
be  cut,  without  stopping  the  growth  in  the  least.  The  mowana 
possesses  the  powers  of  both.  The  reason  is  that  each  of  the 
laminae  possesses  its  own  independent  vitality ; in  fact,  the  baobob 
is  rather  a gigantic  bulb  run  up  to  seed  than  a tree.  Each  of 
eighty-four  concentric  rings  had,  in  the  case  mentioned,  grown  an 
inch  after  the  tree  had  been  blown  over.  The  roots,  which  may 
often  be  observed  extending  along  the  surface  of  the  ground  forty 
or  fifty  yards  from  the  trunk,  also  retain  their  vitality  after  the 
tree  is  laid  low ; and  the  Portuguese  now  know  that  the  best  way 
to  treat  them  is  to  let  them  alone,  for  they  occupy  much  more 
room  when  cut  down  than  when  growing. 

The  wood  is  so  spongy  and  soft  that  an  axe  can  be  struck  in 
so  far  with  a good  blow  that  there  is  great  difficulty  in  pulling  it 
out  again.  In  the  dead  mowana  mentioned  the  concentric  rings 
were  well  seen.  The  average  for  a foot  at  three  different  places 
was  eighty-one  and  a half  of  these  rings.  Each  of  the  laminae 
can  be  seen  to  be  composed  of  two,  three,  or  four  layers  of  ligne- 
ous tubes ; but  supposing  each  ring  the  growth  of  one  year,  and 
the  semidiameter  of  a mowana  of  one  hundred  feet  in  circumfer- 
ence about  seventeen  feet,  if  the  central  point  were  in  the  centre 
of  the  tree,  then  its  age  would  lack  some  centuries  of  being  as  old 
as  the  Christian  era  (1400).  Though  it  possesses  amazing  vital- 
ity, it  is  difficult  to  believe  that  this  great  baby-looking  bulb  or 
tree  is  as  old  as  the  Pyramids. 


182 


THE  MOPANE-TREE. 


The  mopane-tree  ( bauhinia ) is  remarkable  for  the  little  shade 
its  leaves  afford.  They  fold  together  and  stand  nearly  perpen- 


Mopane  or  bauhinia  leaves,  with  the  insect  and  its  edible  secretions. 

dicular  during  the  heat  of  the  day,  so  that  only  the  shadow  of 
their  edges  comes  to  the  ground.  On  these  leaves  the  small  lar- 
vae of  a winged  insect  appear  covered  over  with  a sweet,  gummy 
substance.  The  people  collect  this  in  great  quantities,  and  use  it 
as  food  ;*  and  the  lopane — large  caterpillars  three  inches  long, 
which  feed  on  the  leaves,  and  are  seen  strung  together — share  the 
same  fate. 

* I am  favored  with  Mr. Westwood’s  remarks  on  this  insect  as  follows: 

“ Taylor  Institution,  Oxford,  July  9,  1857. 

“ The  insect  (and  its  secretion)  on  the  leaves  of  the  bauhinia,  and  which  is  eat- 
en by  the  Africans,  proves  to  be  a species  of  Psylla,  a genus  of  small,  very  active 
Homoptera,  of  which  we  have  one  very  common  species  in  the  box ; but  our  spe- 
cies, Psylla  buxi,  emits  its  secretion  in  the  shape  of  very  long,  white,  cotton-like 
filaments.  But  there  is  a species  in  New  Holland,  found  on  the  leaves  of  the  Eu- 
calyptus, which  emits  a secretion  very  similar  to  that  of  Dr.  Livingstone’s  species. 
This  Australian  secretion  (and  its  insect  originator)  is  known  by  the  name  of  wo- 
me-la,  and,  like  Dr.  Livingstone’s,  it  is  scraped  off  the  leaves  and  eaten  by  the  abo- 
rigines as  a saccharine  dainty.  The  insects  found  beneath  the  secretion,  brought 
home  by  Dr.  Livingstone,  are  in  the  pupa  state,  being  flattened,  with  large  scales 
at  the  sides  of  the  body,  inclosing  the  future  wings  of  the  insect.  The  body  is 
pale  yellowish-colored,  with  dark-brown  spots.  It  will  be  impossible  to  describe 
the  species  technically  until  we  receive  the  perfect  insect.  The  secretion  itself 
is  flat  and  circular,  apparently  deposited  in  concentric  rings,  gradually  increasing 
in  size  till  the  patches  are  about  a quarter  or  a third  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 

“ Jno.  0.  Westwood.” 


MORAL  A-TREE. — BUSHMEN. 


183 


In  passing  along  we  see  every  where  the  power  of  vegetation  in 
breaking  up  the  outer  crust  of  tufa.  A mopane-tree,  growing  in  a 
small  chink,  as  it  increases  in  size  rends  and  lifts  up  large  frag- 
ments of  the  rock  all  around  it,  subjecting  them  to  the  disintegrat- 
ing influence  of  the  atmosphere.  The  wood  is  hard,  and  of  a fine 
red  color,  and  is  named  iron-wood  by  the  Portuguese.  The  in- 
habitants, observing  that  the  mopane  is  more  frequently  struck  by 
lightning  than  other  trees,  caution  travelers  never  to  seek  its  shade 
when  a thunder-storm  is  near — “Lightning  hates  it;”  while  an- 
other tree,  the  “ Morala,”  which  has  three  spines  opposite  each 
other  on  the  branches,  and  has  never  been  known  to  be  touched 
by  lightning,  is  esteemed,  even  as  far  as  Angola,  a protection 
against  the  electric  fluid.  Branches  of  it  may  be  seen  placed  on 
the  houses  of  the  Portuguese  for  the  same  purpose.  The  natives, 
moreover,  believe  that  a man  is  thoroughly  protected  from  an  en- 
raged elephant  if  he  can  get  into  the  shade  of  this  tree.  There 
may  not  be  much  in  this,  but  there  is  frequently  some  foundation 
of  truth  in  their  observations. 

At  Rapesh  we  came  among  our  old  friends  the  Bushmen,  under 
Horoye.  This  man,  Horoye,  a good  specimen  of  that  tribe,  and 
his  son  Mokantsa  and  others,  were  at  least  six  feet  high,  and  of  a 
darker  color  than  the  Bushmen  of  the  south.  They  have  always 
plenty  of  food  and  water ; and  as  they  frequent  the  Zouga  as  oft- 
en as  the  game  in  company  with  which  they  live,  their  life  is  very 
different  from  that  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  thirsty  plains  of  the 
Kalahari.  The  animal  they  refrain  from  eating  is  the  goat,  which 
fact,  taken  in  connection  with  the  superstitious  dread  which  ex- 
ists in  every  tribe  toward  a particular  animal,  is  significant  of 
their  feelings  to  the  only  animals  they  could  have  domesticated 
in  their  desert  home.  They  are  a merry  laughing  set,  and  do 
not  tell  lies  wantonly.  They  have  in  their  superstitious  rites 
more  appearance  of  worship  than  the  Bechuanas  ; and  at  a Bush- 
man’s grave  we  once  came  to  on  the  Zouga,  the  observances  show- 
ed distinctly  that  they  regarded  the  dead  as  still  in  another  state 
of  being ; for  they  addressed  him,  and  requested  him  not  to  be 
offended  even  though  they  wished  still  to  remain  a little  while 
longer  in  this  world. 

Those  among  whom  we  now  were  kill  many  elephants,  and 
when  the  moon  is  full  choose  that  time  for  the  chase,  on  account 


184 


CIVILIZED  AND  BARBAROUS  SPORTSMEN. 


of  its  coolness.  Hunting  this  animal  is  the  best  test  of  courage 
this  country  affords.  The  Bushmen  choose  the  moment  suc- 
ceeding a charge,  when  the  elephant  is  out  of  breath,  to  run  in 
and  give  him  a stab  with  their  long-bladed  spears.  In  this  case 
the  uncivilized  have  the  advantage  over  us,  but  I believe  that 
with  half  their  training  Englishmen  would  beat  the  Bushmen. 
Our  present  form  of  civilization  does  not  necessarily  produce 
effeminacy,  though  it  unquestionably  increases  the  beauty,  cour- 
age, and  physical  powers  of  the  race.  When  at  Kolobeng  I 
took  notes  of  the  different  numbers  of  elephants  killed  in  the 
course  of  the  season  by  the  various  parties  which  went  past  our 
dwelling,  in  order  to  form  an  idea  of  the  probable  annual  de- 
struction of  this  noble  animal.  There  were  parties  of  Griquas, 
Bechuanas,  Boers,  and  Englishmen.  All  were  eager  to  distin- 
guish themselves,  and  success  depended  mainly  on  the  courage 
which  leads  the  huntsman  to  go  close  to  the  animal,  and  not 
waste  the  force  of  his  shot  on  the  air.  It  was  noticeable  that 
the  average  for  the  natives  was  under  one  per  man,  for  the  Gri- 
quas one  per  man,  for  the  Boers  two,  and  for  the  English  officers 
twenty  each.  This  was  the  more  remarkable,  as  the  Griquas, 
Boers,  and  Bechuanas  employed  both  dogs  and  natives  to  assist 
them,  while  the  English  hunters  generally  had  no  assistance  from 
either.  They  approached  to  within  thirty  yards  of  the  animal, 
while  the  others  stood  at  a distance  of  a hundred  yards,  or  even 
more,  and  of  course  spent  all  the  force  of  their  bullets  on  the  air. 
One  elephant  was  found  by  Mr.  Oswell  with  quite  a crowd  of 
bullets  in  his  side,  all  evidently  fired  in  this  style,  and  they  had 
not  gone  near  the  vital  parts. 

It  would  thus  appear  that  our  more  barbarous  neighbors  do  not 
possess  half  the  courage  of  the  civilized  sportsman.  And  it  is 
probable  that  in  this  respect,  as  well  as  in  physical  development, 
we  are  superior  to  our  ancestors.  The  coats  of  mail  and  greaves 
of  the  Knights  of  Malta,  and  the  armor  from  the  Tower  exhibited 
at  the  Eglinton  tournament,  may  be  considered  decisive  as  to  the 
greater  size  attained  by  modern  civilized  men. 

At  Maila  we  spent  a Sunday  with  Kaisa,  the  head  man  of  a 
village  of  Mashona,  who  had  fled  from  the  iron  sway  of  Mosilika- 
tse,  whose  country  lies  east  of  this.  I wished  him  to  take  charge 
of  a packet  of  letters  for  England,  to  be  forwarded  when,  as  is 


BEAUTY  OF  COUNTRY  AT  UNKU. 


185 


the  custom  of  the  Bamangwato,  the  Bechuanas  come  hither  in 
search  of  skins  and  food  among  the  Bushmen ; but  he  could 
not  be  made  to  comprehend  that  there  was  no  danger  in  the 
consignment.  He  feared  the  responsibility  and  guilt  if  any  thing 
should  happen  to  them ; so  I had  to  bid  adieu  to  all  hope  of 
letting  my  family  hear  of  my  welfare  till  I should  reach  the  west 
coast. 

At  Unku  we  came  into  a tract  of  country  which  had  been  vis- 
ited by  refreshing  showers  long  before,  and  every  spot  was  covered 
with  grass  run  up  to  seed,  and  the  flowers  of  the  forest  were  in 
full  bloom.  Instead  of  the  dreary  prospect  around  Koobe  and 
Nchokotsa,  we  had  here  a delightful  scene,  all  the  ponds  full  of 
water,  and  the  birds  twittering  joyfully.  As  the  game  can  now 
obtain  water  every  where,  they  become  very  shy,  and  can  not  be 
found  in  their  accustomed  haunts. 

1st  March.  The  thermometer  in  the  shade  generally  stood  at 
98°  from  1 to  3 P.M.,  but  it  sank  as  low  as  65°  by  night,  so  that 
the  heat  was  by  no  means  exhausting.  At  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  in  the  sun,  the  thermometer  marked  125°,  and  three  inches 
below  it  138°.  The  hand  can  not  be  held  on  the  ground,  and  even 
the  horny  soles  of  the  feet  of  the  natives  must  be  protected  by 
sandals  of  hide  ; yet  the  ants  were  busy  working  on  it.  The  wa- 
ter in  the  ponds  was  as  high  as  100°;  but  as  water  does  not  con- 
duct heat  readily  downward,  deliciously  cool  water  may  be  ob- 
tained by  any  one  walking  into  the  middle  and  lifting  up  the  water 
from  the  bottom  to  the  surface  with  his  hands. 

Proceeding  to  the  north,  from  Kama-kama,  we  entered  into 
dense  Mohonono  bush,  which  required  the  constant  application  of 
the  axe  by  three  of  our  party  for  two  days.  This  bush  has  fine  sil- 
very leaves,  and  the  bark  has  a sweet  taste.  The  elephant,  with 
his  usual  delicacy  of  taste,  feeds  much  on  it.  On  emerging  into 
the  plains  beyond,  we  found  a number  of  Bushmen,  who  afterward 
proved  very  serviceable.  The  rains  had  been  copious,  but  now 
great  numbers  of  pools  were  drying  up.  Lotus-plants  abounded 
in  them,  and  a low,  sweet-scented  plant  covered  their  banks. 
Breezes  came  occasionally  to  us  from  these  drying-up  pools,  but 
the  pleasant  odor  they  carried  caused  sneezing  in  both  myself  and 
people;  and  on  the  10th  of  March  (when  in  lat.  19°  16/  11//  S., 
long.  24°  247  E.)  we  were  brought  to  a stand  by  four  of  the 


186 


RECAPTURE  OF  RUNAWAY  CATTLE. 


party  being  seized  with  fever.  I had  seen  this  disease  before, 
but  did  not  at  once  recognize  it  as  the  African  fever ; I imagined 
it  was  only  a bilious  attack,  arising  from  full  feeding  on  flesh, 
for,  the  large  game  having  been  very  abundant,  we  always  had  a 
good  supply;  but  instead  of  the  first  sufferers  recovering  soon, 
every  man  of  our  party  was  in  a few  days  laid  low,  except  a Bak- 
wain  and  myself.  He  managed  the  oxen,  while  I attended  to  the 
wants  of  the  patients,  and  went  out  occasionally  with  the  Bush- 
men to  get  a zebra  or  buffalo,  so  as  to  induce  them  to  remain 
with  us. 

Here  for  the  first  time  I had  leisure  to  follow  the  instructions 
of  my  kind  teacher,  Mr.  Maclear,  and  calculated  several  longitudes 
from  lunar  distances.  The  hearty  manner  in  which  that  eminent 
astronomer  and  frank,  friendly  man  had  promised  to  aid  me  in  cal- 
culating and  verifying  my  work,  conduced  more  than  any  thing 
else  to  inspire  me  with  perseverance  in  making  astronomical  ob- 
servations throughout  the  journey. 

The  grass  here  was  so  tall  that  the  oxen  became  uneasy,  and 
one  night  the  sight  of  a hysena  made  them  rush  away  into  the 
forest  to  the  east  of  us.  On  rising  on  the  morning  of  the  19th, 
I found  that  my  Bakwain  lad  had  run  away  witli  them.  This  I 
have  often  seen  with  persons  of  this  tribe,  even  when  the  cattle 
are  startled  by  a lion.  Away  go  the  young  men  in  company  with 
them,  and  dash  through  bush  and  brake  for  miles,  till  they  think 
the  panic  is  a little  subsided ; they  then  commence  whistling  to 
the  cattle  in  the  manner  they  do  when  milking  the  cows : having 
calmed  them,  they  remain  as  a guard  till  the  morning.  The  men 
generally  return  with  their  shins  well  peeled  by  the  thorns.  Each 
comrade  of  the  Mopato  would  expect  his  fellow  to  act  thus,  with- 
out looking  for  any  other  reward  than  the  brief  praise  of  the  chief. 
Our  lad,  Kibopeclioe,  had  gone  after  the  oxen,  but  had  lost  them 
in  the  rush  through  the  flat,  trackless  forest.  He  remained  on 
their  trail  all  the  next  day  and  all  the  next  night.  On  Sunday 
morning,  as  I was  setting  off  in  search  of  him,  I found  him  near 
the  wagon.  He  had  found  the  oxen  late  in  the  afternoon  of 
Saturday,  and  had  been  obliged  to  stand  by  them  all  night.  It 
was  wonderful  how  he  managed  without  a compass,  and  in  such  a 
country,  to  find  his  way  home  at  all,  bringing  about  forty  oxen 
with  him. 


GRAPES. 


187 


The  Bechuanas  will  keep  on  the  sick-list  as  long  as  they  feel 
any  weakness ; so  I at  last  began  to  be  anxious  that  they  should 
make  a little  exertion  to  get  forward  on  our  way.  One  of  them, 
however,  happening  to  move  a hundred  yards  from  the  wagon, 
fell  down,  and,  being  unobserved,  remained  the  whole  night  in 
the  pouring  rain  totally  insensible  ; another  was  subjected  to  fre- 
quent swooning  ; but,  making  beds  in  the  wagons  for  these  our 
worst  cases,  with  the  help  of  the  Bakwain  and  the  Bushmen,  we 
moved  slowly  on.  We  had  to  nurse  the  sick  like  children  ; and, 
like  children  recovering  from  illness,  the  better  they  became  the 
more  impudent  they  grew.  This  was  seen  in  the  peremptory 
orders  they  would  give  with  their  now  piping  voices.  Nothing 
that  we  did  pleased  them  ; and  the  laughter  with  which  I received 
their  ebullitions,  though  it  was  only  the  real  expression  of  glad- 
ness at  their  recovery,  and  amusement  at  the  ridiculous  part  they 
acted,  only  increased  their  chagrin.  The  want  of  power  in  the 
man  who  guided  the  two  front  oxen,  or,  as  he  was  called,  the 
“ leader,”  caused  us  to  be  entangled  with  trees,  both  standing  and 
fallen,  and  the  labor  of  cutting  them  down  was  even  .more  severe 
than  ordinary ; but,  notwithstanding  an  immense  amount  of  toil, 
my  health  continued  good. 

We  wished  to  avoid  the  tsetse  of  our  former  path,  so  kept  a 
course  on  the  magnetic  meridian  from  Lurilopepe.  The  necessity 
of  making  a new  path  much  increased  our  toil.  We  were,  however, 
rewarded  in  lat.  18°  with  a sight  we  had  not  enjoyed  the  year 
before,  namely,  large  patches  of  grape-bearing  vines.  There  they 
stood  before  my  eyes ; but  the  sight  was  so  entirely  unexpected 
that  I stood  some  time  gazing  at  the  clusters  of  grapes  with  which 
they  were  loaded,  with  no  more  thought  of  plucking  than  if  I had 
been  beholding  them  in  a dream.  The  Bushmen  know  and  eat 
them;  but  they  are  not  well  flavored  on  account  of  the  great 
astringency  of  the  seeds,  which  are  in  shape  and  size  like  split 
peas.  The  elephants  are  fond  of  the  fruit,  plant,  and  root  alike. 
I here  found  an  insect  which  preys  on  ants;  it  is  about  an  inch 
and  a quarter  long,  as  thick  as  a crow-quill,  and  covered  with  black 
hair.  It  puts  its  head  into  a little  hole  in  the  ground,  and  quivers 
its  tail  rapidly ; the  ants  come  near  to  see  it,  and  it  snaps  up  each 
as  he  comes  within  the  range  of  the  forceps  on  its  tail.  As  its 
head  is  beneath  the  ground,  it  becomes  a question  how  it  can 


188 


AN  ANT-EATER. 


guide  its  tail  to  the  ants.  It  is  probably  a new  species  of  ant- 
lion  ( Myrmeleon  formicaleo),  great  numbers  of  which,  both  in 
the  larva?  and  complete  state,  are  met  with.  The  ground  under 
every  tree  is  dotted  over  with  their  ingenious  pitfalls,  and  the 
perfect  insect,  the  form  of  which  most  persons  are  familiar  with 
in  the  dragon-fly,  may  be  seen  using  its  tail  in  the  same  active 
manner  as  this  insect  did.  Two  may  be  often  seen  joined  in 
their  flight,  the  one  holding  on  by  the  tail-forceps  to  the  neck  of 
the  other.  On  first  observing  this  imperfect  insect,  I imagined 
the  forceps  were  on  its  head ; but  when  the  insect  moved,  their 
true  position  was  seen. 

The  forest,  through  which  we  were  slowly  toiling,  daily  became 
more  dense,  and  we  were  kept  almost  constantly  at  work  with  the 
axe  ; there  was  much  more  leafiness  in  the  trees  here  than  farther 
south.  The  leaves  are  chiefly  of  the  pinnate  and  bi-pinnate  forms, 
and  are  exceedingly  beautiful  when  seen  against  the  sky  ; a great 
variety  of  the  papilionaceous  family  grow  in  this  part  of  the  country. 

Fleming  had  until  this  time  always  assisted  to  drive  his  own 
wagon,  but  about  the  end  of  March  he  knocked  up,  as  well  as 
his  people.  As  I could  not  drive  two  wagons,  I shared  with  him 
the  remaining  water,  half  a caskful,  and  went  on,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  coming  back  for  him  as  soon  as  we  should  reach  the  next 
pool.  Heavy  rain  now  commenced ; I was  employed  the  whole 
day  in  cutting  down  trees,  and  every  stroke  of  the  axe  brought 
down  a thick  shower  on  my  back,  which  in  the  hard  work  was 
very  refreshing,  as  the  water  found  its  way  down  into  my  shoes. 
In  the  evening  we  met  some  Bushmen,  who  volunteered  to  show 
us  a pool ; and  having  unyoked,  I walked  some  miles  in  search  of 
it.  As  it  became  dark  they  showed  their  politeness — a quality 
which  is  by  no  means  confined  entirely  to  the  civilized — by  walk- 
ing in  front,  breaking  the  branches  which  hung  across  the  path, 
and  pointing  out  the  fallen  trees.  On  returning  to  the  wagon, 
we  found  that  being  left  alone  had  brought  out  some  of  Fleming’s 
energy,  for  he  had  managed  to  come  up. 

As  the  water  in  this  pond  dried  up,  we  were  soon  obliged  to 
move  again.  One  of  the  Bushmen  took  out  his  dice,  and,  after 
throwing  them,  said  that  God  told  him  to  go  home.  He  threw 
again  in  order  to  show  me  the  command,  but  the  opposite  result 
followed ; so  he  remained  and  was  useful,  for  we  lost  the  oxen 


BUSHMEN’S  POISONS. 


189 


again  by  a lion  driving  them  off  to  a very  great  distance.  The 
lions  here  are  not  often  heard.  They  seem  to  have  a wholesome 
dread  of  the  Bushmen,  who,  when  they  observe  evidence  of  a 
lion’s  having  made  a full  meal,  follow  up  his  spoor  so  quietly  that 
his  slumbers  are  not  disturbed.  One  discharges  a poisoned  arrow 
from  a distance  of  only  a few  feet,  while  his  companion  simulta- 
neously throws  his  skin  cloak  on  the  beast’s  head.  The  sudden 
surprise  makes  the  lion  lose  his  presence  of  mind,  and  he  bounds 
away  in  the  greatest  confusion  and  terror.  Our  friends  here 
showed  me  the  poison  which  they  use  on  these  occasions.  It  is 
the  entrails  of  a caterpillar  called  N’gwa,  half  an  inch  long. 
They  squeeze  out  these,  and  place  them  all  around  the  bottom  of 
the  barb,  and  allow  the  poison  to  dry  in  the  sun.  They  are  very 
careful  in  cleaning  their  nails  after  working  with  it,  as  a small 
portion  introduced  into  a scratch  acts  like  morbid  matter  in  dis- 
section wounds.  The  agony  is  so  great  that  the  person  cuts  him- 
self, calls  for  his  mother’s  breast  as  if  he  were  returned  in  idea  to 
his  childhood  again,  or  flies  from  human  habitations  a raging  ma- 
niac. The  effects  on  the  lion  are  equally  terrible.  He  is  heard 
moaning  in  distress,  and  becomes  furious,  biting  the  trees  and 
ground  in  rage. 

As  the  Bushmen  have  the  reputation  of  curing  the  wounds  of 
this  poison,  I asked  how  this  was  effected.  They  said  that  they 
administer  the  caterpillar  itself  in  combination  with  fat ; they  also 
rub  fat  into  the  wound,  saying  that  “ the  N’gwa  wants  fat,  and, 
when  it  does  not  find  it  in  the  body,  kills  the  man : we  give  it 
what  it  wants,  and  it  is  content:”  a reason  which  will  commend 
itself  to  the  enlightened  among  ourselves. 

The  poison  more  generally  employed  is  the  milky  juice  of  the 
tree  Euphorbia  {E.  orborescens ).  This  is  particularly  obnoxious 
to  the  equine  race.  When  a quantity  is  mixed  with  the  water 
of  a pond  a whole  herd  of  zebras  will  fall  dead  from  the  effects  of 
the  poison  before  they  have  moved  away  two  miles.  It  does  not, 
however,  kill  oxen  or  men.  On  them  it  acts  as  a drastic  purgative 
only.  This  substance  is  used  all  over  the  country,  though  in  some 
places  the  venom  of  serpents  and  a certain  bulb,  Amaryllis  toxi- 
caria,  are  added,  in  order  to  increase  the  virulence. 

Father  Pedro,  a Jesuit,  who  lived  at  Zumbo,  made  a balsam, 
containing  a number  of  plants  and  castor  oil , as  a remedy  for 


190 


THE  BUSHMEN. 


poisoned  arrow-wounds.  It  is  probable  that  be  derived  his  knowl- 
edge from  the  natives  as  I did,  and  that  the  reputed  efficacy  of  the 
balsam  is  owing  to  its  fatty  constituent. 

In  cases  of  the  bites  of  serpents  a small  key  ought  to  be  pressed 
down  firmly  on  the  wound,  the  orifice  of  the  key  being  applied  to 
the  puncture,  until  a cupping-glass  can  be  got  from  one  of  the  na- 
tives. A watch-key  pressed  firmly  on  the  point  stung  by  a scor- 
pion extracts  the  poison,  and  a mixture  of  fat  or  oil  and  ipecacu- 
anha relieves  the  pain. 

The  Bushmen  of  these  districts  are  generally  fine,  well-made 
men,  and  are  nearly  independent  of  every  one.  We  observed 
them  to  be  fond  of  a root  somewhat  like  a kidney  potato,  and  the 
kernel  of  a nut,  which  Fleming  thought  was  a kind  of  betel ; the 
tree  is  a fine,  large-spreading  one,  and  the  leaves  palmate.  From 
the  quantities  of  berries  and  the  abundance  of  game  in  these  parts, 
the  Bushmen  can  scarcely  ever  be  badly  off  for  food.  As  I could, 
without  much  difficulty,  keep  them  well  supplied  with  meat,  and 
wished  them  to  remain,  I proposed  that  they  should  bring  their 
wives  to  get  a share,  but  they  remarked  that  the  women  could  al- 
ways take  care  of  themselves. 

None  of  the  men  of  our  party  had  died,  but  two  seemed  un- 
likely to  recover ; and  Kibopechoe,  my  willing  Mokwain,  at  last 
became  troubled  with  boils,  and  then  got  all  the  symptoms  of  fe- 
ver. As  he  lay  down,  the  others  began  to  move  about,  and  com- 
plained of  weakness  only.  Believing  that  frequent  change  of 
place  was  conducive  to  their  recovery,  we  moved  along  as  much 
as  we  could,  and  came  to  the  hill  N’gwa  (lat.  18°  21'  20"  S.,long. 
24°  13'  36"  E.).  This  being  the  only  hill  we  had  seen  since 
leaving  Bamangwato,  we  felt  inclined  to  take  off  our  hats  to  it. 
It  is  three  or  four  hundred  feet  high,  and  covered  with  trees.  Its 
geographical  position  is  pretty  accurately  laid  down  from  occupa- 
tion and  other  observations.  I may  mention  that  the  valley  on 
its  northern  side,  named  Kandehy  or  Kandehai,  is  as  picturesque 
a spot  as  is  to  be  seen  in  this  part  of  Africa.  The  open  glade,  sur- 
rounded by  forest  trees  of  various  hues,  had  a little  stream  mean- 
dering in  the  centre.  A herd  of  reddish-colored  antelopes  (pallahs) 
stood  on  one  side,  near  a large  baobab,  looking  at  us,  and  ready  to 
run  up  the  hill ; while  gnus,  tsessebes,  and  zebras  gazed  in  aston- 
ishment at  the  intruders.  Some  fed  carelessly,  and  others  put 


BEAUTY  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


191 


on  the  peculiar  air  of  displeasure  which  these  animals  sometimes 
assume  before  they  resolve  on  flight.  A large  white  rhinoceros 
came  along  the  bottom  of  the  valley  with  his  slow  sauntering  gait 
without  noticing  us;  he  looked  as  if  he  meant  to  indulge  in  a mud 
bath.  Several  buffaloes,  with  their  dark  visages,  stood  under  the 
trees  on  the  side  opposite  to  the  pallahs.  It  being  Sunday,  all 
was  peace,  and,  from  the  circumstances  in  which  our  party  was 
placed,  we  could  not  but  reflect  on  that  second  stage  of  our  ex- 
istence which  we  hope  will  lead  us  into  scenes  of  perfect  beauty. 
If  pardoned  in  that  free  way  the  Bible  promises,  death  will  be  a 
glorious  thing;  but  to  be  consigned  to  wait  for  the  Judgment-day, 
Avith  nothing  else  to  ponder  on  but  sins  we  Avould  rather  forget, 
is  a cheerless  prospect. 

Our  Bushmen  wished  to  leave  us,  and,  as  there  was  no  use  in 
trying  to  thwart  these  independent  gentlemen,  I paid  them,  and 
allowed  them  to  go.  The  payment,  however,  acted  as  a charm  on 
some  strangers  who  happened  to  be  present,  and  induced  them  to 
volunteer  their  aid. 

The  game  hereabouts  is  very  tame.  Koodoos  and  giraffes 
stood  gazing  at  me  as  a strange  apparition  when  I went  out  with 
the  Bushmen.  On  one  occasion  a lion  came  at  daybreak,  and 
went  round  and  round  the  oxen.  I could  only  get  a glimpse  of 
him  occasionally  from  the  wagon-box ; but,  though  barely  thirty 
yards  off,  I could  not  get  a shot.  lie  then  began  to  roar  at  the 
top  of  his  voice  ; but  the  oxen  continuing  to  stand  still,  he  was  so 
disgusted  that  he  went  off,  and  continued  to  use  his  voice  for  a long 
time  in  the  distance.  I could  not  see  that  he  had  a mane ; if  he 
had  not,  then  even  the  maneless  variety  can  use  their  tongues. 
We  heard  others  also  roar;  and,  when  they  found  they  could  not 
frighten  the  oxen,  they  became  equally  angry.  This  we  could 
observe  in  their  tones. 

As  we  Avent  north  the  country  became  very  lovely;  many  neAV 
trees  appeared ; the  grass  Avas  green,  and  often  higher  than  the 
wagons  ; the  vines  festooned  the  trees,  among  which  appeared  the 
real  banian  {Ficus  Indica),  with  its  drop-shoots,  and  the  Avild  date 
and  palmyra,  and  several  other  trees  Avhich  were  new  to  me ; the 
holloAvs  contained  large  patches  of  Avater.  Next  came  water- 
courses, now  resembling  small  rivers,  twenty  yards  broad  and  four 
feet  deep.  The  further  Ave  went,  the  broader  and  deeper  these 


192 


THE  SANSHUREH. 


became;  their  bottoms  contained  great  numbers  of  deep  holes, 
made  by  elephants  wading  in  them ; in  these  the  oxen  floundered 
desperately,  so  that  our  wagon-pole  broke,  compelling  us  to  work 
up  to  the  breast  in  water  for  three  hours  and  a half ; yet  I suffered 
no  harm. 

We  at  last  came  to  the  Sanshureh,  which  presented  an  impass- 
able barrier,  so  we  drew  up  under  a magnificent  baobab-tree, 
(lat.  18°4/27//  S.,  long.  24°  G^O^E.),  and  resolved  to  explore  the 
river  for  a ford.  The  great  quantity  of  water  we  had  passed 
through  was  part  of  the  annual  inundation  of  the  Chobe ; and  this, 
which  appeared  a large,  deep  river,  filled  in  many  parts  with  reeds, 
and  having  hippopotami  in  it,  is  only  one  of  the  branches  by  which 
it  sends  its  superabundant  water  to  the  southeast.  From  the  hill 
N’gwa  a ridge  of  higher  land  runs  to  the  northeast,  and  bounds 
its  course  in  that  direction.  We,  being  ignorant  of  this,  were  in 
the  valley,  and  the  only  gap  in  the  whole  country  destitute  of 
tsetse.  In  company  with  the  Bushmen  I explored  all  the  banks 
of  the  Sanshureh  to  the  west  till  we  came  into  tsetse  on  that  side. 
We  waded  a long  way  among  the  reeds  in  water  breast  deep,  but 
always  found  a broad,  deep  space  free  from  vegetation  and  unford- 
able.  A peculiar  kind  of  lichen,  which  grows  on  the  surface  of 
the  soil,  becomes  detached  and  floats  on  the  water,  giving  out  a 
very  disagreeable  odor,  like  sulphureted  hydrogen,  in  some  of  these 
stagnant  waters. 

We  made  so  many  attempts  to  get  over  the  Sanshureh,  both  to 
the  west  and  east  of  the  wagon,  in  the  hope  of  reaching  some  of 
the  Makololo  on  the  Chobe,  that  my  Bushmen  friends  became 
quite  tired  of  the  work.  By  means  of  presents  I got  them  to 
remain  some  days ; but  at  last  they  slipped  away  by  night,  and 
I was  fain  to  take  one  of  the  strongest  of  my  still  weak  com- 
panions and  cross  the  river  in  a pontoon,  the  gift  of  Captains 
Codrington  and  Webb.  We  each  carried  some  provisions  and 
a blanket,  and  penetrated  about  twenty  miles  to  the  westward,  in 
the  hope  of  striking  the  Chobe.  It  was  much  nearer  to  us  in  a 
northerly  direction,  but  this  we  did  not  then  know.  The  plain, 
over  which  we  splashed  the  whole  of  the  first  day,  was  covered 
with  water  ankle  deep,  and  thick  grass  which  reached  above  the 
knees.  In  the  evening  we  came  to  an  immense  wall  of  reeds, 
six  or  eight  feet  high,  without  any  opening  admitting  of  a passage. 


BANKS  OF  THE  CHOBE. 


193 


When  we  tried  to  enter,  the  water  always  became  so.  deep  that 
we  were  fain  to  desist.  We  concluded  that  we  had  come  to  the 
banks  of  the  river  we  were  in  search  of,  so  we  directed  our  course 
to  some  trees  which  appeared  in  the  south,  in  order  to  get  a bed 
and  a view  of  the  adjacent  locality.  Having  shot  a lecke,  and 
made  a glorious  fire,  we  got  a good  cup  of  tea  and  had  a com- 
fortable night.  While  collecting  wood  that  evening,  I found  a 
bird’s  nest  consisting  of  live  leaves  sewn  together  with  threads 
of  the  spider’s  web.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  airiness  of  this 
pretty  contrivance;  the  threads  had  been  pushed  through  small 
punctures  and  thickened  to  resemble  a knot.  I unfortunately 
lost  it.  This  was  the  second  nest  I had  seen  resembling  that  of 
the  tailor-bird  of  India. 

Next  morning,  by  climbing  the  highest  trees,  we  could  see  a 
fine  large  sheet  of  water,  but  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  the  same 
impenetrable  belt  of  reeds.  This  is  the  broad  part  of  the  River 
Chobe,  and  is  called  Zabesa.  Two  tree-covered  islands  seemed 
to  be  much  nearer  to  the  water  than  the  shore  on  which  we  were, 
so  we  made  an  attempt  to  get  to  them  first.  It  was  not  the  reeds 
alone  we  had  to  pass  through ; a peculiar  serrated  grass,  which 
at  certain  angles  cut  the  hands  like  a razor,  was  mingled  with 
the  reed,  and  the  climbing  convolvulus,  with  stalks  which  felt  as 
strong  as  whipcord,  bound  the  mass  together.  We  felt  like  pig- 
mies in  it,  and  often  the  only  way  we  could  get  on  was  by  both  of 
us  leaning  against  a part  and  bending  it  down  till  we  could  stand 
upon  it.  The  perspiration  streamed  off"  our  bodies,  and  as  the 
sun  rose  high,  there  being  no  ventilation  among  the  reeds,  the 
heat  was  stifling,  and  the  water,  which  was  up  to  the  knees,  felt 
agreeably  refreshing.  After  some  hours’  toil  we  reached  one  of 
the  islands.  Here  we  met  an  old  friend,  the  bramble-bush. 
My  strong  moleskins  were  quite  worn  through  at  the  knees,  and 
the  leather  trowsers  of  my  companion  were  torn  arid  his  legs 
bleeding.  Tearing  my  handkerchief  in  two,  I tied  the  pieces 
round  my  knees,  and  then  encountered  another  difficulty.  We 
were  still  forty  or  fifty  yards  from  the  clear  water,  but  now  we 
were  opposed  by  great  masses  of  papyrus,  which  are  like  palms 
in  miniature,  eight  or  ten  feet  high,  and  an  inch  and  a half  in 
diameter.  These  were  laced  together  by  twining  convolvulus,  so 
strongly  that  the  weight  of  both  of  us  oould  not  make  way  into 

N 


194 


THE  CHOBE. 


the  clear  water.  At  last  we  fortunately  found  a passage  prepared 
by  a hippopotamus.  Eager  as  soon  as  we  reached  the  island  to 
look  along  the  vista  to  clear  water,  I stepped  in  and  found  it  took 
me  at  once  up  to  the  neck. 

Eeturning  nearly  worn  out,  we  proceeded  up  the  bank  of  the 
Cliobe  till  we  came  to  the  point  of  departure  of  the  branch 
Sanshureh ; we  then  went  in  the  opposite  direction,  or  down  the 
Cliobe,  though  from  the  highest  trees  we  could  see  nothing  but  one 
vast  expanse  of  reed,  with  here  and  there  a tree  on  the  islands. 
This  was  a hard  day’s  work ; and  when  we  came  to  a deserted 
Bayeiye  hut  on  an  ant-hill,  not  a bit  of  wood  or  any  filing  else 
could  be  got  for  a tire  except  the  grass  and  sticks  of  the  dwelling 
itself.  I dreaded  the  “ Tampans ,”  so  common  in  all  old  huts; 
but  outside  of  it  we  had  thousands  of  musquitoes,  and  cold  dew  be- 
gan to  be  deposited,  so  we  were  fain  to  crawl  beneath  its  shelter. 

We  were  close  to  the  reeds,  and  could  listen  to  the  strange 
sounds  which  are  often  heard  there.  By  day  I had  seen  water- 
snakes  putting  up  their  heads  and  swimming  about.  There  were 
great  numbers  of  otters  ( Lutra  inunguis , F.  Cuvier),  which  have 
made  little  spoors  all  over  the  plains  in  search  of  the  fishes, 
among  the  tall  grass  of  these  flooded  prairies  ; curious  birds,  too, 
jerked  and  wriggled  among  these  reedy  masses,  and  we  heard 
human-like  voices  and  unearthly  sounds,  with  splash,  guggle,  jupp, 
as  if  rare  fun  were  going  on  in  their  uncouth  haunts.  At  one  time 
something  came  near  us,  making  a splashing  like  that  of  a canoe 
or  hippopotamus ; thinking  it  to  be  the  Makololo,  we  got  up, 
listened,  and  shouted ; then  discharged  a gun  several  times ; but 
the  noise  ; continued  without  intermission  for  an  hour.  After  a 
damp,  cold  night  we  set  to,  early  in  the  morning,  at  our  Avork  of 
exploring  again,  but  left  the  pontoon  in  order  to  lighten  our 
labor.  The  ant-hills  are  here  very  high,  some  thirty  feet,  and 
of  a base  so  broad  that  trees  grow  on  them ; while  the  lands, 
annually  flooded,  bear  nothing  but  grass.  From  one  of  these  ant- 
hills we  discovered  an  inlet  to  the  Chobe ; and,  having  gone  back 
for  the  pontoon,  we  launched  ourselves  on  a deep  river,  here  from 
eighty  to  one  hundred  yards  wide.  I gave  my  companion  strict 
injunctions  to  . stick  by  the  pontoon  in  case  a hippopotamus  should 
look  at  us ; nor  was  this  caution  unnecessary,  for  one  came  up  at 
our  side  and  made  a desperate  plunge  off.  We  had  passed  over 


RETURN  TO  LINY  ANTI.  I95 

him.  The  wave  he  made  caused  the  pontoon  to  glide  quickly 
away  from  him. 

We  paddled  on  from  midday  till  sunset.  There  was  nothing- 
hut  a wall  of  reed  on  each  bank,  and  we  saw  every  prospect  of 
spending  a supperless  night  in  our  float;  but  just  as  the  short 
twilight  of  these  parts  was  commencing,  we  perceived  on  the  north 
bank  the  village  of  Moremi,  one  of  the  Makololo,  whose  acquaint- 
ance I had  made  on  our  former  visit,  and  who  was  now  located 
on  the  island  Mahonta  (lat.  17°  58/  S.,  long.  24°  6'  E.).  The- 
villagers  looked  as  we  may  suppose  people  do  who  see  a ghost, 
and  in  their  figurative  way  of  speaking  said,  “ He  has  dropped 
among  us  from  the  clouds,  yet  came  riding  on  the  back  of  a 
hippopotamus!  We  Makololo  thought  no  one  could  cross  the 
Chobe  without  our  knowledge,  but  here  he  drops  among  us  like 
a bird.” 

Next  day  we  returned  in  canoes  across  the  flooded  lands,  and 
found  that,  in  our  absence,  the  men  had  allowed  the  cattle  to 
wander  into  a very  small  patch  of  wood  to  the  west  containing 
the  tsetse ; this  carelessness  cost  me  ten  fine  large  oxen.  After 
remaining  a few  days,  some  of  the  head  men  of  the  Makololo 
came  down  from  Linyanti,  with  a large  party  of  Barotse,  to  take 
us  across  the  river.  This  they  did  in  fine  style,  swimming  and 
diving  among  the  oxen  more  like  alligators  than  men,  and  taking 
the  wagons  to  pieces  and  carrying  them  across  on  a number  of 
canoes  lashed  together.  We  were  now  among  friends  ; so  going 
about  thirty  miles  to  the  north,  in  order  to  avoid  the  still  flooded 
lands  on  the  north  of  the  Chobe,  we  turned  westward  toward  Lin- 
yanti (lat.  18°  17'  207/  S.,  long.  23°  50'  9"  E.),  where  we  arrived 
on  the  23d  of  May,  1853.  This  is  the  capital  town  of  the  Mako- 
lolo, and  only  a short  distance  from  our  wagon-stand  of  1851  (lat. 
18°  20'  S.,  long.  23°  50'  E.). 


196 


THE  COURT  HERALD. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Reception  at  Linyanti. — The  court  Herald. — Sekeletu  obtains  the  Chieftainship 
from  his  Sister. — Mpepe’s  Plot. — Slave-trading  Mambari. — Their  sudden  Flight. 
— Sekeletu  narrowly  escapes  Assassination. — Execution  of  Mpepe. — The  Courts 
of  Law. — Mode  of  trying  Offenses. — Sekeletu’s  Reason  for  not  learning  to  read 
the  Bible. — The  Disposition  made  of  the  Wives  of  a deceased  Chief. — Makololo 
Women. — They  work  but  little. — Employ  Serfs. — Their  Drink,  Dress,  and  Orna- 
ments.— Public  Religious  Services  in  the  Kotla. — Unfavorable  Associations  of  the 
place. — Native  Doctors. — Proposals  to  teach  the  Makololo  to  read. — Sekeletu’s 
Present. — Reason  for  accepting  it. — Trading  in  Ivory. — Accidental  Fire. — Pres- 
ents for  Sekeletu. — Two  Breeds  of  native  Cattle. — Ornamenting  the  Cattle. — The 
Women  and  the  Looking-glass. — Mode  of  preparing  the  Skins  of  Oxen  for  Man- 
tles and  for  Shields. — Throwing  the  Spear. 

The  whole  population  of  Linyanti,  numbering  between  six  and 
seven  thousand  souls,  turned  out  en  masse  to  see  the  wagons  in 
motion.  They  had  never  witnessed  the  phenomenon  before,  we 
having  on  the  former  occasion  departed  by  night.  Sekeletu,  now 
in  power,  received  us  in  what  is  considered  royal  style,  setting 
before  us  a great  number  of  pots  of  boyaloa,  the  beer  of  the 
country.  These  were  brought  by  women,  and  each  bearer  takes 
a good  draught  of  the  beer  when  she  sets  it  down,  by  way  of 
“tasting,”  to  show  that  there  is  no  poison. 

The  court  herald,  an  old  man  who  occupied  the  post  also  in 
Sebituane’s  time,  stood  up,  and  after  some  antics,  such  as  leaping, 
and  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  roared  out  some  adulatory 
sentences,  as,  “Don’t  I see  the  white  man?  Don’t  I see  the 
comrade  of  Sebituane  ? Don’t  I see  the  father  of  Sekeletu  ?” — 
“We  want  sleep.” — “Givd  your  son  sleep,  my  lord,”  etc.,  etc. 
The  perquisites  of  this  man  are  the  heads  of  all  the  cattle  slaugh- 
tered by  the  chief,  and  he  even  takes  a share  of  the  tribute  before 
it  is  distributed  and  taken  out  of  the  kotla.  He  is  expected  to 
utter  all  the  proclamations,  call  assemblies,  keep  the  kotla  clean, 
and  the  fire  burning  every  evening,  and  when  a person  is  executed 
in  public  he  drags  away  the  body. 

I found  Sekeletu  a young  man  of  eighteen  years  of  age,  of 


SEKELETU  OBTAINS  CHIEFTAINSHIP. 


197 


that  dark  yellow  or  coffee-and-milk  color,  of  which  the  Makololo 
are  so  proud,  because  it  distinguishes  them  considerably  from  the 
black  tribes  on  the  rivers.  He  is  about  five  feet  seven  in  height, 
and  neither  so  good  looking  nor  of  so  much  ability  as  his  father 
was,  but  is  equally  friendly  to  the  English.  Sebituane  installed 
his  daughter  Mamochisane  into  the  chieftainship  long  before  his 
death,  but,  with  all  his  acuteness,  the  idea  of  her  having  a hus- 
band who  should  not  be  her  lord  did  not  seem  to  enter  his  mind. 
He  wished  to  make  her  his  successor,  probably  in  imitation  of 
some  of  the  negro  tribes  with  whom  he  had  come  into  contact ; 
but,  being  of  the  Bechuana  race,  he  could  not  look  upon  the  hus- 
band except  as  the  woman’s  lord  ; so  he  told  her  all  the  men  were 
hers — she  might  take  any  one,  but  ought  to  keep  none.  In  fact, 
he  thought  she  might  do  with  the  men  what  he  could  do  with  the 
women ; but  these  men  had  other  wives ; and,  according  to  a 
saying  in  the  country,  “the  tongues  of  women  can  not  be  gov- 
erned,” they  made  her  miserable  by  their  remarks.  One  man 
whom  she  chose  was  even  called  her  wife,  and  her  son  the  child 
of  Mamochisane’s  wife ; but  the  arrangement  was  so  distasteful 
to  Mamochisane  herself  that,  as  soon  as  Sebituane  died,  she  said 
she  never  wo'uld  consent  to  govern  the  Makololo  so  long  as  she 
had  a brother  living.  Sekeletu,  being  afraid  of  another  mem- 
ber of  the  family,  Mpepe,  who  had  pretensions  to  the  chief- 
tainship, urged  his  sister  strongly  to  remain  as  she  had  always 
been,  and  allow  him  to  support  her  authority  by  leading  the 
Makololo  when  they  went  forth  to  war.  Three  days  were  spent 
in  public  discussion  on  the  point.  Mpepe  insinuated  that  Seke- 
letu was  not  the  lawful  son  of  Sebituane,  on  account  of  his  moth- 
er having  been  the  wife  of  another  chief  before  her  marriage  with 
Sebituane  ; Mamochisane,  however,  upheld  Sekeletu’s  claims,  and 
at  last  stood  up  in  the  assembly  and  addressed  him  with  a wom- 
anly gush  of  tears:  “I  have  been  a chief  only  because  my  fa- 
ther wished  it.  I always  would  have  preferred  to  be  married  and 
have  a family  like  other  women.  You,  Sekeletu,  must  be  chief, 
and  build  up  your  father’s  house.”  This  was  a death-blow  to  the 
hopes  of  Mpepe. 

As  it  will  enable  the  reader  to  understand  the  social  and  polit- 
ical relations  of  these  people,  I will  add  a few  more  particulars 
respecting  Mpepe.  Sebituane,  having  no  son  to  take  the  leader- 


198 


SLAVE-TRADERS. 


ship  of  the  “Mopato”  of  the  age  of  his  daughter,  chose  him,  as 
the  nearest  male  relative,  to  occupy  that  post ; and  presuming 
from  Mpepe’s  connection  with  his  family  that  he  would  attend  to 
his  interests  and  relieve  him  from  care,  he  handed  his  cattle  over 
to  his  custody.  Mpepe  removed  to  the  chief  town,  “ Naliele,” 
and  took  such  effectual  charge  of  all  the  cattle  that  Sehituane 
saw  he  could  only  set  matters  on  their  former  footing  by  the 
severe  measure  of  Mpepe’s  execution.  Being  unwilling  to  do 
this,  and  fearing  the  enchantments  which,  by  means  of  a number 
of  Barotse  doctors,  Mpepe  now  used  in  a hut  built  for  the 
purpose,  and  longing  for  peaceful  retirement  after  thirty  years’ 
fighting,  he  heard  with  pleasure  of  our  arrival  at  the  lake,  and 
came  down  as  far  as  Sesheke  to  meet  us.  He  had  an  idea, 
picked  up  from  some  of  the  numerous  strangers  who  visited  him, 
that  white  men  had  a “ pot  (a  cannon)  in  their  towns  which  would 
burn  up  any  attacking  party and  he  thought  if  he  could  only 
get  this  he  would  be  able  to  “ sleep”  the  remainder  of  his  days  in 
peace.  This  he  hoped  to  obtain  from  the  white  men.  Hence  the 
cry  of  the  herald,  “ Give  us  sleep.”  It  is  remarkable  how  anx- 
ious for  peace  those  who  have  been  fighting  all  their  lives  appear 
to  be. 

When  Sekeletu  was  installed  in  the  chieftainship,  he  felt  his  po- 
sition rather  insecure,  for  it  was  believed  that  the  incantations  of 
Mpepe  had  an  intimate  connection  with  Sebituane’s  death.  In- 
deed, the  latter  had  said  to  his  son,  “ That  hut  of  incantation  will 
prove  fatal  to  either  you  or  me.” 

When  the  Mambari,  in  1850,  took  home  a favorable  report  of 
this  new  market  to  the  west,  a number  of  half-caste  Portuguese 
slave-traders  were  induced  to  come  in  1853 ; and  one,  who  re- 
sembled closely  a real  Portuguese,  came  to  Linyanti  while  I was 
there.  This  man  had  no  merchandise,  and  pretended  to  have 
come  in  order  to  inquire  “what  sort  of  goods  were  necessary  for 
the  market.”  He  seemed  much  disconcerted  by  my  presence 
there.  Sekeletu  presented  him  with  an  elephant’s  tusk  and  an 
ox ; and  when  he  had  departed  about  fifty  miles  to  the  west- 
ward, he  carried  off  an  entire  village  of  the  Bakalahari  belonging 
to  the  Makololo.  He  had  a number  of  armed  slaves  with  him ; 
and  as  all  the  villagers — men,  women,  and  children— were  re- 
moved, and  the  fact  was  unknown  until  a considerable  time 


SLAVE-TRADERS. 


199 


afterward,  it  is  not  certain  whether  his  object  was  obtained  by  vio- 
lence or  by  fair  promises.  In  either  case,  slavery  must  have  been 
the  portion  of  these  poor  people.  He  was  carried  in  a hammock, 
slung  between  two  poles,  which  appearing  to  be  a bag,  the  Mako- 
lolo  named  him  “ Father  of  the  Bag.” 

Mpepe  favored  these  slave-traders,  and  they,  as  is  usual  with 
them,  founded  all  their  hopes  of  influence  on  his  successful  rebel- 
lion. My  arrival  on  the  scene  was  felt  to  be  so  much  weight  in 
the  scale  against  their  interests.  A large  party  of  Mambari  had 
come  to  Linyanti  when  I was  floundering  on  the  prairies  south  of 
the  Chobe.  As  the  news  of  my  being  in  the  neighborhood  reach- 
ed them  their  countenances  fell ; and  when  some  Makololo,  who 
had  assisted  us  to  cross  the  river,  returned  with  hats  which  I had 
given  them,  the  Mambari  betook  themselves  to  precipitate  flight. 
It  is  usual  for  visitors  to  ask  formal  permission  before  attempting 
to  leave  a chief,  but  the  sight  of  the  hats  made  the  Mambari  pack 
up  at  once.  The  Makololo  inquired  the  cause  of  the  hurry,  and 
were  told  that,  if  I found  them  there,  I should  take  all  their  slaves 
and  goods  from  them  ; and,  though  assured  by  Sekeletu  that  I 
was  not  a robber,  but  a man  of  peace,  they  fled  by  night,  while  I 
was  still  sixty  miles  off.  They  went  to  the  north,  where,  under 
the  protection  of  Mpepe,  they  had  erected  a stockade  of  consider- 
able size.  There,  several  half-caste  slave-traders,  under  the  lead- 
ership of  a native  Portuguese,  carried  on  their  traffic,  without  ref- 
erence to  the  chief  into  whose  country  they  had  unceremoniously 
introduced  themselves  ; while  Mpepe,  feeding  them  with  the  cat- 
tle of  Sekeletu,  formed  a plan  of  raising  himself,  by  means  of  their 
fire-arms,  to  be  the  head  of  the  Makololo.  The  usual  course  which 
the  slave-traders  adopt  is  to  take  a part  in  the  political  affairs  of 
each  tribe,  and,  siding  with  the  strongest,  get  well  paid  by  cap- 
tures made  from  the  weaker  party.  Long  secret  conferences  were 
held  by  the  slave-traders  and  Mpepe,  and  it  was  deemed  advisable 
for  him  to  strike  the  first  blow ; so  he  provided  himself  with  a 
small  battle-axe,  with  the  intention  of  cutting  Sekeletu  down  the 
first  time  they  met. 

My  object  being  first  of  all  to  examine  the  country  for  a 
healthy  locality,  before  attempting  to  make  a path  to  either  the 
East  or  West  Coast,  I proposed  to  Sekeletu  the  plan  of  ascend- 
ing the  great  river  which  we  had  discovered  in  1851.  He  vol- 


200 


EXECUTION  OF  MPEPE. 


unteered  to  accompany  me,  and,  when  we  got  about  sixty  miles 
away,  on  the  road  to  Sesheke,  we  encountered  Mpepe.  The 
Makololo,  though  possessing  abundance  of  cattle,  had  never  at- 
tempted to  ride  oxen  until  I advised  it  in  1851.  The  Bechu- 
anas  generally  were  in  the  same  condition,  until  Europeans  came 
among  them  and  imparted  the  idea  of  riding.  All  their  journeys 
previously  were  performed  on  foot.  Sekeletu  and  his  companions 
were  mounted  on  oxen,  though,  having  neither  saddle  nor  bridle, 
they  were  perpetually  falling  off.  Mpepe,  armed  with  his  little 
axe,  came  along  a path  parallel  to,  but  a quarter  of  a mile  distant 
from,  that  of  our  party,  and,  when  he  saw  Sekeletu,  he  ran  with 
all  his  might  toward  us ; but  Sekeletu,  being  on  his  guard,  gal- 
loped off  to  an  adjacent  village.  He  then  withdrew  somewhere 
till  all  our  party  came  up.  Mpepe  had  given  his  own  party  to 
understand  that  he  would  cut  down  Sekeletu,  either  on  their  first 
meeting,  or  at  the  breaking  up  of  their  first  conference.  The 
former  intention  having  been  thus  frustrated,  he  then  determined 
to  effect  his  purpose  after  their  first  interview.  I happened  to  sit 
down  between  the  two  in  the  hut  where  they  met.  Being  tired 
with  riding  all  day  in  the  sun,  I soon  asked  Sekeletu  where  I 
should  sleep,  and  he  replied,  “ Come,  I will  show  you.”  As  we 
rose  together,  I unconsciously  covered  Sekeletu’s  body  with  mine, 
and  saved  him  from  the  blow  of  the  assassin.  I knew  noth- 
ing of  the  plot,  but  remarked  that  all  Mpepe’s  men  kept  hold 
of  their  arms,  even  after  we  had  sat  down — a thing  quite  unusu- 
al in  the  presence  of  a chief ; and  when  Sekeletu  showed  me  the 
hut  in  which  I was  to  spend  the  night,  he  said  to  me,  “ That 
man  wishes  to  kill  me.”  I afterward  learned  that  some  of  Mpe- 
pe’s attendants  had  divulged  the  secret ; and,  bearing  in  mind 
his  father’s  instructions,  Sekeletu  put  Mpepe  to  death  that  night. 
It  was  managed  so  quietly,  that,  although  I was  sleeping  within 
a few  yards  of  the  scene,  I knew  nothing  of  it  till  the  next  day. 
Nokuane  went  to  the  fire,  at  which  Mpepe  sat,  with  a handful 
of  snuff,  as  if  he  were  about  to  sit  down  and  regale  himself 
therewith.  Mpepe  said  to  him,  “ Nsepisa”  (cause  me  to  take 
a pinch) ; and,  as  he  held  out  his  hand,  Nokuane  caught  hold  of 
it,  while  another  man  seized  the  other  hand,  and,  leading  him  out 
a mile,  speared  him.  This  is  the  common  mode  of  executing 
criminals.  They  are  not  allowed  to  speak  ; though  on  one  occa- 


COURTS  OF  LAW. 


201 


sion  a man,  feeling  his  wrist  held  too  tightly,  said,  “ Hold  me 
gently,  can’t  you?  you  will  soon  he  led  out  in  the  same  way 
yourselves.”  Mpepe’s  men  fled  to  the  Barotse,  and,  it  being  un- 
advisable  for  us  to  go  thither  during  the  commotion  which  follow- 
ed on  Mpepe’s  death,  we  returned  to  Linyanti. 

The  foregoing  may  be  considered  as  a characteristic  specimen 
of  their  mode  of  dealing  with  grave  political  offenses.  In  common 
cases  there  is  a greater  show  of  deliberation.  The  complainant 
asks  the  man  against  whom  he  means  to  lodge  his  complaint  to 
come  with  him  to  the  chief.  This  is  never  refused.  When  both 
are  in  the  kotla,  the  complainant  stands  up  and  states  the  whole 
case  before  the  chief  and  the  people  usually  assembled  there. 
He  stands  a few  seconds  after  he  has  done  this,  to  recollect  if  he 
has  forgotten  any  thing.  The  witnesses  to  whom  he  has  referred 
then  rise  up  and  tell  all  they  themselves  have  seen  or  heard,  but 
not  any  thing  that  they  have  heard  from  others.  The  defendant, 
after  allowing  some  minutes  to  elapse  so  that  he  may  not  inter- 
rupt any  of  the  opposite  party,  slowly  rises,  folds  his  cloak  around 
him,  and,  in  the  most  quiet,  deliberate  way  he  can  assume — ■ 
yawning,  blowing  his  nose,  etc. — begins  to  explain  the  affair, 
denying  the  charge,  or  admitting  it,  as  the  case  may  be.  Some- 
times, when  galled  by  his  remarks,  the  complainant  utters  a sen- 
tence of  dissent ; the  accused  turns  quietly  to  him,  and  says, 
“ Be  silent : I sat  still  while  you  were  speaking ; can’t  you  do 
the  same?  Do  you  want  to  have  it  all  to  yourself?”  And  as 
the  audience  acquiesce  in  this  bantering,  and  enforce  silence,  he 
goes  on  till  he  has  finished  all  he  wishes  to  say  in  his  defense. 
If  he  has  any  witnesses  to  the  truth  of  the  facts  of  his  defense, 
they  give  their  evidence.  No  oath  is  administered ; but  occa- 
sionally, when  a statement  is  questioned,  a man  will  say,  “By 
my  father,”  or  “ By  the  chief,  it  is  so.”  Their  truthfulness  among 
each  other  is  quite  remarkable ; but  their  system  of  government 
is  such  that  Europeans  are  not  in  a position  to  realize  it  readily. 
A poor  man  will  say,  in  his  defense  against  a rich  one,  “ I am 
astonished  to  hear  a man  so  great  as  he  make  a false  accusation 
as  if  the  offense  of  falsehood  were  felt  to  be  one  against  the  so- 
ciety which  the  individual  referred  to  had  the  greatest  interest  in 
upholding. 

If  the  case  is  one  of  no  importance,  the  chief  decides  it  at  once ; 


202 


MODE  OF  TRYING  OFFENSES. 


if  frivolous,  he  may  give  the  complainant  a scolding,  and  put  a 
stop  to  the  case  in  the  middle  of  the  complaint,  or  he  may  allow 
it  to  go  on  without  paying  any  attention  to  it  whatever.  Family 
quarrels  are  often  treated  in  this  way,  and  then  a man  may  be 
seen  stating  his  case  with  great  fluency,  and  not  a soul  listening 
to  him.  But  if  it  is  a case  between  influential  men,  or  brought 
on  by  under-chiefs,  then  the  greatest  decorum  prevails.  If  the 
chief  does  not  see  his  way  clearly  to  a decision,  he  remains 
silent ; the  elders  then  rise  one  by  one  and  give  their  opinions, 
often  in  the  way  of  advice  rather  than  as  decisions  ; and  when  the 
chief  finds  the  general  sentiment  agreeing  in  one  view,  he  de- 
livers his  judgment  accordingly.  He  alone  speaks  sitting ; all 
others  stand. 

No  one  refuses  to  acquiesce  in  the  decision  of  the  chief,  as  he 
has  the  power  of  life  and  death  in  his  hands,  and  can  enforce  the 
law  to  that  extent  if  he  chooses  ; but  grumbling  is  allowed,  and, 
when  marked  favoritism  is  shown  to  any  relative  of  the  chief, 
the  people  generally  are  not  so  astonished  at  the  partiality  as  we 
would  be  in  England. 

This  system  was  found  as  well  developed  among  the  Makololo 
as  among  the  Bakwains,  or  even  better,  and  is  no  foreign  im- 
portation. When  at  Cassange,  my  men  had  a slight  quarrel 
among  themselves,  and  came  to  me,  as  to  their  chief,  for  judg- 
ment. This  had  occurred  several  times  before,  so  without  a 
thought  I went  out  of  the  Portuguese  merchant’s  house  in  which 
I was  a guest,  sat  down,  and  heard  the  complaint  and  defense  in 
the  usual  way.  When  I had  given  my  decision  in  the  common 
admonitory  form,  they  went  off  apparently  satisfied.  Several 
Portuguese,  who  had  been  viewing  the  proceedings  with  great  in- 
terest, complimented  me  on  the  success  of  my  teaching  them  how 
to  act  in  litigation ; but  I could  not  take  any  credit  to  myself  for 
the  system  wdiich  I had  found  ready-made  to  my  hands. 

Soon  after  our  arrival  at  Linyanti,  Sekeletu  took  me  aside,  and 
pressed  me  to  mention  those  things  I liked  best  and  hoped  to 
get  from  him.  Any  thing,  either  in  or  out  of  his  town,  should  be 
freely  given  if  I would  only  mention  it.  I explained  to  him  that 
my  object  was  to  elevate  him  and  his  people  to  be  Christians ; 
but  he  replied  he  did  not  wish  to  learn  to  read  the  Book,  for  he 
was  afraid  “ it  might  change  his  heart,  and  make  him  content 


DISPOSAL  OF  CHIEF’S  WIDOWS. 


203 


with  only  one  wife,  like  Seckele.”  It  was  of  little  use  to  urge 
that  the  change  of  heart  implied  a contentment  with  one  wife 
equal  to  his  present  complacency  in  polygamy.  Such  a prefer- 
ence after  the  change  of  mind  could  not  now  be  understood  by 
him  any  more  than  the  real,  unmistakable  pleasure  of  religious 
services  can  by  those  who  have  not  experienced  what  is  known 
by  the  term  the  “new  heart.”  I assured  him  that  nothing  was 
expected  but  by  his  own  voluntary  decision.  “No,  no ; he  wanted 
always  to  have  five  wives  at  least.”  I liked  the  frankness  of  Se- 
keletu,  for  nothing  is  so  wearying  to  the  spirit  as  talking  to  those 
who  agree  with  every  thing  advanced. 

Sekeletu,  according  to  the  system  of  the  Bechuanas,  became 
possessor  of  his  father’s  wives,  and  adopted  two  of  them ; the 
children  by  these  women  are,  however,  in*  these  cases,  termed 
brothers.  When  an  elder  brother  dies,  the  same  thing  occurs  in 
respect  of  his  wives ; the  brother  next  in  age  takes  them,  as 
among  the  Jews,  and  the  children  that  may  be  born  of  those 
women  he  calls  his  brothers  also.  He  thus  raises  up  seed  to  his 
departed  relative.  An  uncle  of  Sekeletu,  being  a younger  brother 
of  Sebituane,  got  that  chieftain’s  head- wife  or  queen : there  is 
always  one  who  enjoys  this  title.  Iler  hut  is  called  the  great 
house,  and  her  children  inherit  the  chieftainship.  If  she  dies,  a 
new  wife  is  selected  for  the  same  position,  and  enjoys  the  same 
privileges,  though  she  may  happen  to  be  a much  younger  woman 
than  the  rest. 

The  majority  of  the  wives  of  Sebituane  were  given  to  influen- 
tial under-chiefs ; and,  in  reference  to  their  early  casting  off  the 
widow’s  weeds,  a song  was  sung,  the  tenor  of  which  was  that  the 
men  alone  felt  the  loss  of  their  father  Sebituane,  the  women  were 
so  soon  supplied  with  new  husbands  that  their  hearts  had  not 
time  to  become  sore  with  grief. 

The  women  complain  because  the  proportions  between  the 
sexes  are  so  changed  now  that  they  are  not  valued  as  they  de- 
serve. The  majority  of  the  real  Makololo  have  been  cut  off  by 
fever.  Those  who  remain  are  a mere  fragment  of  the  people 
who  came  to  the  north  with  Sebituane.  Migrating  from  a very 
healthy  climate  in  the  south,  they  were  more  subject  to  the 
febrile  diseases  of  the  valley  in  which  we  found  them  than  the 
black  tribes  they  conquered.  In  comparison  with  the  Barotse, 


204 


MAKOLOLO  WOMEN. 


Batoka,  and  Banyeti,  the  Makololo  have  a sickly  hue.  They  are 
of  a light  brownish-yellow  color,  while  the  tribes  referred  to  are 
very  dark,  with  a slight  tinge  of  olive.  The  whole  of  the  colored 
tribes  consider  that  beauty  and  fairness  are  associated,  and  women 
long  for  children  of  light  color  so  much,  that  they  sometimes  chew 
the  bark  of  a certain  tree  in  hopes  of  producing  that  effect.  To 
my  eye  the  dark  color  is  much  more  agreeable  than  the  tawny 
hue  of  the  half-caste,  which  that  of  the  Makololo  ladies  closely 
resembles.  The  women  generally  escaped  the  fever,  but  they  are 
less  fruitful  than  formerly,  and,  to  their  complaint  of  being  under- 
valued on  account  of  the  disproportion  of  the  sexes,  they  now  add 
their  regrets  at  the  want  of  children,  of  whom  they  are  all  excess- 
ively fond. 

The  Makololo  worsen  work  but  little.  Indeed,  the  families  of 
that  nation  are  spread  over  the  country,  one  or  two  only  in  each 
village,  as  the  lords  of  the  land.  They  all  have  lordship  over 
great  numbers  of  subjected  tribes,  who  pass  by  the  general  name 
Makalaka,  and  who  are  forced  to  render  certain  services,  and  to 
aid  in  tilling  the  soil;  but  each  has  his  own  land  under  cultivation, 
and  otherwise  lives  nearly  independent.  They  are  proud  to  be 
called  Makololo,  but  the  other  term  is  often  used  in  reproach,  as 
betokening  inferiority.  This  species  of  servitude  may  be  termed 
serfdom,  as  it  has  to  be  rendered  in  consequence  of  subjection  by 
force  of  arms,  but  it  is  necessarily  very  mild.  It  is  so  easy  for 
any  one  who  is  unkindly  treated  to  make  his  escape  to  other 
tribes,  that  the  Makololo  are  compelled  to  treat  them,  to  a great 
extent,  rather  as  children  than  slaves.  Some  masters,  who  fail 
from  defect  of  temper  or  disposition  to  secure  the  affections  of  the 
conquered  people,  frequently  find  themselves  left  without  a single 
servant,  in  consequence  of  the  absence  and  impossibility  of  en- 
forcing a fugitive-slave  law,  and  the  readiness  with  which  those 
who  are  themselves  subjected  assist  the  fugitives  across  the  rivers 
in  canoes.  The  Makololo  ladies  are  liberal  in  their  presents  of 
milk  and  other  food,  and  seldom  require  to  labor,  except  in  the 
way  of  beautifying  their  own  huts  and  court-yards.  They  drink 
large  quantities  of  boyaloa  or  o-alo,  the  buza  of  the  Arabs, 
which,  being  made  of  the  grain  called  holcus  sorghum  or  “dura- 
saifi,”  in  a minute  state  of  subdivision,  is  very  nutritious,  and 
gives  that  plumpness  of  form  which  is  considered  beautiful.  They 


PUBLIC  RELIGIOUS  SERVICE. 


205 


dislike  being  seen  at  their  potations  by  persons  of  the  opposite 
sex.  They  cut  their  woolly  hair  quite  short,  and  delight  in 
having  the  whole  person  shining  with  butter.  Their  dress  is  a 
kilt  reaching  to  the  knees;  its  material  is  ox- hide,  made  as  soft 
as  cloth.  It  is  not  ungraceful.  A soft  skin  mantle  is  thrown 
across  the  shoulders  when  the  lady  is  unemployed,  but  when 
engaged  in  any  sort  of  labor  she  throws  this  aside,  and  works 
in  the  kilt  alone.  The  ornaments  most  coveted  are  large  brass 
anklets  as  thick  as  the  little  finger,  and  armlets  of  both  brass 
and  ivory,  the  latter  often  an  inch  broad.  The  rings  are  so  heavy 
that  the  ankles  are  often  blistered  by  the  weight  pressing  down ; 
but  it  is  the  fashion,  and  is  borne  as  magnanimously  as  tight 
lacing  and  tight  shoes  among  ourselves.  Strings  of  beads  are 
hung  around  the  neck,  and  the  fashionable  colors  being  light  green 
and  pink,  a trader  could  get  almost  any  thing  he  chose  for  beads 
of  these  colors. 

At  our  public  religious  services  in  the  kotla,  the  Makololo 
women  always  behaved  with  decorum  from  the  first,  except  at 
the  conclusion  of  the  prayer.  When  all  knelt  down,  many  of 
those  who  had  children,  in  following  the  example  of  the  rest,  bent 
over  their  little  ones ; the  children,  in  terror  of  being  crushed  to 
death,  set  up  a simultaneous  yell,  which  so  tickled  the  whole  as- 
sembly there  was  often  a subdued  titter,  to  be  turned  into  a hearty 
laugh  as  soon  as  they  heard  Amen.  This  was  not  so  difficult  to 
overcome  in  them  as  similar  peccadilloes  were  in  the  case  of  the 
women  farther  south.  Long  after  we  had  settled  at  Mabotsa, 
when  preaching  on  the  most  solemn  subjects,  a woman  might  be 
observed  to  look  round,  and,  seeing  a neighbor  seated  on  her  dress, 
give  her  a hunch  with  the  elbow  to  make  her  move  off ; the  other 
would  return  it  with  interest,  and  perhaps  the  remark,  “ Take  the 
nasty  thing  away,  will  you  ?”  Then  three  or  four  would  begin  to 
hustle  the  first  offenders,  and  the  men  to  swear  at  them  all,  by  way 
of  enforcing  silence. 

Great  numbers  of  little  trifling  things  like  these  occur,  and 
would  not  be  worth  the  mention  but  that  one  can  not  form  a 
correct  idea  of  missionary  work  except  by  examination  of  the 
minutias.  At  the  risk  of  appearing  frivolous  to  some,  I shall  con- 
tinue to  descend  to  mere  trifles. 

The  numbers  who  attended  at  the  summons  of  the  herald,  who 


206 


MEDICAL  PRACTICE. 


acted  as  beadle,  were  often  from  five  to  seven  hundred.  The  serv- 
ice consisted  of  reading  a small  portion  of  the  Bible  and  giving  an 
explanatory  address,  usually  short  enough  to  prevent  weariness 
or  want  of  attention.  So  long  as  we  continue  to  hold  services 
in  the  kotla,  the  associations  of  the  place  are  unfavorable  to  so- 
lemnity ; hence  it  is  always  desirable  to  have  a place  of  worship 
as  soon  as  possible ; and  it  is  of  importance,  too,  to  treat  such 
place  with  reverence,  as  an  aid  to  secure  that  serious  attention 
which  religious  subjects  demand.  This  will  appear  more  evident 
when  it  is  recollected  that,  in  the  very  spot  where  we  had  been 
engaged  in  acts  of  devotion,  half  an  hour  after  a dance  would 
be  got  up ; and  these  habits  can  not  be  at  first  oj)posed  without 
the  appearance  of  assuming  too  much  authority  over  them.  It  is 
always  unwise  to  hurt  their  feelings  of  independence.  Much 
greater  influence  will  be  gained  by  studying  how  you  may  induce 
them  to  act  aright,  with  the  impression  that  they  are  doing  it  of 
their  own  free  will.  Our  services  having  necessarily  been  all  in 
the  open  air,  where  it  is  most  difficult  to  address  large  bodies  of 
people,  prevented  my  recovering  so  entirely  from  the  effects  of 
clergyman’s  sore  throat  as  I expected,  when  my  uvula  was  excised 
at  the  Cape. 

To  give  an  idea  of  the  routine  followed  for  months  together,  on 
other  days  as  well  as  on  Sundays,  I may  advert  to  my  habit  of 
treating  the  sick  for  complaints  which  seemed  to  surmount  the 
skill  of  their  own  doctors.  I refrained  from  going  to  any  one  un- 
less his  own  doctor  wished  it,  or  had  given  up  the  case.  This  led 
to  my  having  a selection  of  the  severer  cases  only,  and  prevented 
the  doctors  being  offended  at  my  taking  their  practice  out  of  their 
hands.  When  attacked  by  fever  myself,  and  wishing  to  ascertain 
what  their  practices  were,  I could  safely  intrust  myself  in  their 
hands  on  account  of  their  well-known  friendly  feelings. 

The  plan  of  showing  kindness  to  the  natives  in  their  bodily  ail- 
ments secures  their  friendship ; this  is  not  the  case  to  the  same 
degree  in  old  missions,  where  the  people  have  learned  to  look  upon 
relief  as  a right — a state  of  things  which  sometimes  happens  among 
ourselves  at  home.  Medical  aid  is  therefore  most  valuable  in 
young  missions,  though  at  all  stages  it  is  an  extremely  valuable 
adjunct  to  other  operations. 

I proposed  to  teach  the  Makololo  to  read,  but,  for  the  reasons 


SEKELETU’S  PRESENT. 


207 


mentioned,  Sekeletu  at  first  declined ; after  some  weeks,  however, 
Motibe,  his  father-in-law,  and  some  others,  determined  to  brave 
the  mysterious  book.  To  all  who  have  not  acquired  it,  the  knowl- 
edge of  letters  is  quite  unfathomable;  there  is  naught  like  it 
within  the  compass  of  their  observation  ; and  we  have  no  com- 
parison with  any  thing  except  pictures,  to  aid  them  in  compre- 
hending the  idea  of  signs  of  words.  It  seems  to  them  super- 
natural that  we  see  in  a book  things  taking  place,  or  having 
occurred  at  a distance.  No  amount  of  explanation  conveys  the 
idea  unless  they  learn  to  read.  Machinery  is  equally  inexplica- 
ble, and  money  nearly  as  much  so  until  they  see  it  in  actual  use. 
They  are  familiar  with  barter  alone ; and  in  the  centre  of  the 
country,  where  gold  is  totally  unknown,  if  a button  and  sovereign 
were  left  to  their  choice,  they  would  prefer  the  former  on  account 
of  its  having  an  eye. 

In  beginning  to  learn,  Motibe  seemed  to  himself  in  the  posi- 
tion of  the  doctor,  who  was  obliged  to  drink  his  potion  before  the 
patient,  to  show  that  it  contained  nothing  detrimental ; after  he 
had  mastered  the  alphabet,  and  reported  the  thing  so  far  safe, 
Sekeletu  and  his  young  companions  came  forward  to  try  for  them- 
selves. He  must  have  resolved  to  watch  the  effects  of  the  book 
against  his  views  on  polygamy,  and  abstain  whenever  he  perceived 
any  tendency,  in  reading  it,  toward  enforcing  him  to  put  his  wives 
away.  A number  of  men  learned  the  alphabet  in  a short  time 
and  were  set  to  teach  others,  but  before  much  progress  could  be 
made  I was  on  my  way  to  Loanda. 

As  I had  declined  to  name  any  thing  as  a present  from 
Sekeletu,  except  a canoe  to  take  me  up  the  river,  he  brought 
ten  fine  elephants’  tusks  and  laid  them  down  beside  my  wagon. 
He  would  take  no  denial,  though  I told  him  I should  prefer  to 
see  him  trading  with  Fleming,  a man  of  color  from  the  "West  In- 
dies, who  had  come  for  the  purpose.  I had,  during  the  eleven 
years  of  my  previous  course,  invariably  abstained  from  taking 
presents  of  ivory,  from  an  idea  that  a religious  instructor  degraded 
himself  by  accepting  gifts  from  those  whose  spiritual  welfare  he 
professed  to  seek.  My  precedence  of  all  traders  in  the  line  of 
discovery  put  me  often  in  the  way  of  very  handspme  offers,  but 
I always  advised  the  donors  to  sell  their  ivory  to  traders,  who 
would  be  sure  to  follow,  and  when  at  some  future  time  they  had 


208 


PRESENTS  AND  TRADING. 


become  rich  by  barter,  they  might  remember  me  or  my  children. 
When  Lake  Ngami  was  discovered  I might  have  refused  per- 
mission to  a trader  who  accompanied  us ; but  when  he  applied 
for  leave  to  form  part  of  our  company,  knowing  that  Mr.  Oswell 
would  no  more  trade  than  myself,  and  that  the  people  of  the  lake 
would  be  disappointed  if  they  could  not  dispose  of  their  ivory,  I 
willingly  granted  a sanction,  without  which  his  people  would  not 
at  that  time  have  ventured  so  far.  This  was  surely  preferring 
the  interest  of  another  to  my  own.  The  return  I got  for  this 
was  a notice  in  one  of  the  Cape  papers  that  this  “ man  was  the 
true  discoverer  of  the  lake!” 

The  conclusion  I had  come  to  was,  that  it  is  quite  lawful, 
though  perhaps  not  expedient,  for  missionaries  to  trade ; but  bar- 
ter is  the  only  means  by  which  a missionary  in  the  interior  can 
pay  his  way,  as  money  has  no  value.  In  all  the  journeys  I had 
previously  undertaken  for  wider  diffusion  of  the  Gospel,  the  extra 
expenses  were  defrayed  from  my  salary  of  £100  per  annum. 
This  sum  is  sufficient  to  enable  a missionary  to  live  in  the  interior 
of  South  Africa,  supposing  he  has  a garden  capable  of  yielding 
corn  and  vegetables ; but  should  he  not,  and  still  consider  that 
six  or  eight  months  can  not  lawfully  be  spent  simply  in  getting 
goods  at  a lower  price  than  they  can  be  had  from  itinerant  traders, 
the  sum  mentioned  is  barely  sufficient  for  the  poorest  fare  and 
plainest  apparel.  As  we  never  felt  ourselves  justified  in  making 
journeys  to  the  colony  for  the  sake  of  securing  bargains,  the  most 
frugal  living  was  necessary  to  enable  us  to  be  a little  charitable 
to  others;  but  when  to  this  were  added  extra  traveling  ex- 
penses, the  wants  of  an  increasing  family,  and  liberal  gifts  to 
chiefs,  it  was  difficult  to  make  both  ends  meet.  The  pleasure 
of  missionary  labor  would  be  enhanced  if  one  could  devote  his 
life  to  the  heathen,  without  drawing  a salary  from  a society  at 
all.  The  luxury  of  doing  good  from  one’s  own  private  resources, 
without  appearing  to  either  natives  or  Europeans  to  be  making  a 
gain  of  it,  is  far  preferable,  and  an  object  worthy  the  ambition 
of  the  rich.  But  few  men  of  fortune,  however,  now  devote 
themselves  to  Christian  missions,  as  of  old.  Presents  were  al- 
ways given  to  the  chiefs  whom  we  visited,  and  nothing  accepted 
in  return ; but  when  Sebituane  (in  1851)  offered  some  ivory,  I 
took  it,  and  was  able  by  its  sale  to  present  his  son  with  a number 
of  really  useful  articles  of  a higher  value  than  I had  ever  been 


PRESENTS  TO  SEKELETU. 


209 


able  to  give  before  to  any  chief.  In  doing  this,  of  course,  I 
appeared  to  trade,  but,  feeling  I had  a right  to  do  so,  I felt  per- 
fectly easy  in  my  mind  ; and,  as  I still  held  the  view  of  the  inex- 
pediency of  combining  the  two  professions,  I was  glad  of  the  pro- 
posal of  one  of  the  most  honorable  merchants  of  Cape  Town,  Mr. 
H.  E.  Rutherford,  that  he  should  risk  a sum  of  money  in  Flem- 
ing’s hands  for  the  purpose  of  attempting  to  develop  a trade  with 
the  Makololo.  It  was  to  this  man  I suggested  Sekeletu  should 
sell  the  tusks  which  he  had  presented  for  my  acceptance,  but  the 
chief  refused  to  take  them  back  from  me.  The  goods  which 
Fleming  had  brought  were  ill  adapted  for  the  use  of  the  natives, 
but  he  got  a pretty  good  load  of  ivory  in  exchange ; and  though 
it  was  his  first  attempt  at  trading,  and  the  distance  traveled  over 
made  the  expenses  enormous,  he  was  not  a loser  by  the  trip. 
Other  traders  followed,  who  demanded  90  lbs.  of  ivory  for  a mus- 
ket. The  Makololo,  knowing  nothing  of  steelyards,  but  suppos- 
ing that  they  were  meant  to  cheat  them,  declined  to  trade  except 
by  exchanging  one  bull  and  one  cow  elephant's  tusk  for  each  gun. 
This  would  average  70  lbs.  of  ivory,  which  sells  at  the  Cape  for 
5s.  per  pound,  for  a second-hand  musket  ■worth  10s.  I,  being 
sixty  miles  distant,  did  not  witness  this  attempt  at  barter,  but, 
anxious  to  enable  my  countrymen  to  drive  a brisk  trade,  told  the 
Makololo  to  sell  my  ten  tusks  on  their  own  account  for  whatever 
they  would  bring.  Seventy  tusks  were  for  sale,  but,  the  parties 
not  understanding  each  other’s  talk,  no  trade  was  established ; 
and  when  I passed  the  spot  some  time  afterward,  I found  that  the 
whole  of  that  ivory  had  been  destroyed  by  an  accidental  fire, 
which  broke  out  in  the  village  when  all  the  people  were  absent. 
Success  in  trade  is  as  much  dependent  on  knowledge  of  the  lan- 
guage as  success  in  traveling. 

I had  brought  with  me  as  presents  an  improved  breed  of  goats, 
fowls,  and  a pair  of  cats.  A superior  bull  was  bought,  also  as  a 
gift  to  Sekeletu,  but  I was  compelled  to  leave  it  on  account  of  its 
having  become  foot-sore.  As  the  Makololo  are  very  fond  of  im- 
proving the  breed  of  their  domestic  animals,  they  were  much 
pleased  with  my  selection.  I endeavored  to  bring  the  bull,  in  per- 
formance of  a promise  made  to  Sebituane  before  he  died.  Ad- 
miring a calf  which  we  had  with  us,  he  proposed  to  give  me  a cow 
for  it,  which  in  the  native  estimation  was  offering  three  times  its 
value.  I presented  it  to  him  at  once,  and  promised  to  bring  him 

O 


210 


THE  LOOKING-GLASS. 


another  and  a better  one.  Sekeletu  was  much  gratified  by  my  at- 
tempt to  keep  my  word  given  to  his  father. 

They  have  two  breeds  of  cattle  among  them.  One,  called  the 
Batoka,  because  captured  from  that  tribe,  is  of  diminutive  size,  but 
very  beautiful,  and  closely  resembles  the  short-horns  of  our  own 
country.  The  little  pair  presented  by  the  King  of  Portugal  to 
H.R.H.  the  prince  consort,  is  of  this  breed.  They  are  very  tame, 
and  remarkably  playful ; they  may  be  seen  lying  on  their  sides  by 
the  fires  in  the  evening ; and,  when  the  herd  goes  out,  the  herds- 
man often  precedes  them,  and  has  only  to  commence  capering  to 
set  them  all  a gamboling.  The  meat  is  superior  to  that  of  the 
large  animal.  The  other,  or  Barotse  ox,  is  much  larger,  and  comes 
from  the  fertile  Barotse  Valley.  They  stand  high  on  their  legs, 
often  nearly  six  feet  at  the  withers ; and  they  have  large  horns. 
Those  of  one  of  a similar  breed  that  we  brought  from  the  lake 
measured  from  tip  to  tip  eight  and  a half  feet. 

The  Makololo  are  in  the  habit  of  shaving  off  a little  from  one 
side  of  the  horns  of  these  animals  when ‘still  growing,  in  order  to 
make  them  curve  in  that  direction  and  assume  fantastic  shapes. 
The  stranger  the  curvature,  the  more  handsome  the  ox  is  con- 
sidered to  be,  and  the  longer  this  ornament  of  the  cattle-pen  is 
spared  to  beautify  the  herd.  This  is  a very  ancient  custom  in 
Africa,  for  the  tributary  tribes  of  Ethiopia  are  seen,  on  some  of 
the  most  ancient  Egyptian  monuments,  bringing  contorted-horned 
cattle  into  Egypt. 

All  are  remarkably  fond  of  their  cattle,  and  spend  much  time 
in  ornamenting  and  adorning  them.  Some  are  branded  all  over 
with  a hot  knife,  so  as  to  cause  a permanent  discoloration  of  the 
hair,  in  lines  like  the  bands  on  the  hide  of  a zebra.  Pieces  of 
skin  two  or  three  inches  long  and  broad  are  detached,  and  allowed 
to  heal  in  a dependent  position  around  the  head — a strange  style 
of  ornament ; indeed,  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  in  what  their 
notion  of  beauty  consists.  The  women  have  somewhat  the  same 
ideas  with  ourselves  of  what  constitutes  comeliness.  They  came 
frequently  and  asked  for  the  looking-glass ; and  the  remarks 
they  made — while  I was  engaged  in  reading,  and  apparently 
not  attending  to  them — on  first  seeing  themselves  therein,  were 
amusingly  ridiculous.  “Is  that  me?”  “What  a big  mouth  I 
have!”  “My  ears  are  as  big  as  pumpkin-leaves.”  “I  have  no 
chin  at  all.”  Or,  “I  would  have  been  pretty,  but  am  spoiled  by 


MODE  OF  PREPARING  SKINS. 


211 


these  high  cheek-bones.”  “ See  how  my  head  shoots  up  in  the 
middle!”  laughing  vociferously  all  the  time  at  their  own  jokes. 
They  readily  perceive  any  defect  in  each  other,  and  give  nick- 
names accordingly.  One  man  came  alone  to  have  a quiet  gaze  at 
his  own  features  once,  when  he  thought  I was  asleep ; after  twist- 
ing his  mouth  about  in  various  directions,  he  remarked  to  himself, 
“ People  say  I am  ugly,  and  how  very  ugly  I am  indeed !” 

The  Makololo  use  all  the  skins  of  their  oxen  for  making  either 
mantles  or  shields.  For  the  former,  the  hide  is  stretched  out  by 
means  of  pegs,  and  dried.  Ten  or  a dozen  men  then  collect  round 
it  with  small  adzes,  which,  when  sharpened  with  an  iron  bodkin, 
are  capable  of  shaving  off  the  substance  of  the  skin  on  the  fleshy 
side  until  it  is  quite  thin ; when  sufficiently  thin,  a quantity  of 
brain  is  smeared  over  it,  and  some  thick  milk.  Then  an  instru- 
ment made  of  a number  of  iron  spikes  tied  round  a piece  of  wood, 
so  that  the  points  only  project  beyond  it,  is  applied  to  it  in  a card- 
ing fashion,  until  the  fibres  of  the  bulk  of  it  are  quite  loose.  Milk 
or  butter  is  applied  to  it  again,  and  it  forms  a garment  nearly  as 
soft  as  cloth. 

The  shields  are  made  of  hides  partially  dried  in  the  sun,  and 
then  beaten  with  hammers  until  they  are  stiff  and  dry.  Two 
broad  belts  of  a differently-colored  skin  are  sewed  into  them  longi- 
tudinally, and  sticks  inserted  to  make  them  rigid  and  not  liable 
to  bend  easily.  The  shield  is  a great  protection  in  their  way  of 
fighting  with  spears,  but  they  also  trust  largely  to  their  agility  in 
springing  aside  from  the  coming  javelin.  The  shield  assists  when 
so  many  spears  are  thrown  that  it  is  impossible  not  to  receive 
some  of  them.  Their  spears  are  light  javelins ; and,  judging  from 
what  I have  seen  them  do  in  elephant-hunting,  I believe,  when 
they  have  room  to  make  a run  and  discharge  them  with  the  aid 
of  the  jerk  of  stopping,  they  can  throw  them  between  forty  and 
fifty  yards.  They  give  them  an  upward  direction  in  the  dis- 
charge, so  that  they  come  down  on  the  object  with  accelerated 
force.  I saw  a man  who  in  battle  had  received  one  in  the  shin ; 
the  excitement  of  the  moment  prevented  his  feeling  any  pain ; 
but,  when  the  battle  was  over,  the  blade  was  found  to  have  split 
the  bone,  and  become  so  impacted  in  the  cleft  that  no  force  could 
extract  it.  It  was  necessary  to  take  an  axe  and  press  the  split 
bone  asunder  before  the  weapon  could  be  taken  out. 


212 


THE  FEVER. 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Fever. — Its  Symptoms. — Remedies  of  the  native  Doctors. — Hospitality  of  Se- 
keletu  and  his  People. — One  of  their  Reasons  for  Polygamy. — They  cultivate 
largely. — The  Makalaka  or  subject  Tribes. — Sebituane’s  Policy  respecting  them. 
— Their  Affection  for  him. — Products  of  the  Soil. — Instrument  of  Culture. — The 
Tribute. — Distributed  by  the  Chief. — A warlike  Demonstration. — Lechulatebe’s 
Provocations. — The  Makololo  determine  to  punish  him.  — The  Bechuanas. — 
Meaning  of  the  Term. — Three  Divisions  of  the  great  Family  of  South  Africans. 

On  the  30th  of  May  I was  seized  with  fever  for  the  first  time. 
We  reached  the  town  of  Linyanti  on  the  23d ; and  as  my  habits 
were  suddenly  changed  from  great  exertion  to  comparative  in- 
activity,  at  the  commencement  of  the  cold  season  I suffered  from 
a severe  attack  of  stoppage  of  the  secretions,  closely  resembling 
a common  cold.  Warm  baths  and  drinks  relieved  me,  and  I had 
no  idea  but  that  I was  now  recovering  from  the  effects  of  a chill, 
got  by  leaving  the  warm  wagon  in  the  evening  in  order  to  con- 
duct family  worship  at  my  people’s  fire.  But  on  the  2d  of  June 
a relapse  showed  to  the  Makololo,  who  knew  the  complaint, 
that  my  indisposition  was  no  other  than  the  fever,  with  which  I 
have  since  made  a more  intimate  acquaintance.  Cold  east 
winds  prevail  at  this  time ; and  as  they  come  over  the  extensive 
flats  inundated  by  the  Chobe,  as  well  as  many  other  districts 
where  pools  of  rain-water  are  now  drying  up,  they  may  be  sup- 
posed to  be  loaded  with  malaria  and  watery  vapor,  and  many 
cases  of  fever  follow.  The  usual  symptoms  of  stopped  secretion 
are  manifested — shivering  and  a feeling  of  coldness,  though  the 
skin  is  quite  hot  to  the  touch  of  another.  The  heat  in  the  ax- 
illa, over  the  heart  and  region  of  the  stomach,  was  in  my  case 
100° ; but  along  the  spine  and  at  the  nape  of  the  neck  103°. 
The  internal  processes  were  all,  with  the  exception  of  the  kid- 
neys and  liver,  stopped ; the  latter,  in  its  efforts  to  free  the 
blood  of  noxious  particles,  often  secretes  enormous  quantities  of 
bile.  There  were  pains  along  the  spine,  and  frontal  headache. 
Anxious  to  ascertain  whether  the  natives  possessed  the  knowl- 
edge of  any  remedy  of  which  we  were  ignorant,  I requested  the 
assistance  of  one  of  Sekeletu’s  doctors.  He  put  some  roots  into 


NATIVE  REMEDIES. 


213 


a pot  with  water,  and,  when  it  was  boiling,  placed  it  on  a spot  be- 
neath a blanket  thrown  around  both  me  and  it.  This  produced 
no  immediate  effect ; he  then  got  a small  bundle  of  different  kinds 
of  medicinal  woods,  and,  burning  them  in  a potsherd  nearly  to 
ashes,  used  the  smoke  and  hot  vapor  arising  from  them  as  an  aux- 
iliary to  the  other  in  causing  diaphoresis.  I fondly  hoped  that 
they  had  a more  potent  remedy  than  our  own  medicines  afford ; 
but  after  being  stewed  in  their  vapor-baths,  smoked  like  a red 
herring  over  green  twigs,  and  charmed  secundem  artem,  I con- 
cluded that  I could  cure  the  fever  more  quickly  than  they  can. 
If  we  employ  a wet  sheet  and  a mild  aperient  in  combination  with 
quinine,  in  addition  to  the  native  remedies,  they  are  an  important 
aid  in  curing  the  fever,  as  they  seem  to  have  the  same  stimulat- 
ing effects  on  the  alimentary  canal  as  these  means  have  on  the  ex- 
ternal surface.  Purgatives,  general  bleedings,  or  indeed  any  vio- 
lent remedies,  are  injurious ; and  the  appearance  of  a herpetic 
eruption  near  the  mouth  is  regarded  as  an  evidence  that  no  inter- 
nal organ  is  in  danger.  There  is  a good  deal  in  not  “giving  in” 
to  this  disease.  He  who  is  low-spirited,  and  apt  to  despond  at 
every  attack,  will  die  sooner  than  the  man  who  is  not  of  such  a 
melancholic  nature. 

The  Makololo  had  made  a garden  and  planted  maize  for  me, 
that,  as  they  remarked  when  I was  parting  with  them  to  pro- 
ceed to  the  Cape,  I might  have  food  to  eat  when  I returned,  as 
well  as  other  people.  The  maize  was  now  pounded  by  the  wom- 
en into  fine  meal.  This  they  do  in  large  wooden  mortars,  the 


214 


EXTENSIVE  CULTIVATION  OF  LAND. 


counterpart  of  which  may  be  seen  depicted  on  the  Egyptian  mon- 
uments. Sekeletu  added  to  this  good  supply  of  meal  ten  or 
twelve  jars  of  honey,  each  of  which  contained  about  two  gallons. 
Liberal  supplies  of  ground-nuts  (Arachis  hypogoea ) were  also  fur- 
nished every  time  the  tributary  tribes  brought  their  dues  to  Lin- 
yanti,  and  an  ox  was  given  for  slaughter  every  week  or  two.  Se- 
keletu also  appropriated  two  cows  to  be  milked  for  us  every  morn- 
ing and  evening.  This  was  in  accordance  with  the  acknowl- 
edged rule  throughout  this  country,  that  the  chief  should  feed  all 
strangers  who  come  on  any  special  business  to  him  and  take  up 
their  abode  in  his  kotla.  A present  is  usually  given  in  return  for 
the  hospitality,  but,  except  in  cases  where  their  aboriginal  cus- 
toms have  been  modified,  nothing  would  be  asked.  Europeans 
spoil  the  feeling  that  hospitality  is  the  sacred  duty  of  the  chiefs 
by  what  in  other  circumstances  is  laudable  conduct.  No  sooner 
do  they  arrive  fhan  they  offer  to  purchase  food,  and,  instead  of 
waiting  till  a meal  is  prepared  for  them  in  the  evening,  cook  for 
themselves,  and  then  often  decline  even  to  partake  of  that  which 
has  been  made  ready  for  their  use.  A present  is  also  given,  and 
before  long  the  natives  come  to  expect  a gift  without  having  of- 
fered any  equivalent. 

Strangers  frequently  have  acquaintances  among  the  under- 
chiefs, to  whose  establishments  they  turn  aside,  and  are  treated 
on  the  same  principle  that  others  are  when  they  are  the  guests  of 
the  chief.  So  generally  is  the  duty  admitted,  that  one  of  the 
most  cogent  arguments  for  polygamy  is  that  a respectable  man 
with  only  one  wife  could  not  entertain  strangers  as  he  ought. 
This  reason  has  especial  weight  where  the  women  are  the  chief 
cultivators  of  the  soil,  and  have  the  control  over  the  corn,  as  at 
Kolobeng.  The  poor,  however,  who  have  no  friends,  often  suffer 
much  hunger,  and  the  very  kind  attention  Sebituane  lavished  on  all 
such  was  one  of  the  reasons  of  his  great  popularity  in  the  country. 

The  Makololo  cultivate  a large  extent  of  land  around  their 
villages.  Those  of  them  who  are  real  Basutos  still  retain  the 
habits  of  that  tribe,  and  may  be  seen  going  out  with  their  wives 
with  their  hoes  in  hand — a state  of  things  never  witnessed  at 
Kolobeng,  or  among  any  other  Bechuana  or  Caffre  tribe.  The 
great  chief  Moshesh  affords  an  example  to  his  people  annually 
by  not  only  taking  the  hoe  in  hand,  but  working  hard  with  it  on 


PRODUCTS  OF  SOIL.— TRIBUTE. 


215 


certain  public  occasions.  His  Basutos  are  of  the  same  family 
with  the  Makololo  to  whom  I refer.  The  younger  Makololo,  who 
have  been  accustomed  from  their  infancy  to  lord  it  over  the  con- 
quered Makalaka,  have  unfortunately  no  desire  to  imitate  the  ag- 
ricultural tastes  of  their  fathers,  and  expect  their  subjects  to  per- 
form all  the  manual  labor.  They  are  the  aristocracy  of  the 
country,  and  once  possessed  almost  unlimited  power  over  their 
vassals.  Their  privileges  were,  however,  much  abridged  by  Se- 
bituane  himself. 

I have  already  mentioned  that  the  tribes  which  Sebituane  sub- 
jected in  this  great  country  pass  by  the  general  name  of  Maka- 
laka. The  Makololo  were  composed  of  a great  number  of  other 
tribes,  as  well  as  of  these  central  negroes.  The  nucleus  of  the 
whole  were  Basuto,  who  came  with  Sebituane  from  a compara- 
tively cold  and  hilly  region  in  the  south.  When  he  conquered 
various  tribes  of  the  Bechuanas,  as  Bakwains,  Bangwaketze,  Ba- 
mangwato,  Batauana,  etc.,  he  incorporated  the  young  of  these 
tribes  into  his  own.  Great  mortality  by  fever  having  taken 
place  in  the  original  stock,  he  wisely  adopted  the  same  plan  of 
absorption  on  a large  scale  with  the  Makalaka.  So  we  found  him 
with  even  the  sons  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Barotse  closely  attached  to 
his  person ; and  they  say  to  this  day,  if  any  thing  else  but  natu- 
ral death  had  assailed  their  father,  every  one  of  them  would  have 
laid  down  his  life  in  his  defense.  One  reason  for  their  strong  af- 
fection was  their  emancipation  by  the  decree  of  Sebituane,  “ all 
are  children  of  the  chief.” 

The  Makalaka  cultivate  the  IIolcus  sorghum , or  dura,  as  the  prin- 
cipal grain,  with  maize,  two  kinds  of  beans,  ground-nuts  ( Arachis 
hypogosa),  pumpkins,  watermelons,  and  cucumbers.  They  depend 
for  success  entirely  upon  rain.  Those  who  live  in  the  Barotse 
valley  cultivate  in  addition  the  sugar-cane,  sweet  potato,  and  ma- 
nioc ( Jatropha  manihot).  The  climate  there,  however,  is  warmer 
than  at  Linyanti,  and  the  Makalaka  increase  the  fertility  of  their 
gardens  by  rude  attempts  at  artificial  irrigation. 

The  instrument  of  culture  over  all  this  region  is  a hoe,  the  iron 
of  which  the  Batoka  and  Banyeti  obtain  from  the  ore  by  smelt- 
ing. The  amount  of  iron  which  they  produce  annually  may  be  un- 
derstood when  it  is  known  that  most  of  the  hoes  in  use  at  Linyanti 
are  the  tribute  imposed  on  the  smiths  of  those  subject  tribes. 


216 


WARLIKE  DEMONSTRATION. 


Sekeletu  receives  tribute  from  a great  number  of  tribes  in  corn 
or  dura,  ground-nuts,  hoes,  spears,  honey,  canoes,  paddles,  wood- 
en vessels,  tobacco,  mutokuane  ( Cannabis  sativa),  various  wild 
fruits  (dried),  prepared  skins,  and  ivory.  When  these  articles  are 
brought  into  the  kotla,  Sekeletu  has  the  honor  of  dividing  them 
among  the  loungers  who  usually  congregate  there.  A small 
portion  only  is  reserved  for  himself.  The  ivory  belongs  nom- 
inally to  him  too,  but  this  is  simply  a way  of  making  a fair  dis- 
tribution of  the  profits.  The  chief  sells  it  only  with  the  appro- 
bation of  his  counselors,  and  the  proceeds  are  distributed  in 
open  day  among  the  people  as  before.  He  has  the  choice  of 
every  thing ; but  if  he  is  not  more  liberal  to  others  than  to 
himself,  he  loses  in  popularity.  I have  known  instances  in  this 
and  other  tribes  in  which  individuals  aggrieved,  because  they 
had  been  overlooked,  fled  to  other  chiefs.  One  discontented 
person,  having  fled  to  Lechulatebe,  was  encouraged  to  go  to  a 
village  of  the  Bapalleng,  on  the  River  Clio  or  Tso,  and  ab- 
stracted the  tribute  of  ivory  thence  which  ought  to  have  come 
to  Sekeletu.  This  theft  enraged  the  whole  of  the  Makololo, 
because  they  all  felt  it  to  be  a personal  loss.  Some  of  Lechu- 
latebe’s  people  having  come  on  a visit  to  Linyanti,  a demonstra- 
tion was  made,  in  which  about  five  hundred  Makololo,  armed, 
went  through  a mimic  fight ; the  principal  warriors  pointed  their 
spears  toward  the  lake  where  Lechulatebe  lives,  and  every 
thrust  in  that  direction  was  answered  by  all  with  the  shout, 
“Hoo!”  while  every  stab  on  the  ground  drew  out  a simulta- 
neous “Huzz!”  On  these  occasions  all  capable  of  bearing 


LECHULATEBE’S  PKOVOCATIOXS. 


217 


arms,  even  the  old,  must  turn  out  at  the  call.  In  the  time  of 
Sebituane,  any  one  remaining  in  his  house  was  searched  for  and 
killed  without  mercy. 

This  offense  of  Lechulatebe  was  aggravated  by  repetition,  and 
by  a song  sung  in  his  town  accompanying  the  dances,  which 
manifested  joy  at  the  death  of  Sebituane.  He  had  enjoined  his 
people  to  live  in  peace  with  those  at  the  lake,  and  Sekeletu 
felt  disposed  to  follow  his  advice ; but  Lechulatebe  had  now  got 
possession  of  fire-arms,  and  considered  himself  more  than  a match 
for  the  Makololo.  His  father  had  been  dispossessed  of  many 
cattle  by  Sebituane,  and,  as  forgiveness  is  not  considered  among 
the  virtues  by  the  heathen,  Lechulatebe  thought  he  had  a right 
to  recover  what  he  could.  As  I had  a good  deal  of  influence 
with  the  Makololo,  I persuaded  them  that,  before  they  could 
have  peace,  they  must  resolve  to  give  the  same  blessing  to  oth- 
ers, and  they  never  could  do  that  without  forgiving  and  forgetting 
ancient  feuds.  It  is  hard  to  make  them  feel  that  shedding  of 
human  blood  is  a great  crime ; they  must  be  conscious  that  it  is 
wrong,  but,  having  been  accustomed  to  bloodshed  from  infancy, 
they  are  remarkably  callous  to  the  enormity  of  the  crime  of  de- 
stroying human  life. 

I sent  a message  at  the  same  time  to  Lechulatebe  advising  him 
to  give  up  the  course  he  had  adopted,  and  especially  the  song  ; be- 
cause, though  Sebituane  was  dead,  the  arms  with  which  he  had 
fought  were  still  alive  and  strong. 

Sekeletu,  in  order  to  follow  up  his  father’s  instructions  and 
promote  peace,  sent  ten  cows  to  Lechulatebe  to  be  exchanged 
for  sheep ; these  animals  thrive  well  in  a bushy  country  like 
that  around  the  lake,  but  will  scarcely  live  in  the  flat  prairies 
between  the  net-work  of  waters  north  of  the  Chobe.  The  men 
who  took  the  cows  carried  a number  of  hoes  to  purchase  goats 
besides.  Lechulatebe  took  the  cows  and  sent  back  an  equal 
number  of  sheep.  Now,  according  to  the  relative  value  of  sheep 
and  cows  in  these  parts,  he  ought  to  have  sent  sixty  or  seventy. 

One  of  the  men  who  had  hoes  was  trying  to  purchase  in  a 
village  without  formal  leave  from  Lechulatebe ; this  chief  pun- 
ished him  by  making  him  sit  some  hours  on  the  broiling  hot 
sand  (at  least  130°).  This  farther  offense  put  a stop  to  amicable 
relations  between  the  two  tribes  altogether.  It  was  a case  in 


218 


MEANING  OF  THE  TERM  “ BECIIUANAS.’ 


which  a very  small  tribe,  commanded  by  a weak  and  foolish 
chief,  had  got  possession  of  fire-arms,  and  felt  conscious  of 
ability  to  cope  with  a numerous  and  warlike  race.  Such  cases 
are  the  only  ones  in  which  the  possession  of  fire-arms  does  evil. 
The  universal  effect  of  the  diffusion  of  the  more  potent  instru- 
ments of  warfare  in  Africa  is  the  same  as  among  ourselves. 
Fire-arms  render  wars  less  frequent  and  less  bloody.  It  is  in- 
deed exceedingly  rare  to  hear  of  two  tribes  having  guns  going 
to  war  with  each  other ; and,  as  nearly  all  the  feuds,  in  the  south 
at  least,  have  been  about  cattle,  the  risk  which  must  be  incurred 
from  long  shots  generally  proves  a preventive  to  the  foray. 

The  Makololo  were  prevailed  upon  to  keep  the  peace  during 
my  residence  with  them,  but  it  Avas  easy  to  perceive  that  public 
opinion  was  against  sparing  a tribe  of  Becliuanas  for  whom  the 
Makololo  entertained  the  most  sovereign  contempt.  The  young 
men  would  remark,  “ Lechulatebe  is  herding  our  cows  for  us ; let 
us  only  go,  we  shall  ‘lift’  the  price  of  them  in  sheep,”  etc. 

As  the  Makololo  are  the  most  northerly  of  the  Bechuanas,  we 
may  glance  back  at  this  family  of  Africans  before  entering  on 
the  branch  of  the  negro  family  which  the  Makololo  distinguish 
by  the  term  Makalaka.  The  name  Bechuana  seems  derived 
from  the  word  Chuana — alike,  or  equal — with  the  personal  pro- 
noun Ba  (they)  prefixed,  and  therefore  means  fellows  or  equals. 
Some  have  supposed  the  name  to  have  arisen  from  a mistake  of 
some  traveler,  who,  on  asking  individuals  of  this  nation  concern- 
ing the  tribes  living  beyond  them,  received  the  answer,  Bachu- 
ana,  “they  (are)  alike;”  meaning,  “ They  are  the  same  as  we  are;” 
and  that  this  nameless  traveler,  who  never  wrote  a word  about 
them,  managed  to  ingraft  his  mistake  as  a generic  term  on  a na- 
tion extending  from  the  Orange  River  to  18°  south  latitude.* 

As  the  name  was  found  in  use  among  those  who  had  no  inter- 
course with  Europeans,  before  we  can  receive  the  above  expla- 
nation we  must  believe  that  the  unknown  traveler  knew  the 
language  sufficiently  well  to  ask  a question,  but  not  to  under- 
stand the  answer.  We  may  add,  that  the  way  in  which  they  still 
continue  to  use  the  word  seems  to  require  no  fanciful  interpreta- 
tion. When  addressed  with  any  degree  of  scorn,  they  reply, 

* The  Makololo  have  conquered  the  country  as  far  as  14°  south,  but  it  is  still 
peopled  chiefly  by  the  black  tribes  named  Makalaka. 


DIVISIONS  OF  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FAMILY. 


219 


“We  are  Bachuana,  or  equals — we  are  not  inferior  to  any  of  our 
nation,”  in  exactly  the  same  sense  as  Irishmen  or  Scotchmen, 
in  the  same  circumstances,  would  reply,  “ We  are  Britons,”  or 
“We  are  Englishmen.”  Most  other  tribes  are  known  by  the 
terms  applied  to  them  by  strangers  only,  as  the  Caffres,  Hotten- 
tots, and  Bushmen.  The  Bechuanas  alone  use  the  term  to  them- 
selves as  a generic  one  for  the  whole  nation.  They  have  man- 
aged, also,  to  give  a comprehensive  name  to  the  whites,  viz.,  Ma- 
kba,  though  they  can  not  explain  the  derivation  of  it  any  more 
than  of  their  own.  It  seems  to  mean  “ handsome,”  from  the  man- 
ner in  which  they  use  it  to  indicate  beauty ; but  there  is  a word 
so  very  like  it  meaning  “ infirm,”  or  “ weak,”  that  Burchell’s 
conjecture  is  probably  the  right  one.  “ The  different  Hottentot 
tribes  were  known  by  names  terminating  in  kua,  which  means 
‘ man,’  and  the  Bechuanas  simply  added  the  prefix  Ma,  denoting 
a nation.”  They  themselves  were  first  known  as  Briquas,  or 
“ goat-men.”  The  language  of  the  Bechuanas  is  termed  Sichuana ; 
that  of  the  whites  (or  Makoa)  is  called  Sekoa. 

The  Makololo,  or  Basuto,  have  carried  their  powers  of  gener- 
alization still  farther,  and  arranged  the  other  parts  of  the  same 
great  family  of  South  Africans  into  three  divisions  : 1st.  The 
Matebele,  or  Makonkobi — the  Caffre  family  living  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  country  ; 2d.  The  Bakoni,  or  Basuto  ; and,  3d.  The  Ba- 
kalahari,  or  Bechuanas,  living  in  the  central  parts,  which  includes 
all  those  tribes  living  in  or  adjacent  to  the  great  Kalahari  Desert. 

1st.  The  Caffres  are  divided  by  themselves  into  various  subdi- 
visions, as  Amakosa,  Amapanda,  and  other  well-known  titles. 
They  consider  the  name  Caffre  as  an  insulting  epithet. 

The  Zulus  of  Natal  belong  to  the  same  family,  and  they  are  as 
famed  for  their  honesty  as  their  brethren  who  live  adjacent  to  our 
colonial  frontier  are  renowned  for  cattle-lifting.  The  Recorder  of 
Natal  declared  of  them  that  history  does  not  present  another  in- 
stance in  which  so  much  security  for  life  and  property  has  been 
enjoyed,  as  has  been  experienced,  during  the  whole  period  of  En- 
glish occupation,  by  ten  thousand  colonists,  in  the  midst  of  one 
hundred  thousand  Zulus. 

The  Matebele  of  Mosilikatse,  living  a short  distance  south  of 
the  Zambesi,  and  other  tribes  living  a little  south  of  Tete  and 
Senna,  are  members  of  this  same  family.  They  are  not  known 


220 


DIVISIONS  OF  SOUTH  AFRICAN  FAMILY. 


beyond  the  Zambesi  Biver.  This  was  the  limit  of  the  Bechuana 
progress  north  too,  until  Sebituane  pushed  his  c'onquests  farther. 

2d.  The  Bakoni  and  Basuto  division  contains,  in  the  south,  all 
those  tribes  which  acknowledge  Moshesh  as  their  paramount 
chief.  Among  them  we  find  the  Batau,  the  Baputi,  Makolokue, 
etc.,  and  some  mountaineers  on  the  range  Maluti,  who  are  be- 
lieved, by  those  who  have  carefully  sifted  the  evidence,  to  have 
been  at  one  time  guilty  of  cannibalism.  This  has  been  doubt- 
ed, but  their  songs  admit  the  fact  to  this  day,  and  they  ascribe 
their  having  left  off  the  Odious  practice  of  entrapping  human  prey 
to  Moshesh  having  given  them  cattle.  They  are  called  Marimo 
and  Mayabathu,  men-eaters,  by  the  rest  of  the  Basuto,  who  have 
various  subdivisions,  as  Makatla,  Bamakakana,  Matlapatlapa,  etc. 

The  Bakoni  farther  north  than  the  Basuto  are  the  Batlou,  Ba- 
peri,  Bapo,  and  another  tribe  of  Bakuena,  Bamosetla,  Bamapela  or 
Balaka,  Babiriri,  Bapiri,  Bahukeng,  Batlokua,  Baakhahela,  etc., 
etc. ; the  whole  of  which  tribes  are  favored  with  abundance  of 
rain,  and,  being  much  attached  to  agriculture,  raise  very  large  quan- 
tities of  grain.  It  is  on  their  industry  that  the  more  distant  Boers 
revel  in  slothful  abundance,  and  follow  their  slave-hunting  and 
cattle-stealing  propensities  quite  beyond  the  range  of  English  in- 
fluence and  law.  The  Basuto  under  Moshesh  are  equally  fond  of 
cultivating  the  soil.  The  chief  labor  of  hoeing,  driving  away  birds, 
reaping,  and  winnowing,  falls  to  the  willing  arms  of  the  hard-work- 
ing women ; but  as  the  men,  as  well  as  their  wives,  as  already 
stated,  always  work,  many  have  fallowed  the  advice  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, and  now  use  plows  and  oxen  instead  of  the  hoe. 

3d.  The  Bakalahari,  or  western  branch  of  the  Bechuana  fami- 
ly, consists  of  Barolong,  Bahurutse,  Bakuena,  Bangwaketse,  Ba- 
kaa,  Bamangwato,  Bakurutse,  Batauana,  Bamatlaro,  and  Batlapi. 
Among  the  last  the  success  of  missionaries  has  been  greatest. 
They  were  an  insignificant  and  filthy  people  when  first  discover- 
ed ; but,  being  nearest  to  the  colony,  they  have  had  opportuni- 
ties of  trading  ; and  the  long-continued  peace  they  have  enjoyed, 
through  the  influence  of  religious  teaching,  has  enabled  them  to 
amass  great  numbers  of  cattle.  The  young,  however,  who  do  not 
realize  their  former  degradation,  often  consider  their  present  supe- 
riority over  the  less-favored  tribes  in  the  interior  to  be  entirely 
owing  to  their  own  greater  wisdom  and  more  intellectual  devel- 
opment. 


ANT-HILLS.— DATE-TREES. 


221 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Departure  from  Linyanti  for  Sesheke. — Level  Country. — Ant-hills. — Wild  Date- 
trees. — Appearance  of  our  Attendants  on  the  March. — The  Chief’s  Guard. — They 
attempt  to  ride  on  Ox-back. — Vast  Herds  of  the  new  Antelopes,  Leches,  and  Na- 
kongs. — The  native  way  of  hunting  them. — Reception  at  the  Villages. — Presents 
of  Beer  and  Milk. — Eating  with  the  Hand. — The  Chief  provides  the  Oxen  for 
Slaughter. — Social  Mode  of  Eating. — The  Sugar-cane. — Sekeletu’s  novel  Test  of 
Character. — Cleanliness  of  Makololo  Huts. — Their  Construction  and  Appearance. 
— The  Beds. — Cross  the  Leeambye. — Aspect  of  this  part  of  the  Country. — The 
small  Antelope  Tianyane  unknown  in  the  South. — Hunting  on  foot. — An  Eland. 

Having  waited  a month  at  Linjanti  (lat.  18°  17'  20"  S.,  long. 
23°  50'  9"  E.),  we  again  departed,  for  the  purpose  of  ascending 
the  river  from  Sesheke  (lat.  17°  31'  38"  S.,  long.  25°  13'  E.). 
To  the  Barotse  country,  the  capital  of  which  is  Nariele  or  Naliele 
(lat.  15°  24'  17"  S.,  long.  23°  5'  54"  E.),  I went  in  company  with 
Sekeletu  and  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  attendants.  We  had 
most  of  the  young  men  with  us,  and  many  of  the  under-chiefs 
besides.  The  country  between  Linyanti  and  Sesheke  is  perfectly 
flat,  except  patches  elevated  only  a few  feet  above  the  surrounding 
level.  There  are  also  many  mounds  where  the  gigantic  ant-hills 
of  the  country  have  been  situated  or  still  appear:  these  mounds 
are  evidently  the  work  of  the  termites.  No  one  who  has  not 
seen  their  gigantic  structures  can  fancy  the  industry  of  these 
little  laborers ; they  seem  to  impart  fertility,  to  the  soil  which 
has  once  passed  through  their  mouths,  for  the  Makololo  find  the 
sides  of  ant-hills  the  choice  spots  for  rearing  early  maize,  tobacco, 
or  any  thing  on  which  they  wish  to  bestow  especial  care.  In  the 
parts  through  which  we  passed  the  mounds  are  generally  covered 
with  masses  of  wild  date-trees ; the  fruit  is  small,  and  no  tree  is 
allowed  to  stand  long,  for,  having  abundance  of  food,  the  Mako- 
lolo have  no  inclination  to  preserve  wild  fruit-trees ; accordingly, 
when  a date  shoots  up  to  seed,  as  soon  as  the  fruit  is  ripe  they 
cut  down  the  tree  rather  than  be  at  the  trouble  of  climbing  it. 
The  other  parts  of  the  more  elevated  land  have  the  camel-thorn 
( Acacia  giraffee ),  white-thomed  mimosa  ( Acacia  horrida),  and 
baobabs.  In  sandy  spots  there  are  palmyras  somewhat  similar 


222 


THE  CHIEF’S  GUAED. 


to  the  Indian,  but  with  a smaller  seed.  The  soil  on  all  the  flat 
parts  is  a rich,  dark,  tenacious  loam,  known  as  the  “cotton-ground” 
in  India ; it  is  covered  with  a dense  matting  of  coarse  grass,  com- 
mon on  all  damp  spots  in  this  country.  We  had  the  Chobe  on 
our  right,  with  its  scores  of  miles  of  reed  occupying  the  horizon 
there.  It  was  pleasant  to  look  back  on  the  long-extended  line 
of  our  attendants,  as  it  twisted  and  bent  according  to  the  curves 
of  the  footpath,  or  in  and  out  behind  the  mounds,  the  ostrich 
feathers  of  the  men  waving  in  the  wind.  Some  had  the  white 
ends  of  ox-tails  on  their  heads,  Hussar  fashion,  and  others  great 
bunches  of  black  ostrich  feathers,  or  caps  made  of  lions’  manes. 
Some  wore  red  tunics,  or  various-colored  prints  which  the  chief 
had  bought  from  Fleming ; the  common  men  carried  burdens ; 
the  gentlemen  walked  with  a small  club  of  rhinoceros-horn  in 
their  hands,  and  had  servants  to  carry  their  shields ; while  the 
“ Machaka,”  battle-axe  men,  carried  their  own,  and  were  liable 
at  any  time  to  be  sent  off  a hundred  miles  on  an  errand,  and 
expected  to  run  all  the  way. 

Sekeletu  is  always  accompanied  by  his  own  Mopato,  a number 
of  young  men  of  his  own  age.  When  he  sits  down  they  crowd 
around  him ; those  who  are  nearest  eat  out  of  the  same  dish,  for 
the  Makololo  chiefs  pride  themselves  on  eating  with  their  people. 
He  eats  a little,  then  beckons  his  neighbors  to  partake.  When 
they  have  done  so,  he  perhaps  beckons  to  some  one  at  a distance 
to  take  a share ; that  person  starts  forward,  seizes  the  pot,  and 
removes  it  to  his  own  companions.  The  comrades  of  Sekeletu, 
wishing  to  imitate  him  in  riding  on  my  old  horse,  leaped  on  the 
backs  of  a number  of  half-broken  Batoka  oxen  as  they  ran,  but, 
having  neither  saddle  nor  bridle,  the  number  of  tumbles  they 
met  with  was  a source  of  much  amusement  to  the  rest.  Troops 
of  leches,  or,  as  they  are  here  called,  “ lechwes,”  appeared  feeding 
quite  heedlessly  all  over  the  flats ; they  exist  here  in  prodigious 
herds,  although  the  numbers  of  them  and  of  the  “nakong”  that 
are  killed  annually  must  be  enormous.  Both  are  water  ante- 
lopes, and,  when  the  lands  we  now  tread  upon  are  flooded,  they 
betake  themselves  to  the  mounds  I have  alluded  to.  The  Maka- 
laka,  who  are  most  expert  in  the  management  of  their  small, 
thin,  light  canoes,  come  gently  toward  them ; the  men  stand 
upright  in  the  canoe,  though  it  is  not  more  than  fifteen  or 


RECEPTION  AT  VILLAGES. 


223 


eighteen  inches  wide  and  about  fifteen  feet  long ; their  paddles,  ten 
feet  in  height,  are  of  a kind  of  wood  called  molompi,  very  light, 
yet  as  elastic  as  ash.  With  these  they  either  punt  or  paddle,  ac- 
cording to  the  shallowness  or  depth  of  the  water.  When  they 
perceive  the  antelopes  beginning  to  move  they  increase  their  speed, 
and  pursue  them  with  great  velocity.  They  make  the  water 
dash  away  from  the  gunwale,  and,  though  the  leche  goes  off  by  a 
succession  of  prodigious  bounds,  its  feet  appearing  to  touch  the 
bottom  at  each  spring,  they  manage  to  spear  great  numbers  of 
them. 

The  nakong  often  shares  a similar  fate.  This  is  a new  species, 
rather  smaller  than  the  leche,  and  in  shape  has  more  of  paunchi- 
ness than  any  antelope  I ever  saw.  Its  gait  closely  resembles  the 
gallop  of  a dog  when  tired.  The  hair  is  long  and  rather  sparse, 
so  that  it  is  never  sleek-looking.  It  is  of  a grayish-brown  color, 
and  has  horns  twisted  in  the  manner  of  a koodoo,  but  much 
smaller,  and  with  a double  ridge  winding  round  each  of  them. 

Its  habitat  is  the  marsh  and  the  muddy  bogs  ; the  great  length 
of  its  foot  between  the  point  of  the  toe  and  supplemental  hoofs  en- 
ables it  to  make  a print  about  a foot  in  length  ; it  feeds  by  night, 
and  lies  hid  among  the  reeds  and  rushes  by  day ; when  pursued, 
it  dashes  into  sedgy  places  containing  water,  and  immerses  the 
whole  body,  leaving  only  the  point  of  the  nose  and  ends  of  the 
horns  exposed.  The  hunters  burn  large  patches  of  reed  in  order 
to  drive  the  nakong  out  of  his  lair ; occasionally  the  ends  of  the 
horns  project  above  the  water ; but  when  it  sees  itself  surrounded 
by  enemies  in  canoes,  it  will  rather  allow  its  horns  to  be  scorched 
in  the  burning  reed  than  come  forth  from  its  hiding-place. 

When  we  arrived  at  any  village  the  women  all  turned  out  to 
lulliloo  their  chief.  Their  shrill  voices,  to  which  they  give  a trem- 
ulous sound  by  a quick  motion  of  the  tongue,  peal  forth,  “ Great 
lion!”  “Great  chief!”  “Sleep,  my  lord!”  etc.  The  men  utter 
similar  salutations ; and  Sekeletu  receives  all  with  becoming  in- 
difference. After  a few  minutes’  conversation  and  telling  the  news, 
the  head  man  of  the  village,  who  is  almost  always  a Makololo, 
rises,  and  brings  forth  a number  of  large  pots  of  beer.  Calabash- 
es, being  used  as  drinking-cups,  are  handed  round,  and  as  many 
as  can  partake  of  the  beverage  do  so,  grasping  the  vessels  so  eager- 
ly that  they  are  in  danger  of  being  broken. 


224 


SOCIAL  MODE  OF  EATING. 


They  bring  forth  also  large  pots  and  bowls  of  thick  milk; 
some  contain  six  or  eight  gallons ; and  each  of  these,  as  well  as 
of  the  beer,  is  given  to  a particular  person,  who  has  the  power 
to  divide  it  with  whom  he  pleases.  The  head  man  of  any  section 
of  the  tribe  is  generally  selected  for  this  office.  Spoons  not  be- 
ing generally  in  fashion,  the  milk  is  conveyed  to  the  mouth  witli 
the  hand.  I often  presented  my  friends  with  iron  spoons,  and 
it  was  curious  to  observe  how  the  habit  of  hand-eating  prevailed, 
though  they  were  delighted  with  the  spoons.  They  lifted  out  a 
little  with  the  utensil,  then  put  it  on  the  left  hand,  and  ate  it  out 
of  that. 

As  the  Makololo  have  great  abundance  of  cattle,  and  the  chief 
is  expected  to  feed  all  who  accompany  him,  he  either  selects  an 
ox  or  two  of  his  own  from  the  numerous  cattle  stations  that  he 
possesses  at  different  spots  all  over  the  country,  or  is  presented 
by  the  head  men  of  the  villages  he  visits  with  as  many  as  he 
needs  by  way  of  tribute.  The  animals  are  killed  by  a thrust 
from  a small  javelin  in  the  region  of  the  heart,  the  wound  being 
purposely  small  in  order  to  avoid  any  loss  of  blood,  which,  with 
the  internal  parts,  are  the  perquisites  of  the  men  who  perform 
the  work  of  the  butcher;  hence  all  are  eager  to  render  service 
in  that  line.  Each  tribe  has  its  own  way  of  cutting  up  and  dis- 
tributing an  animal.  Among  the  Makololo  the  hump  and  ribs 
belong  to  the  chief ; among  the  Bakwains  the  breast  is  his  per- 
quisite. After  the  oxen  are  cut  up,  the  different  joints  are  placed 
before  Sekeletu,  and  he  apportions  them  among  the  gentlemen 
of  the  party.  The  whole  is  rapidly  divided  by  their  attendants, 
cut  into  long  strips,  and  so  many  of  these  are  thrown  into  the 
fires  at  once  that  they  are  nearly  put  out.  Half  broiled  and 
burning  hot,  the  meat  is  quickly  handed  round  ; every  one  gets  a 
mouthful,  but  no  one  excepj  the  chief  has  time  to  masticate.  It 
is  not  the  enjoyment  of  eating  they  aim  at,  but  to  get  as  much 
of  the  food  into  the  stomach  as  possible  during  the  short  time 
the  others  are  cramming  as  well  as  themselves,  for  no  one  can 
eat  more  than  a mouthful  after  the  others  have  finished.  They 
are  eminently  gregarious  in  their  eating ; and,  as  they  despise 
any  one  who  eats  alone,  I always  poured  out  two  cups  of  coffee 
at  my  own  meals,  so  that  the  chief,  or  some  one  of  the  principal 
men,  might  partake  along  with  me.  They  all  soon  become  very 


MAKOLOLO  HUTS. 


225 


fond  of  coffee ; and,  indeed,  some  of  the  tribes  attribute  greater 
fecundity  to  the  daily  use  of  this  beverage.  They  were  all  well 
acquainted  with  the  sugar-cane,  as  they  cultivate  it  in  the 
Barotse  country,  but  knew  nothing  of  the  method  of  extracting 
the  sugar  from  it.  They  use  the  cane  only  for  chewing.  Seke- 
letu,  relishing  the  sweet  coffee  and  biscuits,  of  which  I then  had 
a store,  said  “he  knew  my  heart  loved  him  by  finding  his  own 
heart  warming  to  my  food.”  He  had  been  visited  during  my 
absence  at  the  Cape  by  some  traders  and  Griquas,  and  “then- 
coffee  did  not  taste  half  so  nice  as  mine,  because  they  loved  his 
ivory  and  not  himself.”  This  was  certainly  an  original  mode  of 
discerning  character. 

Sekeletu  and  I had  each  a little  gipsy-tent  in  which  to  sleep. 
The  Makololo  huts  are  generally  clean,  while  those  of  the  Maka- 
laka  are  infested  with  vermin.  The  cleanliness  of  the  former  is 
owing  to  the  habit  of  frequently  smearing  the  floors  with  a plaster 
composed  of  cowdung  and  earth.  If  we  slept  in  the  tent  in  some 
villages,  the  mice  ran  over  our  faces  and  disturbed  our  sleep,  or 
hungry  prowling  dogs  would  eat  our  shoes  and  leave  only  the 
soles.  When  they  were  guilty  of  this  and  other  misdemeanors, 
we  got  the  loan  of  a hut.  The  best  sort  of  Makololo  huts  consist 
of  three  circular  walls,  with  small  holes  as  doors,  each  similar  to 
that  in  a dog-house ; and  it  is  necessary  to  bend  down  the  body 
to  get  in,  even  when  on  all-fours.  The  roof  is  formed  of  reeds  or 
straight  sticks,  in  shape  like  a Chinaman’s  hat,  bound  firmly 
together  with  circular  bands,  which  are  lashed  with  the  strong 
inner  bark  of  the  mimosa-tree.  When  all  prepared  except  the 
thatch,  it  is  lifted  on  to  the  circular  wall,  the  rim  resting  on  a 
circle  of  poles,  between  each  of  which  the  third  wall  is  built. 
The  roof  is  thatched  with  fine  grass,  and  sewed  with  the  same 
material  as  the  lashings ; and,  as  it  projects  far  beyond  the  walls, 
and  reaches  within  four  feet  of  the  ground,  the  shade  is  the  best 
to  be  found  in  the  country.  These  huts  are  very  cool  in  the 
hottest  day,  but  are  close  and  deficient  in  ventilation  by  night. 

The  bed  is  a mat  made  of  rushes  sewn  together  with  twine ; 
the  hip-bone  soon  becomes  sore  on  the  hard  flat  surface,  as  we 
are  not  allowed  to  make  a hole  in  the  floor  to  receive  the  promi- 
nent part  called  trochanter  by  anatomists,  as  we  do  when  sleep- 
ing on  grass  or  sand. 


P 


226 


THE  LEEAMBYE. 


Our  course  at  this  time  led  us  to  a part  above  Sesheke,  called 
Katonga,  where  there  is  a village  belonging  to  a Bashubia  man 
named  Sekhosi— latitude  17°  29/  13",  longitude  24°  33".  The 
river  here  is  somewhat  broader  than  at  Sesheke,  and  certainly 
not  less  than  six  hundred  yards.  It  flows  somewhat  slowly  in  the 
first  part  of  its  eastern  course.  When  the  canoes  came  from  Sek- 
hosi  to  take  us  over,  one  of  the  comrades  of  Sebituane  rose,  and, 
looking  to  Sekeletu,  called  out,  “The  elders  of  a host  always 
take  the  lead  in  an  attack.”  This  was  understood  at  once;  and 
Sekeletu,  with  all  the  young  men,  were  obliged  to  give  the  elders 
the  precedence,  and  remain  on  the  southern  bank  and  see  that  all 
went  orderly  into  the  canoes.  It  took  a considerable  time  to  ferry 
over  the  whole  of  our  large  party,  as,  even  with  quick  paddling, 
from  six  to  eight  minutes  were  spent  in  the  mere  passage  from 
bank  to  bank. 

Several  days  were  spent  in  collecting  canoes  from  different  vil- 
lages on  the  river,  which  we  now  learned  is  called  by  the  whole 
of  the  Barotse  the  Liambai  or  Leeambye.  This  we  could  not 
ascertain  on  our  first  visit,  and,  consequently,  called  the  river  after 
the  town  “ Sesheke.”  This  term  Sesheke  means  “ white  sand- 
banks,” many  of  which  exist  at  this  part.  There  is  another  vil- 
lage in  the  valley  of  the  Barotse  likewise  called  Sesheke,  and  for 
the  same  reason ; but  the  term  Leeambye  means  “ the  large 
river,”  or  the  river  par  excellence.  Luambeji,  Luambesi,  Ambezi, 
Ojimbesi,  and  Zambesi,  etc.,  are  names  applied  to  it  at  different 
parts  of  its  course,  according  to  the  dialect  spoken,  and  all  pos- 
sess a similar  signification,  and  express  the  native  idea  of  this 
magnificent  stream  being  the  main  drain  of  the  country. 

In  order  to  assist  in  the  support  of  our  large  party,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  see  the  adjacent  country,  I went  several  times, 
during  our  stay,  to  the  north  of  the  village  for  game.  The 
country  is  covered  with  clumps  of  beautiful  trees,  among  which 
fine  open  glades  stretch  away  in  every  direction ; when  the  river 
is  in  flood  these  are  inundated,  but  the  tree-covered  elevated 
spots  are  much  more  numerous  here  than  in  the  country  between 
the  Chobe  and  the  Leeambye.  The  soil  is  dark  loam,  as  it  is 
every  where  on  spots  reached  by  the  inundation,  while  among  the 
trees  it  is  sandy,  and  not  covered  so  densely  with  grass  as  else- 
where. A sandy  ridge  covered  with  trees,  running  parallel  to, 


THE  TIANYANE. 


227 


and  about  eight  miles  from  the  river,  is  the  limit  of  the  inundation 
on  the  north ; there  are  large  tracts  of  this  sandy  forest  in  that 
direction,  till  you  come  to  other  districts  of  alluvial  soil  and  fewer 
trees.  The  latter  soil  is  always  found  in  the  vicinity  of  rivers 
which  either  now  overflow  their  banks  annually,  or  formerly  did 
so.  The  people  enjoy  rain  in  sufficient  quantity  to  raise  very 
large  supplies  of  grain  and  ground-nuts. 

This  district  contains  great  numbers  of  a small  antelope  named 
Tianyane,  unknown  in  the  south.  It  stands  about  eighteen  inches 
high,  is  very  graceful  in  its  movements,  and  utters  a cry  of  alarm 
not  unlike  that  of  the  domestic  fowl;  it  is  of  a brownish-red  color 
on  the  sides  and  back,  with  the  belly  and  lower  part  of  the  tail 
white ; it  is  very  timid,  but  the  maternal  affection  that  the  little 
thing  bears  to  its  young  will  often  induce  it  to  offer  battle  even  to 
a man  approaching  it.  When  the  young  one  is  too  tender  to  run 
about  with  the  dam,  she  puts  one  foot  on  the  prominence  about 
the  seventh  cervical  vertebra,  or  withers ; the  instinct  of  the  young 
enables  it  to  understand  that  it  is  now  required  to  kneel  down, 
and  to  remain  quite  still  till  it  hears  the  bleating  of  its  dam.  If 
you  see  an  otherwise  gregarious  she-antelope  separated  from  the 
herd,  and  going  alone  any  where,  you  may  be  sure  she  has  laid  her 
little  one  to  sleep  in  some  cozy  spot.  The  color  of  the  hair  in  the 
young  is  better  adapted  for  assimilating  it  with  the  ground  than 
that  of  the  older  animals,  which  do  not  need  to  be  screened  from 
the  observation  of  birds  of  prey.  I observed  the  Arabs  at  Aden, 
when  making  their  camels  kneel  down,  press  the  thumb  on  the 
withers  in  exactly  the  same  way  the  antelopes  do  with  their  young ; 
probably  they  have  been  led  to  the  custom  by  seeing  this  plan 
adopted  by  the  gazelle  of  the  Desert. 

Great  numbers  of  buffaloes,  zebras,  tsessebes,  tahaetsi,  and 
eland,  or  pohu,  grazed  undisturbed  on  these  plains,  so  that  very 
little  exertion  was  required  to  secure  a fair  supply  of  meat  for  the 
party  during  the  necessary  delay.  Hunting  on  foot,  as  all  those 
who  have  engaged  in  it  in  this  country  will  at  once  admit,  is  very 
hard  work  indeed.  The  heat  of  the  sun  by  day  is  so  great,  even 
in  winter,  as  it  now  was,  that,  had  there  been  any  one  on  whom  I 
could  have  thrown  the  task,  he  would  have  been  most  welcome  to 
all  the  sport  the  toil  is  supposed  to  impart.  But  the  Makololo 


228 


AN  ELAND  SHOT. 


shot  so  badly,  that,  in  order  to  save  my  powder,  I was  obliged  to 
go  myself. 

We  shot  a beautiful  cow-eland,  standing  in  the  shade  of  a fine 
tree.  It  was  evident  that  she  had  lately  had  her  calf  killed  by  a 
lion,  for  there  were  five  long  deep  scratches  on  both  sides  of  her 
hind-quarters,  as  if  she  had  run  to  the  rescue  of  her  calf,  and  the 
lion,  leaving  it,  had  attacked  herself,  but  was  unable  to  pull  her 
down.  When  lying  on  the  ground,  the  milk  flowing  from  the  large 
udder  showed  that  she  must  have  been  seeking  the  shade,  from 
the  distress  its  non-removal  in  the  natural  manner  caused.  She 
was  a beautiful  creature,  and  Lebeole,  a Makololo  gentleman  who 
accompanied  me,  speaking  in  reference  to  its  size  and  beauty, 
said,  “Jesus  ought  to  have  given  us  these  instead  of  cattle.”  It 
was  a new,  undescribed  variety  of  this  splendid  antelope.  It  was 
marked  with  narrow  white  bands  across  the  body,  exactly  like 
those  of  the  koodoo,  and  had  a black  patch  of  more  than  a hand- 
breadth  on  the  outer  side  of  the  fore-arm. 


NEW  VARIETY  OF  ELAND,  FOUND  NORTH  OK  RKSHEKE 


* 


ASCENT  OF  THE  LEEAMBYE. 


231 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Procure  Canoes  and  ascend  the  Leeambye. — Beautiful  Islands. — Winter  Land- 
scape.— Industry  and  Skill  of  the  Banyeti. — Rapids. — Falls  of  Gonye. — Tradi- 
tion.— Annual  Inundations. — Fertility  of  the  great  Barotse  Valley. — Execution 
of  two  Conspirators. — The  Slave-dealer’s  Stockade. — Naliele,  the  Capital,  built 
on  an  artificial  Mound. — Santuru,  a great  Hunter. — The  Barotse  Method  of  com- 
memorating any  remarkable  Event. — Better  Treatment  of  Women. — More  relig- 
ious Feeling. — Belief  in  a future  State,  and  in  the  Existence  of  spiritual  Beings. 
— Gardens. — Fish,  Fruit,  and  Game. — Proceed  to  the  Limits  of  the  Barotse 
Country. — Sekeletu  provides  Rowers  and  a Herald. — The  River  and  Vicinity. — 
Hippopotamus-hunters. — No  healthy  Location. — Determine  to  go  to  Loanda. — 
Buffaloes,  Elands,  and  Lions  above  Libonta. — Interview  with  the  Mambari. — 
Two  Arabs  from  Zanzibar. — Their  Opinion  of  the  Portuguese  and  the  English. — 
Reach  the  Town  of  Ma-Sekeletu. — Joy  of  the  People  at  the  first  Visit  of  their 
Chief. — Return  to  Sesheke. — Heathenism. 

Having  at  last  procured  a sufficient  number  of  canoes,  we  be- 
gan to  ascend  the  river.  I had  the  choice  of  the  whole  fleet, 
and  selected  the  best,  though  not  the  largest ; it  was  thirty-four 
feet  long  by  twenty  inches  wide.  I had  six  paddlers,  and  the 
larger  canoe  of  Sekeletu  had  ten.  They  stand  upright,  and 
keep  the  stroke  with  great  precision,  though  they  change  from 
side  to  side  as  the  course  demands.  The  men  at  the  head  and 
stern  are  selected  from  the  strongest  and  most  expert  of  the 
whole.  The  canoes,  being  flat  bottomed,  can  go  into  very  shal- 
low water ; and  whenever  the  men  can  feel  the  bottom  they  use 
the  paddles,  which  are  about  eight  feet  long,  as  poles  to  punt  with. 
Our  fleet  consisted  of  thirty-three  canoes,  and  about  one  hund- 
red and  sixty  men.  It  was  beautiful  to  see  them  skimming 
along  so  quickly,  and  keeping  the  time  so  well.  On  land  the 
Makalaka  fear  the  Makololo ; on  water  the  Makololo  fear  them, 
and  can  not  prevent  them  from  racing  with  each  other,  dashing 
along  at  the  top  of  their  speed,  and  placing  their  masters’  lives  in 
danger.  In  the  event  of  a capsize,  many  of  the  Makololo  would 
sink  like  stones.  A case  of  this  kind  happened  on  the  first  day 
of  our  voyage  up.  The  wind,  blowing  generally  from  the  east, 
raises  very  large  waves  on  the  Leeambye.  An  old  doctor  of  the 


232 


ISLANDS.— THE  BANYETI. 


Makololo  had  liis  canoe  filled  by  one  of  these  waves,  and,  being 
unable  to  swim,  was  lost.  The  Barotse  who  were  in  the  canoe 
with  him  saved  themselves  by  swimming,  and  were  afraid  of  be- 
ing punished  with  death  in  the  evening  for  not  saving  the  doctor 
as  well.  Had  he  been  a man  of  more  influence,  they  certainly 
would  have  suffered  death. 

We  proceeded  rapidly  up  the  river,  and  I felt  the  pleasure  of 
looking  on  lands  which  had  never  been  seen  by  a European  be- 
fore. The  river  is,  indeed,  a magnificent  one,  often  more  than  a 
mile  broad,  and  adorned  with  many  islands  of  from  three  to  five 
miles  in  length.  Both  islands  and  banks  are  cpvered  with  forest, 
and  most  of  the  trees  on  the  brink  of  the  water  send  down  roots 
from  their  branches  like  the  banian,  or  Ficus  Indica.  The  isl- 
ands at  a little  distance  seem  great  rounded  masses  of  sylvan  veg- 
etation reclining  on  the  bosom  of  the  glorious  stream.  The  beau- 
ty of  the  scenery  of  some  of  the  islands  is  greatly  increased  by 
the  date-palm,  with  its  gracefully  curved  fronds  and  refreshing 
light  green  color,  near  the  bottom  of  the  picture,  and  the  lofty  pal- 
myra towering  far  above,  and  casting  its  feathery  foliage  against  a 
cloudless  sky.  It  being  winter,  we  had  the  strange  coloring  on 
the  banks  which  many  parts  of  African  landscape  assume.  The 
country  adjacent  to  the  river  is  rocky  and  undulating,  abounding 
in  elephants  and  all  other  large  game,  except  leches  and  nakongs, 
which  seem  generally  to  avoid  stony  ground.  The  soil  is  of  a 
reddish  color,  and  very  fertile,  as  is  attested  by  the  great  quan- 
tity of  grain  raised  annually  by  the  Banyeti.  A great  many 
villages  of  this  poor  and  very  industrious  people  are  situated  on 
both  banks  of  the  river : they  are  expert  hunters  of  the  hippo- 
potami and  other  animals,  and  very  proficient  in  the  manufacture 
of  articles  of  wood  and  iron.  The  whole  of  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try being  infested  with  the  tsetse,  they  are  unable  to  rear  do- 
mestic animals.  This  may  have  led  to  their  skill  in  handicraft 
works.  Some  make  large  wooden  vessels  with  very  neat  lids, 
and  wooden  bowls  of  all  sizes ; and  since  the  idea  of  sitting  on 
stools  has  entered  the  Makololo  mind,  they  have  shown  great 
taste  in  the  different  forms  given  to  the  legs  of  these  pieces  of  fur- 
niture. 

Other  Banyeti,  or  Manyeti,  as  they  are  called,  make  neat  and 
strong  baskets  of  the  split  roots  of  a certain  tree,  while  others 


llAl’IDS  AND  FALLS. 


233 


excel  in  pottery  and  iron.  I can  not  find  that  they  have  ever 
been  warlike.  Indeed,  the  wars  in  the  centre  of  the  country, 
where  no  slave-trade  existed,  have  seldom  been  about  any  tiling 
else  but  cattle.  So  well  known  is  this,  that  several  tribes  refuse 
to  keep  cattle  because  they  tempt  their  enemies  to  come  and  steal. 
Nevertheless,  they  have  no  objection  to  eat  them  when  offered,  and 
their  country  admits  of  being  well  stocked.  I have  heard  of  but 
one  war  having  occurred  from  another  cause.  Three  brothers, 
Barolongs,  fought  for  the  possession  of  a woman  who  was  consid- 
ered worth  a battle,  and  the  tribe  has  remained  permanently  divided 
ever  since. 

From  the  bend  up  to  the  north,  called  Katima-molelo  (I  quench- 
ed fire),  the  bed  of  the  river  is  rocky,  and  the  stream  runs  fast, 
forming  a succession  of  rapids  and  cataracts,  which  prevent  con- 
tinuous navigation  when  the  water  is  low.  The  rapids  are  not 
visible  when  the  river  is  full,  but  the  cataracts  of  Nambwe, 
Bombwe,  and  Kale  must  always  be  dangerous.  The  fall  at  each 
of  these  is  between  four  and  six  feet.  But  the  falls  of  Gonye 
present  a much  more  serious  obstacle.  There  we  were  obliged 
to  take  the  canoes  out  of  the  water,  and  carry  them  more  than  a 
mile  by  land.  The  fall  is  about  thirty  feet.  The  main  body  of 
water,  which  comes  over  the  ledge  of  rock  when  the  river  is  low, 
is  collected  into  a space  seventy  or  eighty  yards  wide  before  it 
takes  the  leap,  and,  a mass  of  rock  being  thrust  forward  against 
the  roaring  torrent,  a loud  sound  is  produced.  Tradition  reports 
the  destruction  in  this  place  of  two  hippopotamus-hunters,  who, 
over-eager  in  the  pursuit  of  a wounded  animal,  were,  with  their 
intended  prey,  drawn  down  into  the  frightful  gulf.  There  is  also 
a tradition  of  a man,  evidently  of  a superior  mind,  who  left  his 
own  countrymen,  the  Barotse,  and  came  down  the  river,  took 
advantage  of  the  falls,  and  led  out  a portion  of  the  water  there 
for  irrigation.  Such  minds  must  have  arisen  from  time  to  time 
in  these  regions,  as  well  as  in  our  own  country,  but,  ignorant  of 
the  use  of  letters,  they  have  left  no  memorial  behind  them.  We 
dug  out  some  of  an  inferior  kind  of  potato  ( Sisinyane ) from  his 
garden,  for  when  once  planted  it  never  dies  out.  This  root  is 
bitter  and  waxy,  though  it  is  cultivated.  It  was  not  in  flower, 
so  I can  not  say  whether  it  is  a solanaceous  plant  or  not.  One 
never  expects  to  find  a grave  nor  a stone  of  remembrance  set  up 


234 


THE  BAROTSE  VALLEY. 


in  Africa ; the  very  rocks  are  illiterate,  they  contain  so  few  fossils. 
Those  here  are  of  reddish  variegated,  hardened  sandstone,  with 
madrepore  holes  in  it.  This,  and  broad  horizontal  strata  of  trap, 
sometimes  a hundred  miles  in  extent,  and  each  layer  having  an 
inch  or  so  of  black  silicious  matter  on  it,  as  if  it  had  floated  there 
while  in  a state  of  fusion,  form  a great  part  of  the  bottom  of  the 
central  valley.  These  rocks,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  country 
especially,  are  often  covered  with  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  of  soft  cal- 
careous tufa.  At  Bombwe  we  have  the  same  trap,  with  radiated 
zeolite,  probably  mesotype,  and  it  again  appears  at  the  confluence 
of  the  Chobe,  farther  down. 

As  we  passed  up  the  river,  the  different  villages  of  Banyeti 
turned  out  to  present  Sekeletu  with  food  and  skins,  as  their  trib- 
ute. One  large  village  is  placed  at  Gonye,  the  inhabitants  of 
which  are  required  to  assist  the  Makololo  to  carry  their  canoes 
past  the  falls.  The  tsetse  here  lighted  on  us  even  in  the  middle 
of  the  stream.  This  we  crossed  repeatedly,  in  order  to  make 
short  cuts  at  bends  of  the  river.  The  course  is,  however,  re- 
markably straight  among  the  rocks  ; and  here  the  river  is  shallow, 
on  account  of  the  great  breadth  of  surface  which  it  covers.  When 
we  came  to  about  16°  16'  S.  latitude,  the  high  wooded  banks 
seemed  to  leave  the  river,  and  no  more  tsetse  appeared.  Viewed 
from  the  flat,  reedy  basin  in  which  the  river  then  flowed,  the  banks 
seemed  prolonged  into  ridges,  of  the  same,  wooded  character,  two 
or  three  hundred  feet  high,  and  stretched  away  to  the  N.N.E. 
and  N.N.W.  until  they  were  twenty  or  thirty  miles  apart.  The 
intervening  space,  nearly  one  hundred  miles  in  length,  with  the 
Leeambye  winding  gently  near  the  middle,  is  the  true  Barotse 
valley.  It  bears  a close  resemblance  to  the  valley  of  the  Nile, 
and  is  inundated  annually,  not  by  rains,  but  by  the  Leeambye, 
exactly  as  Lower  Egypt  is  flooded  by  the  Nile.  The  villages  of 
the  Barotse  are  built  on  mounds,  some  of  which  are  said  to  have 
been  raised  artificially  by  Santuru,  a former  chief  of  the  Barotse, 
and  during  the  inundation  the  whole  valley  assumes  the  appear- 
ance of  a large  lake,  with  the  villages  on  the  mounds  like  isl- 
ands, just  as  occurs  in  Egypt  with  the  villages  of  the  Egyptians. 
Some  portion  of  the  waters  of  inundation  comes  from  the  north- 
west, where  great  floodings  also  occur,  but  more  comes  from  the 
north  and  northeast,  descending  the  bed  of  the  Leeambye  itself. 


EXECUTION  OF  TWO  CONSPIRATORS. 


235 


There  are  but  few  trees  in  this  valley:  those  which  stand  on  the 
mounds  were  nearly  all  transplanted  by  Santuru  for  shade.  The 
soil  is  extremely  fertile,  and  the  people  are  never  in  want  of  grain, 
for,  by  taking  advantage  of  the  moisture  of  the  inundation,  they 
can  take  two  crops  a year.  The  Barotse  are  strongly  attached  to 
this  fertile  valley;  they  say,  “Here  hunger  is  not  known.”  There 
are  so  many  things  besides  corn  which  a man  can  find  in  it  for 
food,  that  it  is  no  wonder  they  desert  from  Linyanti  to  return  to 
this  place. 

The  great  valley  is  not  put  to  a tithe  of  the  use  it  might  be. 
It  is  covered  with  coarse  succulent  grasses,  which  afford  ample 
pasturage  for  large  herds  of  cattle ; these  thrive  wonderfully, 
and  give  milk  copiously  to  their  owners.  When  the  valley  is 
flooded,  the  cattle  are  compelled  to  leave  it  and  go  to  the  higher 
lands,  where  they  fall  off  in  condition ; their  return  is  a time  of 
j°7-  ... 

It  is  impossible  to  say  whether  this  valley,  which  contains  so 
much  moisture,  would  raise  wheat  as  the  valley  of  the  Nile  does. 
It  is  probably  too  rich,  and  would  make  corn  run  entirely  to  straw, 
for  one  species  of  grass  was  observed  twelve  feet  high,  with  a 
stem  as  thick  as  a man’s  thumb.  At  present  the  pasturage  is 
never  eaten  off,  though  the  Makololo  possess  immense  herds  of 
cattle. 

There  are  no  large  towns,  the  mounds  on  which  the  towns  and 
villages  are  built  being  all  small,  and  the  people  require  to  live 
apart  on  account  of  their  cattle. 

This  visit  was  the  first  Sekeletu  had  made  to  these  parts  since 
he  attained  the  chieftainship.  Those  who  had  taken  part  with 
Mpepe  were  consequently  in  great  terror.  When  we  came  to  the 
town  of  Mpepe’s  father,  as  he  and  another  man  had  counseled 
Mamochisane  to  put  Sekeletu  to  death  and  marry  Mpepe,  the  two 
were  led  forth  and  tossed  into  the  river.  Nokuane  was  asrain  one 
of  the  executioners.  When  I remonstrated  against  human  blood 
being  shed  in  the  offhand  way  in  which  they  were  proceeding,  the 
counselors  justified  their  acts  by  the  evidence  given  by  Mamo- 
chisane, and  calmly  added,  “You  see  we  are  still  Boers ; we  are 
not  yet  taught.” 

Mpepe  had  given  full  permission  to  the  Mambari  slave-dealers 
to  trade  in  all  the  Batoka  and  Bashukulompo  villages  to  the 


236 


NALIELE. 


east  of  this.  He  had  given  them  cattle,  ivory,  and  children, 
and  had  received  in  return  a large  blunderbuss  to  be  mounted 
as  a cannon.  When  the  slight  circumstance  of  my  having 
covered  the  body  of  the  chief  with  my  own  deranged  the  whole 
conspiracy,  the  Mambari,  in  their  stockade,  were  placed  in  very 
awkward  circumstances.  It  was  proposed  to  attack  them  and 
drive  them  out  of  the  country  at  once ; but,  dreading  a com- 
mencement of  hostilities,  I urged  the  difficulties  of  that  course, 
and  showed  that  a stockade  defended  by  perhaps  forty  muskets 
would  be  a very  serious  affair.  “ Hunger  is  strong  enough  for 
that,”  said  an  under-chief;  “a  very  great  fellow  is  he.”  They 
thought  of  attacking  them  by  starvation.  As  the  chief  sufferers 
in  case  of  such  an  attack  would  have  been  the  poor  slaves  chained 
in  gangs,  I interceded  for  them,  and  the  result  of  an  intercession 
of  which  they  were  ignorant  was  that  they  were  allowed  to  depart 
in  peace. 

Naliele,  the  capital  of  the  Barotse,  is  built  on  a mound  which 
was  constructed  artificially  by  Santuru,  and  was  his  store-house 
for  grain.  His  own  capital  stood  about  five  hundred  yards  to  the 
soutli  of  that,  in  what  is  now  the  bed  of  the  river.  All  that  re- 
mains of  the  largest  mound  in  the  valley  are  a few  cubic  yards  of 
earth,  to  erect  which  cost  the  whole  of  the  people  of  Santuru  the 
labor  of  many  years.  The  same  thing  has  happened  to  another 
ancient  site  of  a town,  Linangelo,  also  on  the  left  bank.  It  would 
seem,  therefore,  that  the  river  in  this  part  of  the  valley  must  be 
wearing  eastward.  No  great  rise  of  the  river  is  required  to  sub- 
merge the  whole  valley ; a rise  of  ten  feet  above  the  present  low- 
water  mark  would  reach  the  highest  point  it  ever  attains,  as  seen 
in  the  markings  of  the  bank  on  which  stood  Santuru’s  ancient 
capital,  and  two  or  three  feet  more  would  deluge  all  the  villages. 
This  never  happens,  though  the  water  sometimes  comes  so  near 
the  foundations  of  the  huts  that  the  people  can  not  move  outside 
the  walls  of  reeds  which  encircle  their  villages.  When  the  river 
is  compressed  among  the  high  rocky  banks  near  Gonye,  it  rises 
sixty  feet. 

The  influence  of  the  partial  obstruction  it  meets  with  there  is 
seen  in  the  more  winding  course  of  the  river  north  of  16°;  and 
when  the  swell  gets  past  Katima-molelo,  it  spreads  out  on  the 
lands  on  both  banks  toward  Sesheke. 


BAROTSE  ERAS. 


237 


Santuru,  at  whose  ancient  granary  we  are  staying,  was  a great 
hunter,  and  very  fond  of  taming  wild  animals.  His  people,  aware 
of  his  taste,  brought  to  him  every  young  antelope  they  could  catch, 
and,  among  other  things,  two  young  hippopotami.  These  animals 
gamboled  in  the  river  by  day,  but  never  failed  to  remember  to 
come  up  to  Naliele  for  their  suppers  of  milk  and  meal.  They 
were  the  wonder  of  the  country,  till  a stranger,  happening  to 
come  to  visit  Santaru,  saw  them  reclining  in  the  sun,  and  speared 
one  of  them  on  the  supposition  that  it  was  wild.  The  same  un- 
lucky accident  happened  to  one  of  the  cats  I had  brought  to  Se- 
keletu.  A stranger,  seeing  an  animal  he  had  never  viewed  before, 
killed  it,  and  brought  the  trophy  to  the  chief,  thinking  that  he 
had  made  a very  remarkable  discovery ; we  thereby  lost  the 
breed  of  cats,  of  which,  from  the  swarms  of  mice,  we  stood  in 
great  need. 

On  making  inquiries  to  ascertain  whether  Santuru,  the  Mo- 
loiana,  had  ever  been  visited  by  white  men,  I could  find  no 
vestige  of  any  such  visit  ;*  there  is  no  evidence  of  any  of  San- 
turu’s  people  having  ever  seen  a white  man  before  the  arrival  of 
Mr.  Oswell  and  myself  in  1851.  The  people  have,  it  is  true,  no 
written  records ; but  any  remarkable  event  here  is  commemo- 
rated in  names,  as  was  observed  by  Park  to  be  the  case  in  the 
countries  he  traversed.  The  year  of  our  arrival  is  dignified  by 

* The  Barotse  call  themselves  the  Baloiana  or  little  Baloi,  as  if  they  had  been 
an  offset  from  Loi,  or  Lui,  as  it  is  often  spelt.  As  Lui  had  been  visited  by  Portu- 
guese, but  its  position  not  well  ascertained,  my  inquiries  referred  to  the  identity 
of  Naliele  with  Lui.  On  asking  the  head  man  of  the  Mambari  party,  named  Porto, 
whether  he  had  ever  heard  of  Naliele  being  visited  previously,  he  replied  in  the 
negative,  and  stated  that  he  “had  himself  attempted  to  come  from  Bihe  three 
times,  but  had  always  been  prevented  by  the  tribe  called  Ganguellas.”  He  nearly 
succeeded  in  1852,  but  was  driven  back.  He  now  (in  1853)  attempted  to  go  east- 
ward from  Naliele,  but  came  back  to  the  Barotse  on  being  unable  to  go  beyond 
Kainko’s  village,  which  is  situated  on  the  Bashukulompo  River,  and  eight  days  dis- 
tant. The  whole  party  was  anxious  to  secure  a reward  believed  to  be  promised 
by  the  Portuguese  government.  Their  want  of  success  confirmed  my  impression 
that  I ought  to  go  westward.  Porto  kindly  offered  to  aid  me,  if  I would  go  with 
him  to  Bihe ; but  when  I declined,  he  preceded  me  to  Loanda,  and  was  publishing 
his  Journal  when  I arrived  at  that  city.  Ben  Habib  told  me  that  Porto  had  sent 
letters  to  Mosarabique  by  the  Arab,  Ben  Chombo,  whom  I knew;  and  he  has 
since  asserted,  in  Portugal,  that  he  himself  went  to  Mosambique  as  well  as  his 
letters '. 


238 


THE  MAMBARI. 


the  name  of  the  year  when  the  white  men  came,  or  of  Sebituane’s 
death ; but  they  prefer  the  former,  as  they  avoid,  if  possible,  any 
direct  reference  to  the  departed.  After  my  wife’s  first  visit,  great 
numbers  of  children  were  named  Ma-Robert,  or  mother  of  Robert, 
her  eldest  child  ; others  were  named  Gun,  Horse,  Wagon,  Monare, 
Jesus,  etc. ; but  though  our  names,  and  those  of  the  native  Portu- 
guese who  came  in  1853,  were  adopted,  there  is  not  a trace  of  any 
thing  of  the  sort  having  happened  previously  among  the  Barotse : 
the  visit  of  a white  man  is  such  a remarkable  event,  that,  had  any 
taken  place  during  the  last  three  hundred  years,  there  must  have 
remained  some  tradition  of  it. 

But  Santuru  was  once  visited  by  the  Mambari,  and  a distinct 
recollection  of  that  visit  is  retained.  They  came  to  purchase 
slaves,  and  both  Santuru  and  his  head  men  refused  them  per- 
mission to  buy  any  of  the  people.  The  Makololo  quoted  this 
precedent  when  speaking  of  the  Mambari,  and  said  that  they,  as 
the  present  masters  of  the  country,  had  as  good  a right  to  expel 
them  as  Santuru.  The  Mambari  reside  near  Bihe,  under  an  Am- 
bonda  chief  named  Kangombe.  They  profess  to  use  the  slaves  for 
domestic  purposes  alone. 

Some  of  these  Mambari  visited  us  while  at  Naliele.  They 
are  of  the  Ambonda  family,  which  inhabits  the  country  southeast 
of  Angola,  and  speak  the  Bunda  dialect,  which  is  of  the  same 
family  of  languages  with  the  Barotse,  Bayeiye,  etc.,  or  those 
black  tribes  comprehended  under  the  general  term  Makalaka. 
They  plait  their  hair  in  three-fold  cords,  and  lay  them  carefully 
down  around  the  sides  of  the  head.  They  are  quite  as  dark  as 
the  Barotse,  but  have  among  them  a number  of  half-castes,  with 
their  peculiar  yellow  sickly  hue.  On  inquiring  why  they  had 
fled  on  my  approach  to  Linyanti,  they  let  me  know  that  they 
had  a vivid  idea  of  the  customs  of  English  cruisers  on  the  coast. 
They  showed  also  their  habits  in  their  own  country  by  digging 
up  and  eating,  even  here  where  large  game  abounds,  the  mice 
and  moles  which  infest  the  country.  The  half-castes,  or  native 
Portuguese,  could  all  read  and  write,  and  the  head  of  the  party, 
if  not  a real  Portuguese,  had  European  hair,  and,  influenced 
probably  by  the  letter  of  recommendation  which  I held  from 
the  Chevalier  Duprat,  his  most  faithful  majesty’s  Arbitrator  in 


KELIGIOUS  FEELING. 


239 


the  British  and  Portuguese  Mixed  Commission  at  Cape  Town, 
was  evidently  anxious  to  show  me  all  the  kindness  in  his  power. 
These  persons  I feel  assured  were  the  first  individuals  of  Portu- 
guese blood  who  ever  saw  the  Zambesi  in  the  centre  of  the 
country,  and  they  had  reached  it  two  years  after  our  discovery  in 
1851. 

The  town  or  mound  of  Santuru’s  mother  was  shown  to  me; 
this  was  the  first  symptom  of  an  altered  state  of  feeling  with 
regard  to  the  female  sex  that  I had  observed.  There  are  few  or 
no  cases  of  women  being  elevated  to  the  headships  of  towns  fur- 
ther south.  The  Barotse  also  showed  some  relics  of  their  chief, 
which  evinced  a greater  amount  of  the  religious  feeling  than  I 
had  ever  known  displayed  among  Bechuanas.  His  more  recent 
capital,  Lilonda,  built,  too,  on  an  artificial  mound,  is  covered  with 
different  kinds  of  trees,  transplanted  when  young  by  himself. 
They  form  a grove  on  the  end  of  the  mound,  in  which  are  to  be 
seen  various  instruments  of  iron  just  in  the  state  he  left  them. 
One  looks  like  the  guard  of  a basket-hilted  sword ; another  has 
an  upright  stem  of  the  metal,  on  which  are  placed  branches 
worked  at  the  ends  into  miniature  axes,  hoes,  and  spears ; on 
these  he  was  accustomed  to  present  offerings,  according  as  he 
desired  favors  to  be  conferred  in  undertaking  hewing,  agricul- 
ture, or  fighting.  The  people  still  living  there,  in  charge  of 
these  articles,  were  supported  by  presents  from  the  chief;  and 
the  Makololo  sometimes  follow  the  example.  This  was  the  near- 
est approach  to  a priesthood  I met.  When  I asked  them  to  part 
with  one  of  these  relics,  they  replied,  “ Oh  no,  he  refuses.”  “Who 
refuses?”  “ Santuru,”  was  their  reply,  showing  their  belief  in  a 
future  state  of  existence.  After  explaining  to  them,  as  I always 
did  when  opportunity  offered,  the  nature  of  true  worship,  and  pray- 
ing with  them  in  the  simple  form  which  needs  no  offering  from  the 
worshiper  except  that  of  the  heart,  and  planting  some  fruit-tree 
seeds  in  the  grove,  we  departed. 

Another  incident,  which  occurred  at  the  confluence  of  the  Leeba 
and  Leeambye,  may  be  mentioned  here,  as  showing  a more  vivid 
perception  of  the  existence  of  spiritual  beings,  and  greater  prone- 
ness to  worship  than  among  the  Bechuanas.  Having  taken  lunar 
observations  in  the  morning,  I was  waiting  for  a meridian  altitude 
of  the  sun  for  the  latitude ; my  chief  boatman  was  sitting  by,  in 


240 


GARDENS.— GAME. 


order  to  pack  up  the  instruments  as  soon  as  I had  finished  ; there 
was  a large  halo,  about  20°  in  diameter,  round  the  sun  ; thinking 
that  the  humidity  of  the  atmosphere,  which  this  indicated,  might 
betoken  rain,  I asked  him  if  his  experience  did  not  lead  him  to 
the  same  view.  “ Oh  no,”  replied  he ; “ it  is  the  Barimo  (gods  or 
departed  spirits),  who  have  called  a picho ; don’t  you  see  they 
have  the  Lord  (sun)  in  the  centre  ?” 

While  still  at  Naliele  I walked  out  to  Katongo  (lat.  15°  16'  S3"), 
on  the  ridge  which  bounds  the  valley  of  the  Barotse  in  that 
direction,  and  found  it  covered  with  trees.  It  is  only  the  com- 
mencement of  the  lands  which  are  never  inundated ; their  gentle 
rise  from  the  dead  level  of  the  valley  much  resembles  the  edge 
of  the  Desert  in  the  valley  of  the  Nile.  But  here  the  Banyeti 
have  fine  gardens,  and  raise  great  quantities  of  maize,  millet,  and 
native  corn  ( Holcus  sorghum ),  of  large  grain  and  beautifully  white. 
They  grow,  also,  yams,  sugar-cane,  the  Egyptian  arum,  sweet, 
potato  ( Convolulus  batata ),  two  kinds  of  manioc  or  cassava  ( Ja - 
tropha  manihot  and  J.  utilissima,  a variety  containing  scarcely 
any  poison),  besides  pumpkins,  melons,  beans,  and  ground-nuts. 
These,  with  plenty  of  fish  in  the  river,  its  branches  and  lagoons, 
wild  fruits  and  water-fowl,  always  make  the  people  refer  to  the 
Barotse  as  the  land  of  plenty.  The  scene  from  the  ridge,  on 
looking  back,  was  beautiful.  One  can  not  see  the  western  side 
of  the  valley  in  a cloudy  day,  such  as  that  was  when  we  visited 
the  stockade,  but  we  could  see  the  great  river  glancing  out  at 
different  points,  and  fine  large  herds  of  cattle  quietly  grazing  on 
the  green  succulent  herbage,  among  numbers  of  cattle-stations  and 
villages  which  are  dotted  over  the  landscape.  Leches  in  hund- 
reds fed  securely  beside  them,  for  they  have  learned  only  to  keep 
out  of  bow-shot,  or  two  hundred  yards.  When  guns  come  into  a 
country  the  animals  soon  learn  their  longer  range,  and  begin  to 
run  at  a distance  of  five  hundred  yards. 

I imagined  the  slight  elevation  (Katongo)  might  be  healthy, 
but  was  informed  that  no  part  of  this  region  is  exempt  from  fever. 
When  the  waters  begin  to  retire  from  this  valley,  such  masses  of 
decayed  vegetation  and  mud  are  exposed  to  the  torrid  sun  that 
even  the  natives  suffer  severely  from  attacks  of  fever.  The  grass 
is  so  rank  in  its  growth  that  one  can  not  see  the  black  alluvial 
soil  of  the  bottom  of  this  periodical  lake.  Even  when  the  grass 


THE  HERALD. 


241 


falls  down  in  winter,  or  is  “laid”  by  its  own  weight,  one  is  obliged 
to  lift  the  feet  so  high,  to  avoid  being  tripped  up  by  it,  as  to  make 
walking  excessively  fatiguing.  Young  leches  are  hidden  beneath 
it  by  their  dams ; and  the  Makololo  youth  complain  of  being 
unable  to  run  in  the  Barotse  land  on  this  account.  There  was 
evidently  no  healthy  spot  in  this  quarter ; and  the  current  of  the 
river  being  about  four  and  a half  miles  per  hour  (one  hundred 
yards  in  sixty  seconds),  I imagined  we  might  find  what  we  needed 
in  the  higher  lands,  from  which  the  river  seemed  to  come.  I 
resolved,  therefore,  to  go  to  the  utmost  limits  of  the  Barotse 
country  before  coming  to  a final  conclusion.  Katongo  was  the 
best  place  we  had  seen ; but,  in  order  to  accomplish  a complete 
examination,  I left  Sekeletu  at  Naliele,  and  ascended  the  river. 
He  furnished  me  with  men,  besides  my  rowers,  and  among  the 
rest  a herald,  that  I might  enter  his  villages  in  what  is  considered 
a dignified  manner.  This,  it  was  supposed,  would  be  effected  by 
the  herald  shouting  out  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  “ Here  comes  the 
lord  ; the  great  lion  the  latter  phrase  being  “tau  e tona,”  which, 
in  his  imperfect  way  of  pronunciation,  became  “sau  e tona,”  and 
so  like  “ the  great  sow”  that  I could  not  receive  the  honor  with 
becoming  gravity,  and  had  to  entreat  him,  much  to  the  annoyance 
of  my  party,  to  be  silent. 

In  our  ascent  we  visited  a number  of  Makololo  villages,  and 
were  always  received  with  a hearty  welcome,  as  messengers  to 
them  of  peace,  which  they  term  “ sleep.”  They  behave  well  in 
public  meetings,  even  on  the  first  occasion  of  attendance,  probably 
from  the  habit  of  commanding  the  Makalaka,  crowds  of  whom 
swarm  in  every  village,  and  whom  the  Makololo  women  seem  to 
consider  as  especially  under  their  charge. 

The  river  presents  the  same  appearance  of  low  banks  without 
trees  as  we  have  remarked  it  had  after  we  came  to  16°  16',  until 
we  arrive  at  Libonta  (14°  59'  S.  lat.).  Twenty  miles  beyond  that, 
we  find  forest  down  to  the  water’s  edge,  and  tsetse.  Here  I might 
have  turned  back,  as  no  locality  can  be  inhabited  by  Europeans 
where  that  scourge  exists  ; but  hearing  that  we  were  not  far  from 
the  confluence  of  the  River  of  Londa  or  Lunda,  named  Leeba  or 
Loiba,  and  the  chiefs  of  that  country  being  reported  to  be  friendly 
to  strangers,  and  therefore  likely  to  be  of  use  to  me  on  my  return 
from  the  west  coast,  I still  pushed  on  to  latitude  14°  11/  3"  S. 

Q 


242 


NO  HEALTHY  LOCATION. 


There  the  Leeambye  assumes  the  name  Kabompo,  and  seems  to 
be  coming  from  the  east.  It  is  a fine  large  river,  about  three 
hundred  yards  wide,  and  the  Leeba  two  hundred  and  fifty.  The 
Loeti,  a branch  of  which  is  called  Langebongo,  comes  from 
W.N.W.,  through  a level  grassy  plain  named  Mango  ; it  is  about 
one  hundred  yards  wide,  and  enters  the  Leeambye  from  the  west ; 
the  waters  of  the  Loeti  are  of  a light  color,  and  those  of  the 
Leeba  of  a dark  mossy  hue.  After  the  Loeti  joins  the  Leeambye 
the  different  colored  waters  flow  side  by  side  for  some  distance 
unmixed. 

Before  reaching  the  Loeti  we  came  to  a number  of  people  from 
the  Lobale  region,  hunting  hippopotami.  They  fled  precipitately 
as  soon  as  they  saw  the  Makololo,  leaving  their  canoes  and  all 
their  utensils  and  clothing.  My  own  Makalaka,  who  were  accus- 
tomed to  plunder  wherever  they  went,  rushed  after  them  like 
furies,  totally  regardless  of  my  shouting.  As  this  proceeding 
would  have  destroyed  my  character  entirely  at  Lobale,  I took  my 
stand  on  a commanding  position  as  they  returned,  and  forced  them 
to  lay  down  all  the  plunder  on  a sand-bank,  and  leave  it  there  for 
its  lawful  owners. 

It  was  now  quite  evident  that  no  healthy  location  could  be 
obtained  in  which  the  Makololo  would  be  allowed  to  live  in  peace. 
I had  thus  a fair  excuse,  if  I had  chosen  to  avail  myself  of  it,  of 
coming  home  and  saying  that  the  “ door  was  shut,”  because  the 
Lord’s  time  had  not  yet  come.  But  believing  that  it  was  my 
duty  to  devote  some  portion  of  my  life  to  these  (to  me  at  least) 
very  confiding  and  affectionate  Makololo,  I resolved  to  follow  out 
the  second  part  of  my  plan,  though  I had  failed  in  accomplishing 
the  first.  The  Leeba  seemed  to  come  from  the  N.  and  by  W.,  or 
N.N.W. ; so,  having  an  old  Portuguese  map,  which  pointed  out 
the  Coanza  as  rising  from  the  middle  of  the  continent  in  9°  S.  lat., 
I thought  it  probable  that,  when  we  had  ascended  the  Leeba  (from 
14°  IP)  two  or  three  degrees,  we  should  then  be  within  one  hund- 
red and  twenty  miles  of  the  Coanza,  and  find  no  difficulty  in 
following  it  down  to  the  coast  near  Loanda.  This  was  the  logical 
deduction  ; but,  as  is  the  case  with  many  a plausible  theory,  one 
of  the  premises  was  decidedly  defective.  The  Coanza,  as  we 
afterward  found,  does  not  come  from  any  where  near  the  centre 
of  the  country. 


LIONS.— ARABS. 


243 


The  numbers  of  large  game  above  Libonta  are  prodigious,  and 
they  proved  remarkably  tame.  Eighty-one  buffaloes  defiled  in 
slow  procession  before  our  fire  one  evening,  within  gunshot ; and 
herds  of  splendid  elands  stood  by  day,  without  fear,  at  two  hund- 
red yards  distance.  They  were  all  of  the  striped  variety,  and 
with  their  forearm  markings,  large  dewlaps,  and  sleek  skins,  were 
a beautiful  sight  to  see.  The  lions  here  roar  much  more  than 
in  the  country  near  the  lake,  Zouga,  and  Chobe.  One  evening 
we  had  a good  opportunity  of  hearing  the  utmost  exertions  the  an- 
imal can  make  in  that  line.  We  had  made  our  beds  on  a large 
sand-bank,  and  could  be  easily  seen  from  all  sides.  A lion  on  the 
opposite  shore  amused  himself  for  hours  by  roaring  as  loudly  as 
he  could,  putting,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  his  mouth  near  the 
ground,  to  make  the  sound  reverberate.  The  river  was  too  broad 
for  a ball  to  reach  him,  so  we  let  him  enjoy  himself,  certain  that 
he  durst  not  have  been  guilty  of  the  impertinence  in  the  Bushman 
country.  Wherever  the  game  abounds,  these  animals  exist  in 
proportionate  numbers.  Here  they  were  very  frequently  seen, 
and  two  of  the  largest  I ever  saw  seemed  about  as  tall  as  com- 
mon donkeys  ; but  the  mane  made  their  bodies  appear  rather 
larger. 

A party  of  Arabs  from  Zanzibar  were  in  the  country  at  this 
time.  Sekeletu  had  gone  from  Naliele  to  the  town  of  his  mother 
before  we  arrived  from  the  north,  but  left  an  ox  for  our  use,  and  in- 
structions for  us  to  follow  him  thither.  We  came  down  a branch 
of  the  Leeambye  called  Marile,  which  departs  from  the  main  river 
in  latitude  15°  15'  43"  S.,  and  is  a fine  deep  stream  about  sixty 
yards  wide.  It  makes  the  whole  of  the  country  around  Naliele 
an  island.  When  sleeping  at  a village  in  the  same  latitude  as 
Naliele  town,  two  of  the  Arabs  mentioned  made  their  appearance. 
They  were  quite  as  dark  as  the  Makololo,  but,  having  their  heads 
shaved,  I could  not  compare  their  hair  with  that  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  country.  When  we  were  about  to  leave  they  came  to  bid 
adieu,  but  I asked  them  to  stay  and  help  us  to  eat  our  ox.  As 
they  had  scruples  about  eating  an  animal  not  blooded  in  their  own 
way,  I gained  their  good-will  by  saying  I was  quite  of  their  opin- 
ion as  to  getting  quit  of  the  blood,  and  gave  them  two  legs  of  an 
animal  slaughtered  by  themselves.  They  professed  the  greatest 
detestation  of  the  Portuguese,  “ because  they  eat  pigs and  dis- 


244 


TOWN  OF  MA-SEKELETU. 


liked  the  English,  “ because  they  thrash  them  for  selling  slaves.” 
I was  silent  about  pork  ; though,  had  they  seen  me  at  a hippopot- 
amus two  days  afterward,  they  would  have  set  me  down  as  being 
as  much  a heretic  as  any  of  that  nation ; but  I ventured  to  tell 
them  that  I agreed  with  the  English,  that  it  was  better  to  let  the 
children  grow  up  and  comfort  their  mothers  when  they  became 
old,  than  to  carry  them  away  and  sell  them  across  the  sea.  This 
they  never  attempt  to  justify ; “ they  want  them  only  to  cultivate 
the  land,  and  take  care  of  them  as  their  children.”  It  is  the  same 
old  story,  justifying  a monstrous  wrong  on  pretense  of  taking  care 
of  those  degraded  portions  of  humanity  which  can  not  take  care 
of  themselves  ; doing  evil  that  good  may  come. 

These  Arabs,  or  Moors,  could  read  and  write  their  own  lan- 
guage readily ; and,  when  speaking  about  our  Savior,  I admired 
the  boldness  with  which  they  informed  me  “ that  Christ  was  a 
very  good  prophet,  but  Mohammed  was  far  greater.”  And  with 
respect  to  their  loathing  of  pork,  it  may  have  some  foundation  in 
their  nature  ; for  I have  known  Bechuanas,  who  had  no  prejudice 
against  the  wild  animal,  and  ate  the  tame  without  scruple,  yet, 
unconscious  of  any  cause  of  disgust,  vomit  it  again.  The  Bechu- 
anas south  of  the  lake  have  a prejudice  against  eating  fish,  and 
allege  a disgust  to  eating  any  thing  like  a serpent.  This  may 
arise  from  the  remnants  of  serpent-worship  floating  in  their  minds, 
as,  in  addition  to  this  horror  of  eating  such  animals,  they  some- 
times render  a sort  of  obeisance  to  living  serpents  by  clapping 
their  hands  to  them,  and  refusing  to  destroy  the  reptiles  ; but 
in  the  case  of  the  hog  they  are  conscious  of  no  superstitious 
feeling. 

Having  parted  with  our  Arab  friends,  we  proceeded  down  the 
Marile  till  we  re-entered  the  Leeambye,  and  went  to  the  town 
of  Ma-Sekeletu  (mother  of  Sekeletu),  opposite  the  island  of  Lo- 
yela.  Sekeletu  had  always  supplied  me  most  liberally  with  food, 
and,  as  soon  as  I arrived,  presented  me  with  a pot  of  boiled 
meat,  while  his  mother  handed  me  a large  jar  of  butter,  of  which 
they  make  great  quantities  for  the  purpose  of  anointing  their 
bodies.  He  had  himself  sometimes  felt  the  benefit  of  my  way 
of  putting  aside  a quantity  of  the  meat  after  a meal,  and  had 
now  followed  my  example  by  ordering  some  to  be  kept  for  me. 
According  to  their  habits,  every  particle  of  an  ox  is  devoured  at 


I 


THE  MAKOLOLO  POLKA. 


245 


one  meal ; and  as  the  chief  can  not,  without  a deviation  from  then- 
customs,  eat  alone,  he  is  often  compelled  to  suffer  severely  from 
hunger  before  another  meal  is  ready.  We  henceforth  always 
worked  into  each  other’s  hands  by  saving  a little  for  each  other ; 
and  when  some  of  the  sticklers  for  use  and  custom  grumbled,  I 
advised  them  to  eat  like  men,  and  not  like  vultures. 

As  this  was  the  first  visit  which  Sekeletu  had  paid  to  this  part 
of  his  dominions,  it  was  to  many  a season  of  great  joy.  The  head 
men  of  each  village  presented  oxen,  milk,  and  beer,  more  than  the 
horde  which  accompanied  him  could  devour,  though  their  abilities 
in  that  line  are  something  wonderful.  The  people  usually  show 
their  joy  and  work  off  their  excitement  in  dances  and  songs.  The 
dance  consists  of  the  men  standing  nearly  naked  in  a circle,  with 
clubs  or  small  battle-axes  in  their  hands,  and  each  roaring  at  the 
loudest  pitch  of  his  voice,  while  they  simultaneously  lift  one  leg, 
stamp  heavily  twice  with  it,  then  lift  the  other  and  give  one  stamp 
with  that ; this  is  the  only  movement  in  common.  The  arms  and 
head  are  often  thrown  about  also  in  every  direction ; and  all  this 
time  the  roaring  is  kept  up  with  the  utmost  possible  vigor ; the 
continued  stamping  makes  a cloud  of  dust  ascend,  and  they  leave 
a deep  ring  in  the  ground  where  they  stood.  If  the  scene  were 
witnessed  in  a lunatic  asylum  it  would  be  nothing  out  of  the  way, 
and  quite  appropriate  even,  as  a means  of  letting  off  the  excessive 
excitement  of  the  brain  ; but  here  gray-headed  men  joined  in  the 
performance  with  as  much  zest  as  others  whose  youth  might  be 
an  excuse  for  making  the  perspiration  stream  off  their  bodies  with 
the  exertion.  Motibe  asked  what  I thought  of  theMakololo  dance. 
I replied,  “ It  is  very  hard  work,  and  brings  but  small  profit.”  “ It 
is,”  replied  he,  “but  it  is  very  nice,  and  Sekeletu  will  give  us  an 
ox  for  dancing  for  him.”  lie  usually  does  slaughter  an  ox  for 
the  dancers  when  the  work  is  over. 

The  women  stand  by,  clapping  their  hands,  and  occasionally 
one  advances  into  the  circle,  composed  of  a hundred  men,  makes 
a few  movements,  and  then  retires.  As  I never  tried  it,  and  am 
unable  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  thing,  I can  not  recommend 
the  Makololo  polka  to  the  dancing  world,  but  I have  the  authority 
of  no  less  a person  than  Motibe,  Sekeletu’s  father-in-law,  for  say- 
ing “it  is  very  nice.”  They  often  asked  if  white  people  ever 
danced.  I thought  of  the  disease  called  St.  Vitus’s  dance,  but 


246 


HEATHENISM. 


could  not  say  that  all  our  dancers  were  affected  by  it,  and  gave  an 
answer  which,  I ought  to  be  ashamed  to  own,  did  not  raise  some 
of  our  young  countrywomen  in  the  estimation  of  the  Makololo. 

As  Sekeletu  had  been  waiting  for  me  at  his  mother’s,  we  left 
the  town  as  soon  as  I arrived,  and  proceeded  down  the  river. 
Our  speed  with  the  stream  was  very  great,  for  in  one  day  we  went 
from  Litofe  to  Gonye,  a distance  of  forty-four  miles  of  latitude  ; 
and  if  we  add  to  this  the  windings  of  the  river,  in  longitude  the 
distance  will  not  be  much  less  than  sixty  geographical  miles.  At 
this  rate  we  soon  reached  Sesheke,  and  then  the  town  of  Linyanti. 

I had  been,  during  a nine  weeks’  tour,  in  closer  contact  with 
heathenism  than  I had  ever  been  before  ; and  though  all,  including 
the  chief,  were  as  kind  and  attentive  to  me  as  possible,  and  there 
was  no  want  of  food  (oxen  being  slaughtered  daily,  sometimes  ten 
at  a time,  more  than  sufficient  for  the  wants  of  all),  yet  to  endure 
the  dancing,  roaring,  and  singing,  the  jesting,  anecdotes,  grumbling, 
quarreling,  and  murdering  of  these  children  of  nature,  seemed 
more  like  a severe  penance  than  any  thing  I had  before  met  with 
in  the  course  of  my  missionary  duties.  I took  thence  a more  in- 
tense disgust  at  heathenism  than  I had  before,  and  formed  a greatly 
elevated  opinion  of  the  latent  effects  of  missions  in  the  south,  among 
tribes  which  are  reported  to  have  been  as  savage  as  the  Makololo. 
The  indirect  benefits  which,  to  a casual  observer,  lie  beneath  the 
surface  and  are  inappreciable,  in  reference  to  the  probable  wide 
diffusion  of  Christianity  at  some  future  time,  are  worth  all  the 
money  and  labor  that  have  been  expended  to  produce  them. 


ARRANGEMENTS  FOR  JOURNEY 


247 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Preliminary  Arrangements  for  the  Journey. — A Picho. — Twenty-seven  Men  ap- 
pointed to  accompany  me  to  the  West. — Eagerness  of  the  Makololo  for  direct 
Trade  with  the  Coast. — Effects  of  Fever. — A Makololo  Question. — The  lost  Jour- 
nal.— Reflections. — The  Outfit  for  the  Journey. — 11th  November,  1853,  leave  Lin- 
vanti,  and  embark  on  the  Chobe. — Dangerous  Hippopotami. — Banks  of  Chobe. — 
Trees. — The  Course  of  the  River. — The  Island  Mparia  at  the  Confluence  of  the 
Chobe  and  the  Leeambye. — Anecdote. — Ascend  the  Leeambve. — A Makalaka 
Mother  defies  the  Authority  of  the  Makololo  Head  Man  at  Sesheke. — Punishment 
of  Thieves. — Observance  of  the  new  Moon. — Public  Addresses  at  Sesheke. — At- 
tention of  the  People. — Results. — Proceed  up  the  River. — The  Fruit  which  yields 
Nux  vomica. — Other  Fruits. — The  Rapids. — Birds. — Fish. — Hippopotami  and 
their  Young. 

Linyanti,  September,  1853.  The  object  proposed  to  the  Ma- 
kololo seemed  so  desirable  that  it  was  resolved  to  proceed  with  it 
as  soon  as  the  cooling  influence  of  the  rains  should  be  felt  in  No- 
vember. The  longitude  and  latitude  of  Linyanti  (lat.  18°  17'  20" 
S.,  long.  23°  50'  9"  E.)  showed  that  St.  Philip  de  Benguela  was 
much  nearer  to  us  than  Loanda ; and  I might  have  easily  made 
arrangements  with  the  Mambari  to  allow  me  to  accompany  them 
as  far  as  Bihe,  which  is  on  the  road  to  that  port ; but  it  is  so  un- 
desirable to  travel  in  a path  once  trodden  by  slave-traders  that  I 
preferred  to  find  out  another  line  of  march. 

Accordingly,  men  were  sent  at  my  suggestion  to  examine  all 
the  country  to  the  west,  to  see  if  any  belt  of  country  free  from 
tsetse  could  be  found  to  afford  us  an  outlet.  The  search  was 
fruitless.  The  town  and  district  of  Linyanti  are  surrounded  by 
forests  infested  by  this  poisonous  insect,  except  at  a few  points, 
as  that  by  which  we  entered  at  Sanshureh  and  another  at  Se- 
sheke. But  the  lands  both  east  and  west  of  the  Barotse  valley  are 
free  from  this  insect  plague.  There,  however,  the  slave-trade  had 
defiled  the  path,  and  no  one  ought  to  follow  in  its  wake  unless 
well  armed.  The  Mambari  had  informed  me  that  many  English 
lived  at  Loanda,  so  I prepared  to  go  thither.  The  prospect  of 
meeting  with  countrymen  seemed  to  overbalance  the  toils  of  the 
longer  march. 


248 


A “PICHO.”— ITS  RESULTS. 


A “ picho”  was  called  to  deliberate  on  the  steps  proposed.  In 
these  assemblies  great  freedom  of  speech  is  allowed ; and  on  this 
occasion  one  of  the  old  diviners  said,  “ Where  is  he  taking  you 
to  ? This  white  man  is  throwing  you  away.  Your  garments  al- 
ready smell  of  blood.”  It  is  curious  to  observe  how  much  iden- 
tity of  character  appears  all  over  the  world.  This  man  was  a 
noted  croaker.  He  always  dreamed  something  dreadful  in  every 
expedition,  and  was  certain  that  an  eclipse  or  comet  betokened 
the  propriety  of  flight.  But  Sebituane  formerly  set  his  visions 
down  to  cowardice,  and  Sekeletu  only  laughed  at  him  now.  The 
general  voice  was  in  my  favor ; so  a band  of  twenty-seven  were 
appointed  to  accompany  me  to  the  west.  These  men  were  not 
hired,  but  sent  to  enable  me  to  accomplish  an  object  as  much  de- 
sired by  the  chief  and  most  of  his  people  as  by  me.  They  were 
eager  to  obtain  free  and  profitable  trade  with  white  men.  The 
prices  which  the  Cape  merchants  could  give,  after  defraying  the 
great  expenses  of  a long  journey  hither,  being  very  small,  made 
it  scarce  worth  while  for  the  natives  to  collect  produce  for  that 
market ; and  the  Mambari,  giving  only  a few  bits  of  print  and 
baize  for  elephants’  tusks  worth  more  pounds  than  they  gave 
yards  of  cloth,  had  produced  the  belief  that  trade  with  them 
was  throwing  ivory  away.  The  desire  of  the  Makololo  for  di- 
rect trade  with  the  sea-coast  coincided  exactly  Avith  my  own  con- 
viction that  no  permanent  elevation  of  a people  can  be  effected 
without  commerce.  Neither  could  there  be  a permanent  mis- 
sion here,  unless  the  missionaries  should  descend  to  the  level 
of  the  Makololo,  for  even  at  Kolobeng  we  found  that  traders  de- 
manded three  or  four  times  the  price  of  the  articles  we  needed, 
and  expected  us  to  be  grateful  to  them  besides  for  letting  us  have 
them  at  all. 

The  three  men  whom  I had  brought  from  Kuruman  had  fre- 
quent relapses  of  the  fever ; so,  finding  that  instead  of  serving 
me  I had  to  wait  on  them,  I decided  that  they  should  return  to 
the  south  with  Fleming  as  soon  as  he  had  finished  his  trading. 
I was  then  entirely  dependent  on  my  twenty-seven  men,  whom  I 
might  name  Zambesians,  for  there  Avere  two  Makololo  only,  while 
the  rest  consisted  of  Barotse,  Batoka,  Basliubia,  and  two  of  the 
Ambonda. 

The  fever  had  caused  considerable  weakness  in  my  own  frame, 


THE  LOST  JOURNAL.— REFLECTIONS. 


249 


ancl  a strange  giddiness  when  I looked  up  suddenly  to  any  celes- 
tial object,  for  every  thing  seemed  to  rush  to  the  left,  and  if  I did 
not  catch  hold  of  some  object,  I fell  heavily  on  the  ground : 
something  resembling  a gush  of  bile  along  the  duct  from  the 
liver  caused  the  same  fit  to  occur  at  night,  whenever  I turned 
suddenly  round. 

The  Makololo  now  put  the  question,  “In  the  event  of  your 
death,  will  not  the  white  people  blame  us  for  having  allowed 
you  to  go  away  into  an  unhealthy,  unknown  country  of  enemies  ?” 
I replied  that  none  of  my  friends  would  blame  them,  because  I 
would  leave  a book  with  Sekeletu,  to  be  sent  to  Mr.  Moffat  in 
case  I did  not  return,  which  would  explain  to  him  all  that  had 
happened  until  the  time  of  my  departure.  The  book  was  a 
volume  of  my  Journal ; and,  as  I was  detained  longer  than  I 
expected  at  Loanda,  this  book,  with  a letter,  was  delivered  by 
Sekeletu  to  a trader,  and  I have  been  unable  to  trace  it.  I 
regret  this  now,  as  it  contained  valuable  notes  on  the  habits  of 
wild  animals,  and  the  request  was  made  in  the  letter  to  convey 
the  volume  to  my  family.  The  prospect  of  passing  away  from 
this  fair  and  beautiful  world  thus  came  before  me  in  a pretty 
plain,  matter-of-fact  form,  and  it  did  seem  a serious  thing  to 
leave  wife  and  children — to  break  up  all  connection  with  earth, 
and  enter  on  an  untried  state  of  existence ; and  I find  myself  in 
my  journal  pondering  over  that  fearful  migration  which  lands  us 
in  eternity,  wondering  whether  an  angel  will  soothe  the  flutter- 
ing soul,  sadly  flurried  as  it  must  be  on  entering  the  spirit  world, 
and  hoping  that  Jesus  might  speak  but  one  word  of  peace,  for 
that  would  establish  in  the  bosom  an  everlasting  calm.  But  as 
I had  always  believed  that,  if  we  serve  God  at  all,  it  ought  to  be 
done  in  a manly  way,  I wrote  to  my  brother,  commending  our 
little  girl  to  his  care,  as  I was  determined  to  “ succeed  or  perish” 
in  the  attempt  to  open  up  this  part  of  Africa.  The  Boers,  by 
taking  possession  of  all  my  goods,  had  saved  me  the  trouble  of 
making  a will ; and,  considering  the  light  heart  now  left  in  my 
bosom,  and  some  faint  efforts  to  perform  the  duty  of  Christian 
forgiveness,  I felt  that  it  was  better  to  be  the  plundered  party 
than  one  of  the  plunderers. 

When  I committed  the  wagon  and  remaining  goods  to  the 
care  of  the  Makololo,  they  took  all  the  articles  except  one  box 


250 


OUTFIT  FOR  JOURNEY. 


into  their  huts ; and  two  warriors,  Ponuane  and  Mahale,  brought 
forward  each  a fine  heifer  calf.  After  performing  a number  of 
warlike  evolutions,  they  asked  the  chief  to  witness  the  agreement 
made  between  them,  that  whoever  of  the  two  should  kill  a Mate- 
bele  warrior  first,  in  defense  of  the  wagon,  should  possess  both  the 
calves. 

I had  three  muskets  for  my  people,  a rifle  and  double-bar- 
reled smooth-bore  for  myself;  and,  having  seen  such  great 
abundance  of  game  in  my  visit  to  the  Leeba,  I imagined  that  I 
could  easily  supply  the  wants  of  my  party.  Wishing  also  to 
avoid » the  discouragement  which  would  naturally  be  felt  on 
meeting  any  obstacles  if  my  companions  were  obliged  to  carry 
heavy  loads,  I took  only  a few  biscuits,  a few  pounds  of  tea  and 
sugar,  and  about  twenty  of  coffee,  which,  as  the  Arabs  find,  though 
used  without  either  milk  or  sugar,  is  a most  refreshing  bever- 
age after  fatigue  or  exposure  to  the  sun.  We  carried  one  small 
tin  canister,  about  fifteen  inches  square,  filled  with  spare  shirting, 
trowsers,  and  shoes,  to  be  used  when  we  reached  civilized  life, 
and  others  in  a bag,  which  were  expected  to  wear  out  on  the 
way ; another  of  the  same  size  for  medicines ; and  a third  for 
books,  my  stock  being  a Nautical  Almanac,  Thomson’s  Loga- 
rithm Tables,  and  a Bible ; a fourth  box  contained  a magic 
lantern,  which  we  found  of  much  use.  The  sextant  and  artificial 
horizon,  thermometer,  and  compasses  were  carried  apart.  My 
ammunition  was  distributed  in  portions  through  the  whole  lug- 
gage, so  that,  if  an  accident  should  befall  one  part,  we  could  still 
have  others  to  fall  back  upon.  Our  chief  hopes  for  food  were 
upon  that ; but  in  case  of  failure,  I took  about  20  lbs.  of  beads, 
worth  40^.,  which  still  remained  of  the  stock  I brought  from 
Cape  Town,  a small  gipsy  tent,  just  sufficient  to  sleep  in,  a 
sheep-skin  mantle  as  a blanket,  and  a liorse-rug  as  a bed.  As 
I had  always  found  that  the  art  of  successful  travel  consisted  in 
taking  as  few  “ impedimenta”  as  possible,  and  not  forgetting  to 
carry  my  wits  about  me,  the  outfit  was  rather  spare,  and  in- 
tended to  be  still  more  so  when  we  should  come  to  leave  the 
canoes.  Some  would  consider  it  injudicious  to  adopt  this  plan, 
but  I had  a secret  conviction  that  if  I did  not  succeed,  it  would 
not  be  for  want  of  the  “ knick-knacks”  advertised  as  indispensable 
for  travelers,  but  from  want  of  “pluck,”  or  because  a large 


THE  CHOBE.— HIPPOPOTAMI. 


251 


array  of  baggage  excited  the  cupidity  of  the  tribes  through  whose 
country  we  wished  to  pass. 

The  instruments  I carried,  though  few,  were  the  best  of  their 
kind.  A sextant,  by  the  famed  makers  Troughton  and  Sims,  of 
Fleet  Street;  a chronometer  watch,  with  a stop  to  the  seconds 
hand — an  admirable  contrivance  for  enabling  a person  to  take 
the  exact  time  of  observations : it  was  constructed  by  Dent,  of 
the  Strand  (61),  for  the  Royal  Geographical  Society,  and  selected 
for  the  service  by  the  President,  Admiral  Smythe,  to  whose 
judgment  and  kindness  I am  in  this  and  other  matters  deeply 
indebted.  It  was  pronounced  by  Mr.  Maclear  to  equal  most 
chronometers  in  performance.  For  these  excellent  instruments 
I have  much  pleasure  in  recording  my  obligations  to  my  good 
friend  Colonel  Steele,  and  at  the  same  time  to  Mr.  Maclear  for 
much  of  my  ability  to  use  them.  Besides  these,  I had  a ther- 
mometer by  Dollond ; a compass  from  the  Cape  Observatory, 
and  a small  pocket  one  in  addition ; a good  small  telescope  with 
a stand  capable  of  being  screwed  into  a tree. 

1 1th  of  November,  1853.  Left  the  town  of  Linyanti,  accom- 
panied by  Sekeletu  and  his  principal  men,  to  embark  on  the 
Chobe.  The  chief  came  to  the  river  in  order  to  see  that  all  was 
right  at  parting.  "VVe  crossed  five  branches  of  the  Chobe  before 
reaching  the  main  stream : this  ramification  must  be  the  reason 
why  it  appeared  so  small  to  Mr.  Oswell  and  myself  in  1851. 
When  all  the  departing  branches  re-enter,  it  is  a large,  deep 
‘river.  The  spot  of  embarkation  was  the  identical  island  where 
we  met  Sebituane,  first  known  as  the  island  of  Maunku,  one  of 
his  wives.  The  chief  lent  me  his  own  canoe,  and,  as  it  was 
broader  than  usual,  I could  turn  about  in  it  with  ease. 

The  Chobe  is  much  infested  by  hippopotami,  and,  as  certain 
elderly  males  are  expelled  the  herd,  they  become  soured  in  their 
temper,  and  so  misanthropic  as  to  attack  every  canoe  that  passes 
near  them.  The  herd  is  never  dangerous,  except  when  a canoe 
passes  into  the  midst  of  it  when  all  are  asleep,  and  some  of  them 
may  strike  the  canoe  in  terror.  To  avoid  this,  it  is  generally 
recommended  to  travel  by  day  near  the  bank,  and  by  night  in 
the  middle  of  the  stream.  As  a rule,  these  animals  flee  the 
approach  of  man.  The  “ solitaires,”  however,  frequent  certain 
localities  well  known  to  the  inhabitants  on  the  banks,  and,  like 


252 


BANKS  OF  THE  CHOBE. — TREES. 


the  rogue  elephants,  are  extremely  dangerous.  We  came,  at 
this  time,  to  a canoe  which  had  been  smashed  to  pieces  by  a 
blow  from  the  hind  foot  of  one  of  them.  I was  informed  by 
my  men  that,  in  the  event  of  a similar  assault  being  made  upon 
ours,  the  proper  way  was  to  dive  to  the  bottom  of  the  river,  and 
hold  on  there  for  a few  seconds,  because  the  hippopotamus,  after 
breaking  a canoe,  always  looks  for  the  people  on  the  surface, 
and,  if  he  sees  none,  he  soon  moves  off.  I have  seen  some 
frightful  gashes  made  on  the  legs  of  the  people  who  have  had 
the  misfortune  to  be  attacked,  and  were  unable  to  dive.  This 
animal  uses  his  teeth  as  an  offensive  weapon,  though  he  is  quite 
a herbivorous  feeder.  One  of  these  “bachelors,”  living  near  the 
confluence,  actually  came  out  of  his  lair,  and,  putting  his  head 
down,  ran  after  some  of  our  men  who  were  passing  with  very 
considerable  speed. 

The  part  of  the  river  called  Zabesa,  or  Zabenza,  is  spread  out 
like  a little  lake,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  dense  masses  of  tall 
reeds.  The  river  below  that  is  always  one  hundred  or  one  hund- 
red and  twenty  yards  broad,  deep,  and  never  dries  up  so  much 
as  to  become  fordable.  At  certain  parts,  where  the  partial  absence 
of  reeds  affords  a view  of  the  opposite  banks,  the  Makololo  have 
placed  villages  of  observation  against  their  enemies  the  Mate- 
bele.  We  visited  all  these  in  succession,  and  found  here,  as 
every  where  in  the  Makololo  country,  orders  had  preceded  us, 
“that  Nake  (nake  means  doctor)  must  not  be  allowed  to  become 
hungry.” 

The  banks  of  the  Chobe,  like  those  of  the  Zouga,  are  of  soft 
calcareous  tufa,  and  the  river  has  cut  out  for  itself  a deep,  per- 
pendicular-sided bed.  Where  the  banks  are  high,  as  at  the  spot 
where  the  wagons  stood  in  1851,  they  are  covered  with  magnificent 
trees,  the  habitat  of  tsetse,  and  the  retreat  of  various  antelopes, 
wild  hogs,  zebras,  buffaloes,  and  elephants. 

Among  the  trees  may  be  observed  some  species  of  the  Ficus 
Indica,  light-green  colored  acacias,  the  splendid  motsintsela, 
and  evergreen  cypress-shaped  motsouri.  The  fruit  of  the  last- 
named  was  ripe,  and  the  villagers  presented  many  dishes  of  its 
beautiful  pink-colored  plums;  they  are  used  chiefly  to  form  a 
pleasant  acid  drink.  The  motsintsela  is  a very  lofty  tree, 
yielding  a wood  of  which  good  canoes  are  made;  the  fruit  is 


CONFLUENCE  OF  CHOBE  AND  LEEAMBYE. 


253 


nutritious  and  good,  but,  like  many  wild  fruits  of  this  country, 
the  fleshy  parts  require  to  be  enlarged  by  cultivation : it  is  near- 
ly all  stone. 

The  course  of  the  river  we  found  to  be  extremely  tortuous ; 
so  much  so,  indeed,  as  to  carry  us  to  all  points  of  the  compass 
every  dozen  miles.  Some  of  us  walked  from  a bend  at  the  vil- 
lage of  Moremi  to  another  nearly  due  east  of  that  point,  in  six 
hours,  while  the  canoes,  going  at  more  than  double  our  speed, 
took  twelve  to  accomplish  the  voyage  between  the  same  two 
places.  And  though  the  river  is  from  thirteen  to  fifteen  feet  in 
depth  at  its  lowest  ebb,  and  broad  enough  to  allow  a steamer  to 
ply  upon  it,  the  suddenness  of  the  bendings  would  prevent  navi- 
gation ; but,  should  the  country  ever  become  civilized,  the  Chobe 
would  be  a convenient' natural  canal.  We  spent  forty-two  and  a 
half  hours,  paddling  at  the  rate  of  five  miles  an  hour,  in  coming 
from  Linyanti  to  the  confluence  ; there  we  found  a dike  of  amyg- 
daloid lying  across*  the  Leeambye. 

This  amygdaloid  with  analami  and  mesotype  contains  crystals, 
which  the  water  gradually  dissolves,  leaving  the  rock  with  a worm- 
eaten  appearance.  It  is  curious  to  observe  that  the  water  flowing- 
over  certain  rocks,  as  in  this  instance,  imbibes  an  appreciable, 
though  necessarily  most  minute,  portion  of  the  minerals  they  con- 
tain. The  water  of  the  Chobe  up  to  this  point  is  of  a dark  mossy 
hue,  but  here  it  suddenly  assumes  a lighter  tint  ; and  wherever 
this  light  color  shows  a greater  amount  of  mineral,  there  are  not 
musquitoes  enougli  to  cause  serious  annoyance  to  any  except  per- 
sons of  very  irritable  temperaments. 

The  large  island  called  Mparia  stands  at  the  confluence.  This 
is  composed  of  trap  (zeolite,  probably  mesotype)  of  a younger  age 
than  the  deep  stratum  of  tufa  in  which  the  Chobe  has  formed  its 
bed,  for,  at  the  point  where  they  come  together,  the  tufa  has  been 
transformed  into  saccharoid  limestone. 

The  actual  point  of  confluence  of  these  two  rivers,  the  Chobe 
and  the  Leeambye,  is  ill  defined,  on  account  of  each  dividing 
into  several  branches  as  they  inosculate ; but  when  the  whole 
body  of  water  collects  into  one  bed,  it  is  a goodly  sight  for  one 
who  has  spent  many  years  in  the  thirsty  south.  Standing  on 
one  bank,  even  the  keen  eye  of  the  natives  can  not  detect  whether 
two  large  islands,  a few  miles  east  of  the  junction,  are  main  land 


254 


DEFIANCE  OF  AUTHORITY. 


or  not.  During  a flight  in  former  years,  when  the  present  chief 
Sekomi  was  a child  in  his  mother’s  arms,  the  Bamangwato  men 
were  separated  from  their  women,  and  inveigled  on  to  one  of  these 
islands  by  the  Makalaka  chief  of  Mparia,  on  pretense  of  ferrying 
them  across  the  Leeambye.  They  were  left  to  perish  after  see- 
ing their  wives  taken  prisoners  by  these  cruel  lords  of  the  Lee- 
ambye, and  Sekomi  owed  his  life  to  the  compassion  of  one  of  the 
Bayeiye,  who,  pitying  the  young  chieftain,  enabled  his  mother  to 
make  her  escape  by  night. 

After  spending  one  night  at  the  Makololo  village  on  Mparia, 
we  left  the  Cliobe,  and,  turning  round,  began  to  ascend  the 
Leeambye ; on  the  19  th  of  November  we  again  reached  the 
town  of  Sesheke.  It  stands  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river,  and 
contains  a large  population  of  Makalaka,  under  Moriantsane, 
brother-in-law  of  Sebituane.  There  are  parties  of  various  tribes 
here,  assembled  under  their  respective  head  men,  but  a few 
Makololo  rule  over  all.  Their  sway,  though  essentially  des- 
potic, is  considerably  modified  by  certain  customs  and  laws. 
One  of  the  Makalaka  had  speared  an  ox  belonging  to  one  of  the 
Makololo,  and,  being  unable  to  extract  the  spear,  was  thereby 
discovered  to  be  the  perpetrator  of  the  deed.  Llis  object  had 
been  to  get  a share  of  the  meat,  as  Moriantsane  is  known  to 
be  liberal  with  any  food  that  comes  into  his  hands.  The  culprit 
was  bound  hand  and  foot,  and  placed  in  the  sun  to  force  him  to 
pay  a fine,  but  he  continued  to  deny  his  guilt.  His  mother, 
believing  in  the  innocence  of  her  son,  now  came  forward,  with 
her  hoe  in  hand,  and,  threatening  to  cut  down  any  one  who 
should  dare  to  interfere,  untied  the  cords  with  which  he  had 
been  bound  and  took  him  home.  This  open  defiance  of  authority 
was  not  resented  by  Moriantsane,  but  referred  to  Sekeletu  at  Lin- 
yanti. 

The  following  circumstance,  which  happened  here  when  I was 
present  with  Sekeletu,  shows  that  the  simple  mode  of  punishment, 
by  forcing  a criminal  to  work  out  a fine,  did  not  strike  the  Mako- 
lolo mind  until  now. 

A stranger  having  visited  Sesheke  for  the  purpose  of  barter, 
was  robbed  by  one  of  the  Makalaka  of  most  of  his  goods.  The 
thief,  when  caught,  confessed  the  theft,  and  that  he  had  given 
the  articles  to  a person  who  had  removed  to  a distance.  The 


PUBLIC  ADDRESSES. 


255 


Makololo  were  much  enraged  at  the  idea  of  their  good  name 
being  compromised  by  this  treatment  of  a stranger.  Their  cus- 
tomary mode  of  punishing  a crime  which  causes  much  indigna- 
tion is  to  throw  the  criminal  into  the  river;  but,  as  this  would  not 
restore  the  lost  property,  they  were  sorely  puzzled  how  to  act. 
The  case  was  referred  to  me,  and  I solved  the  difficulty  by  pay- 
ing for  the  loss  myself,  and  sentencing  the  thief  to  work  out  an 
equivalent  with  his  hoe  in  a garden.  This  system  was  immedi- 
ately introduced,  and  thieves  are  now  sentenced  to  raise  an  amount 
of  corn  proportioned  to  their  offenses.  Among  the  Bakwains,  a 
woman  who  had  stolen  from  the  garden  of  another  was  obliged 
to  part  with  her  own  entirely : it  became  the  property  of  her 
whose  field  was  injured  by  the  crimA 

There  is  no  stated  day  of  rest  in  any  part  of  this  country, 
except  the  day  after  the  appearance  of  the  new  moon,  and  the 
people  then  refrain  only  from  going  to  their  gardens.  A curious 
custom,  not  to  be  found  among  the  Bechuanas,  prevails  among 
the  black  tribes  beyond  them.  They  watch  most  eagerly  for  the 
first  glimpse  of  the  new  moon,  and,  when  they  perceive  the  faint 
outline  after  the  sun  has  set  deep  in  the  west,  they  utter  a loud 
shout  of  “Kua!”  and  vociferate  prayers  to  it.  My  men,  for 
instance,  called  out,  “Let  our  journey  with  the  white  man  be 
prosperous ! Let  our  enemies  perish,  and  the  children  of  Nake 
become  rich!  May  lie  have  plenty  of  meat  on  this  journey!” 
etc.,  etc. 

I gave  many  public  addresses  to  the  people  of  Sesheke  under 
the  outspreading  camel-thorn-tree,  which  serves  as  a shade  to 
the  kotla  on  the  high  bank  of  the  river.  It  was  pleasant  to 
see  the  long  lines  of  men,  women,  and  children  winding  along 
from  different  quarters  of  the  town,  each  party  following  behind 
their  respective  head  men.  They  often  amounted  to  between 
five  and  six  hundred  souls,  and  required  an  exertion  of  voice 
which  brought  back  the  complaint  for  which  I had  got  the  uvula 
excised  at  the  Cape.  They  were  always  very  attentive  ; and 
Moriantsane,  in  order,  as  he  thought,  to  please  me,  on  one  occa- 
sion rose  up  in  the  middle  of  the  discourse,  and  hurled  his  staff 
at  the  heads  of  some  young  fellows  whom  he  saw  working  with 
a skin  instead  of  listening.  My  hearers  sometimes  put  very 
sensible  questions  on  the  subjects  brought  before  them ; at  other 


256 


PROGRESS  UP  THE  LEEAMBYE. 


times  they  introduced  the  most  frivolous  nonsense  immediately 
after  hearing  the  most  solemn  truths.  Some  begin  to  pray  to 
Jesus  in  secret  as  soon  as  they  hear  of  the  white  man’s  God,  with 
but  little  idea  of  what  they  are  about ; and  no  doubt  are  heard  by 
Him  who,  like  a father,  pitieth  his  children.  Others,  waking  by 
night,  recollect  what  has  been  said  about  the  future  world  so 
clearly  that  they  tell  next  day  what  a fright  they  got  by  it,  and 
resolve  not  to  listen  to  the  teaching  again  ; and  not  a few  keep  to 
the  determination  not  to  believe,  as  certain  villagers  in  the  south, 
who  put  all  their  cocks  to  death  because  they  crowed  the  words, 
“ Tlang  lo  rapeleng” — “ Come  along  to  prayers.” 

On  recovering  partially  from  a severe  attack  of  fever  which 
remained  upon  me  ever  since'  our  passing  the  village  of  Moremi 
on  the  Cliobe,  we  made  ready  for  our  departure  up  the  river  by 
sending  messages  before  us  to  the  villages  to  prepare  food.  We 
took  four  elephants’  tusks,  belonging  to  Sekeletu,  with  us,  as  a 
means  of  testing  the  difference  of  prices  between  the  Portuguese, 
whom  we  expected  to  reach,  and  the  white  traders  from  the 
south.  Moriantsane  supplied  us  well  with  honey,  milk,  and 
meal.  The  rains  were  just  commencing  in  this  district ; but, 
though  showers  sufficient  to  lay  the  dust  had. fallen,  they  had 
no  influence  whatever  on  the  amount  of  water  in  the  river,  yet 
never  was  there  less  in  any  part  than  three  hundred  yards  of  a 
deep  flowing  stream. 

Our  progress  up  the  river  was  rather  slow;  this  was  caused 
by  waiting  opposite  different  villages  for  supplies  of  food.  We 
might  have  done  with  much  less  than  we  got ; but  my  Makololo 
man,  Pitsane,  knew  of  the  generous  orders  of  Sekeletu,  and  was 
not  at  all  disposed  to  allow  them  to  remain  a dead  letter.  The 
villages  of  the  Banyeti  contributed  large  quantities  of  mosibe, 
a bright  red  bean  yielded  by  a large  tree.  The  pulp  inclosing 
the  seed  is  not  much  thicker  than  a red  wafer,  and  is  the  por- 
tion used.  It  requires  the  addition  of  honey  to  render  it  at  all 
palatable. 

To  these  were  added  great  numbers  of  the  fruit  which  yields 
a variety  of  the  nux  vomica,  from  which  we  derive  that  virulent 
poison  strychnia.  The  pulp  between  the  nuts  is  the  part  eaten, 
and  it  is  of  a pleasant  juicy  nature,  having  a sweet  acidulous 
taste.  The  fruit  itself  resembles  a large  yellow  orange,  but  the 


FRUIT.— RAPIDS. 


257 


rind  is  hard,  and,  with  the  pips  and  bark,  contains  much  of  the 
deadly  poison.  They  evince  their  noxious  qualities  by  an  in- 
tensely bitter  taste.  The  nuts,  swallowed  inadvertently,  cause 
considerable  pain,  but  not  death ; and  to  avoid  this  inconven- 
ience, the  people  dry  the  pulp  before  the  fire,  in  order  to  be  able 
the  more  easily  to  get  rid  of  the  noxious  seeds. 

A much  better  fruit,  called  mobola,  was  also  presented  to  us. 
This  bears,  around  a pretty  large  stone,  as  much  of  the  fleshy  part 
as  the  common  date,  and  it  is  stripped  off  the  seeds  and  preserved 
in  bags  in  a similar  manner  to  that  fruit.  Besides  sweetness,  the 
mobola  has  the  flavor  of  strawberries,  with  a touch  of  nauseous- 
ness. We  carried  some  of  them,  dried  as  provisions,  more  than  a 
hundred  miles  from  this  spot. 

The  next  fruit,  named  mamosho  (mother  of  morning),  is  the 
most  delicious  of  all.  It  is  about  the  size  of  a walnut,  and,  un- 
like most  of  the  other  uncultivated  fruits,  has  a seed  no  larger 
than  that  of  a date.  The  fleshy  part  is  juicy,  and  somewhat  like 
the  cashew-apple,  with  a pleasant  acidity  added.  Fruits  similar 
to  those  which  are  here  found  on  trees  are  found  on  the  plains 
of  the  Kalahari,  growing  on  mere  herbaceous  plants.  There  are 
several  other  examples  of  a similar  nature.  Shrubs,  well  known 
as  such  in  the  south,  assume  the  rank  of  trees  as  we  go  to  the 
north  ; and  the  change  is  quite  gradual  as  our  latitude  decreases, 
the  gradations  being  herbaceous  plants,  shrubs,  bushes,  small,  then 
large  trees.  But  it  is  questionable  if,  in  the  cases  of  mamosho,  mo- 
bola, and  mawa,  the  tree  and  shrub  are  identical,  though  the  fruits 
so  closely  resemble  each  other ; for  I found  both  the  dwarf  and 
tree  in  the  same  latitude.  There  is  also  a difference  in  the  leaves, 
and  they  bear  at  different  seasons. 

The  banks  of  the  river  were  at  this  time  appearing  to  greater 
advantage  than  before.  Many  trees  were  putting  on  their  fresh 
green  leaves,  though  they  had  got  no  rain,  their  lighter  green 
contrasting  beautifully  with  the  dark  motsouri,  or  moyela,  now 
covered  with  pink  plums  as  large  as  cherries.  The  rapids, 
having  comparatively  little  water  in  them,  rendered  our  passage 
difficult.  The  canoes  must  never  be  allowed  to  come  broadside 
on  to  the  stream,  for,  being  flat-bottomed,  they  would,  in  that 
case,  be  at  once  capsized,  and  every  thing  in  them  be  lost.  The 
men  work  admirably,  and  are  always  in  good  humor;  they 

K 


258 


RAPIDS.— BIRDS. 


leap  into  the  water  without  the  least  hesitation,  to  save  the 
canoe  from  being  caught  by  eddies  or  dashed  against  the  rocks. 
Many  parts  were  now  quite  shallow,  and  it  required  great  address 
and  power  in  balancing  themselves  to  keep  the  vessel  free  from 
rocks,  which  lay  just  beneath  the  surface.  We  might  have  got 
deeper  water  in  the  middle,  but  the  boatmen  always  keep  near 
the  banks,  on  account  of  danger  from  the  hippopotami.  But, 
though  we  might  have  had  deeper  water  farther  out,  I believe 
that  no  part  of  the  rapids  is  very  deep.  The  river  is  spread 
out  more  than  a mile,  and  the  water  flows  rapidly  over  the  rocky 
bottom.  The  portions  only  three  hundred  yards  wide  are  very 
deep,  and  contain  large  volumes  of  flowing  water  in  narrow  com- 
pass, which,  when  spread  over  the  much  larger  surface  at  the 
rapids,  must  be  shallow.  Still,  remembering  that  this  was  the 
end  of  the  dry  season,  when  such  rivers  as  the  Orange  do  not 
even  contain  a fifth  part  of  the  water  of  the  Chobe,  the  differ- 
ence between  the  rivers  of  the  north  and  south  must  be  suffi- 
ciently obvious. 

The  rapids  are  caused  by  rocks  of  dark  brown  trap,  or  of 
hardened  sandstone,  stretching  across  the  stream.  In  some 
places  they  form  miles  of  flat  rocky  bottom,  with  islets  covered 
with  trees.  At  the  cataracts  noted  in  the  map,  the  fall  is  from 
four  to  six  feet,  and,  in  guiding  up  the  canoe,  the  stem  goes 
under  the  water,  and  takes  in  a quantity  before  it  can  attain 
the  higher  level.  We  lost  many  of  our  biscuits  in  the  ascent 
through  this. 

These  rocks  are  covered  with  a small,  hard  aquatic  plant, 
which,  when  the  surface  is  exposed,  becomes  dry  and  crisp, 
crackling  under  the  foot  as  if  it  contained  much  stony  matter  in 
its  tissue.  It  probably  assists  in  disintegrating  the  rocks ; for,  in 
parts  so  high  as  not  to  be  mucli  exposed  to  the  action  of  the 
water  or  the  influence  of  the  plant,  the  rocks  are  covered  with  a 
thin  black  glaze. 

In  passing  along  under  the  overhanging  trees  of  the  banks, 
we  often  saw  the  pretty  turtle-doves  sitting  peacefully  on  their 
nests  above  the  roaring  torrent.  An  ibis*  had  perched  her 
home  on  the  end  of  a stump.  Her  loud,  harsh  scream  of 


The  Hagidash,  Latham  ; or  Tantalus  caper) sis  of  Licit. 


BIRDS.— A GOOD  OMEN. 


259 


“ Wa-wa-wa,”  and  the  piping  of  the  fish-hawk,  are  sounds  which 
can  never  be  forgotten  by  any  one  who  lias  sailed  on  the  rivers 
north  of  20°  south.  If  we  step  on  shore,  the  Charadrius  carun- 
cida,  a species  of  plover,  a most  plaguy  sort  of  “public-spirited 
individual,”  follows  you,  flying  overhead,  and  is  most  perse- 
vering in  its  attempts  to  give  fair  warning  to  all  the  animals 
within  hearing  to  flee  from  the  approaching  danger.  The  alarm- 
note,  “ tinc-tinc-tinc,”  of  another  variety  of  the  same  family 
(. Pluvianus  armatus  of  Burchell)  has  so  much  of  a metallic 
ring,  that  this  bird  is  called  “ setula-tsipi,”  or  hammering-iron. 
It  is  furnished  with  a sharp  spur  on  its  shoulder,  much  like 
that  on  the  heel  of  a cock,  but  scarcely  half  an  inch  in  length. 
Conscious  of  power,  it  may  be  seen  chasing  the  white-necked 
raven  with  great  fury,  and  making  even  that  comparatively 
larse  bird  call  out  from  fear.  It  is  this  bird  which  is  famed 
for  its  friendship  with  the  crocodile  of  the  Nile  by  the  name 
siksak , and  which  Mr.  St.  John  actually  saw  performing  the 
part  of  toothpicker  to  the  ugly  reptile.  They  are  frequently 
seen  on  the  sand-banks  with  the  alligator,  and,  to  one  passing 
by,  often  appear  as  if  on  that  reptile’s  back ; but  I never  had 
the  good  fortune  to  witness  the  operation  described  not  only 
by  St.  John  and  Geoffrey  St.  Hilaire,  but  also  by  Herodotus. 
However,  that  which  none  of  these  authors  knew  my  head 
boatman,  Masliauana,  stopped  the  canoe  to  tell  us,  namely, 
that  a water-turtle  which,  in  trying  to  ascend  a steep  bank  to 
lay  her  eggs,  had  toppled  on  her  back,  thus  enabling  us  to 
capture  her,  was  an  infallible  omen  of  good  luck  for  our  jour- 
ney. 

Among  the  forest-trees  which  line  the  banks  of  the  rocky  parts 
of  the  Leeambye  several  new  birds  were  observed.  Some  are 
musical,  and  the  songs  are  pleasant  in  contrast  with  the  harsh 
voice  of  the  little  green,  yellow-shouldered  parrots  of  the  country. 
There  are  also  great  numbers  of  jet-black  weavers,  with  yellowish- 
brown  band  on  the  shoulders. 

Here  we  saw,  for  the  first  time,  a pretty  little  bird,  colored  dark 
blue,  except  the  wings  and  tail,  which  were  of  a chocolate  hue. 
From  the  tail  two  feathers  are  prolonged  beyond  the  rest  six 
inches.  Also,  little  birds  colored  white  and  black,  of  great  vivac- 
ity, and  always  in  companies  of  six  or  eight  together,  and  vari- 


260 


THE  DARTER.— THE  FISH-HAWK. 


ous  others.  From  want  of  books  of  reference,  I could  not  decide 
whether  they  were  actually  new  to  science. 

Francolins  and  Guinea-fowl  abound  along  the  banks ; and  on 
every  dead  tree  and  piece  of  rock  may  be  seen  one  or  two  species 
of  the  web-footed  Plotus , darter,  or  snake-bird.  They  sit  most 
of  the  day  sunning  themselves  over  the  stream,  sometimes  stand- 
ing erect  with  their  wings  outstretched;  occasionally  they  may 
be  seen  engaged  in  fishing  by  diving,  and,  as  they  swim  about, 
their  bodies  are  so  much  submerged  that  hardly  any  thing  ap- 
pears above  the  water  but  their  necks.  The  chief  time  of  feeding 
is  by  night,  and,  as  the  sun  declines,  they  may  be  seen  in  flocks 
Hying  from  their  roosting-places  to  the  fishing-grounds.  This  is 
a most  difficult  bird  to  catch  when  disabled.  It  is  thoroughly  ex- 
pert in  diving — goes  down  so  adroitly  and  comes  up  again  in  the 
most  unlikely  places,  that  the  people,  though  most  skillful  in 
the  management  of  the  canoes,  can  rarely  secure  them.  The 
rump  of  the  darter  is  remarkably  prolonged,  and  capable  of  be- 
ing bent,  so  as  to  act  both  as  a rudder  in  swimming,  and  as  a lev- 
er to  lift  the  bird  high  enough  out  of  the  water  to  give  free  scope 
to  its  wings.  It  can  rise  at  will  from  the  water  by  means  of  this 
appendage. 

The  fine  fish-hawk,  with  white  head  and  neck,  and  reddish- 
chocolate  colored  body,  may  also  frequently  be  seen  perched  on 
the  trees,  and  fish  are  often  found  dead  which  have  fallen  vic- 
tims to  its  talons.  One  most  frequently  seen  in  this  condition 
is  itself  a destroyer  of  fish.  It  is  a stout-bodied  fish,  about  fif- 
teen or  eighteen  inches  long,  of  a light  yellow  color,  and  gayly 
ornamented  with  stripes  and  spots.  It  has  a most  imposing  ar- 
ray of  sharp,  conical  teeth  outside  the  lips — objects  of  dread  to 
the  fishermen,  for  it  can  use  them  effectually.  One  which  we 
picked  up  dead  had  killed  itself  by  swallowing  another  fish, 
which,  though  too  large  for  its  stomach  and  throat,  could  not  be 
disgorged. 

This  fish-hawk  generally  kills  more  prey  than  it  can  devour. 
It  eats  a portion  of  the  back  of  the  fish,  and  leaves  the  rest  for 
the  Barotse,  who  often  had  a race  across  the  river  when  they 
saw  an  abandoned  morsel  lying  on  the  opposite  sand-banks.  The 
hawk  is,  however,  not  always  so  generous,  for,  as  I myself  was  a 
witness  on  the  Zougn,  it  sometimes  plunders  the  purse  of  the 


FISH.— IGUANOS.— HIPPOPOTAMI. 


261 


pelican.  Soaring  over  head,  and  seeing  this  large,  stupid  bird 
fishing  beneath,  it  watches  till  a fine  fish  is  safe  in  the  pelican’s 
pouch ; then  descending,  not  very  quickly,  but  with  considerable 
noise  of  wing,  the  pelican  looks  up  to  see  what  is  the  matter, 
and,  as  the  hawk  comes  near,  he  supposes  that  he  is  about  to  be 
killed,  and  roars  out  “Murder!”  The  opening  of  his  mouth 
enables  the  hawk  to  whisk  the  fish  out  of  the  pouch,  upon  which 
the  pelican  does  not  fly  away,  but  commences  fishing  again,  the 
fright  having  probably  made  him  forget  he  had  any  thing  in  his 
purse. 

A fish  called  mosheba,  about  the  size  of  a minnow,  often  skims 
along  the  surface  for  several  yards,  in  order  to  get  out  of  the  way 
of  the  canoe.  It  uses  the  pectoral  fins,  as  the  flying-fish  do,  but 
never  makes  a clean  flight.  It  is  rather  a succession  of  hops 
along  the  surface,  made  by  the  aid  of  the  side  fins.  It  never  be- 
comes large. 

Numbers  of  iguanos  (mpulu)  sit  sunning  themselves  on  over- 
hanging branches  of  the  trees,  and  splash  into  the  water  as  we  ap- 
proach. They  are  highly  esteemed  as  an  article  of  food,  the  flesh 
being  tender  and  gelatinous.  The  chief  boatman,  who  occupies 
the  stem,  has  in  consequence  a light  javelin  always  at  hand  to 
spear  them  if  they  are  not  quickly  out  of  sight.  These,  and  large 
alligators  gliding  in  from  the  banks  with  a heavy  plunge  as  we 
come  round  a sudden  bend  of  the  stream,  were  the  occurrences  of 
every  hour  as  we  sped  up  the  river. 

The  rapids  in  the  part  of  the  river  between  Katima-molelo  and 
Nameta  are  relieved  by  several  reaches  of  still,  deep  water,  fifteen 
or  twenty  miles  long.  In  these  very  large  h^rds  of  hippopotami 
are  seen,  and  the  deep  furrows  they  make,  in  ascending  the  banks 
to  graze  during  the  nights,  are  every  where  apparent.  They  are 
guided  back  to  the  water  by  the  scent,  but  a long  continued  pour- 
ing rain  makes  it  impossible  for  them  to  perceive,  by  that  means, 
in  which  direction  the  river  lies,  and  they  are  found  bewildered  on 
the  land.  The  hunters  take  advantage  of  their  helplessness  on 
these  occasions  to  kill  them. 

It  is  impossible  to  judge  of  the  numbers  in  a herd,  for  they  are 
almost  always  hidden  beneath  the  waters ; but  as  they  require  to 
come  up  every  few  minutes  to  breathe,  when  there  is  a constant 
succession  of  heads  thrown  up,  then  the  herd  is  supposed  to  be 


262 


HIPPOPOTAMI. 


large.  They  love  a still  reach  of  the  stream,  as  in  the  more  rap- 
id parts  of  the  channel  they  are  floated  down  so  quickly  that 
much  exertion  is  necessary  to  regain  the  distance  lost  by  frequent- 
ly swimming  up  again : such  constant  exertion  disturbs  them  in 
their  nap.  They  prefer  to  remain  by  day  in  a drowsy,  yawning 
state,  and,  though  their  eyes  are  open,  they  take  little  notice  of 
things  at  a distance.  The  males  utter  a loud  succession  of  snort- 
ing grunts,  which  may  be  heard  a mile  off.  The  canoe  in  which  I 
was,  in  passing  over  a wounded  one,  elicited  a distinct  grunting, 
though  the  animal  lay  entirely  under  water. 

The  young,  when  very  little,  take  their  stand  on  the  neck  of  the 
dam,  and  the  small  head,  rising  above  the  large,  comes  soonest  to 
the  surface.  The  dam,  knowing  the  more  urgent  need  of  her  calf, 
comes  more  frequently  to  the  surface  when  it  is  in  her  care.  But 
in  the  rivers  of  Lon  da,  where  they  are  much  in  danger  of  being 
shot,  even  the  hippopotamus  gains  wit  by  experience ; for,  while 
those  in  the  Zambesi  put  up  their  heads  openly  to  blow,  those  re- 
ferred to  keep  their  noses  among  water-plants,  and  breathe  so  qui- 
etly that  one  would  not  dream  of  their  existence  in  the  river  ex- 
cept by  footprints  on  the  banks. 


MODE  IN  WHICH  T1IE  FEMALE  HIPPOPOTAMUS  CARRIES  HER  CALF  WHILE  YOUNG. 


MODE  OF  SPENDING  THE  DAY. 


265 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Increasing  Beauty  of  the  Country. — Mode  of  spending  the  Day. — The  People  and 
the  Falls  of  Gonye. — A Makololo  Foray. — A second  prevented,  and  Captives  de- 
livered up. — Politeness  and  Liberality  of  the  People. — The  Rains. — Present  of 
Oxen. — The  fugitive  Barotse. — Sekobinyane’s  Misgovernment. — Bee-eaters  and 
other  Birds. — Fresh-water  Sponges. — Current. — Death  from  a Lion’s  Bite  at 
Libonta. — Continued  Kindness. — Arrangements  for  spending  the  Night  during 
the  Journey. — Cooking  and  Washing. — Abundance  of  animal  Life. — Different 
Species  of  Birds. — Water-fowl. — Egyptian  Geese. — Alligators. — Narrow  Escape 
of  one  of  my  Men. — Superstitious  Feelings  respecting  the  Alligator. — Large 
Game. — The  most  vulnerable  Spot. — Gun  Medicine. — A Sunday. — Birds  of 
Song. — Depravity;  its  Treatment. — Wild  Fruits. — Green  Pigeons. — Shoals  of 
Fish. — Hippopotami. 

30 th  of  November,  1853.  At  Gonye  Falls.  No  rain  has  fallen 
here,  so  it  is  excessively  hot.  The  trees  have  put  on  their  gay- 
est dress,  and  many  flowers  adorn  the  landscape,  yet  the  heat 
makes  all  the  leaves  droop  at  midday  and  look  languid  for  want 
of  rain.  If  the  country  increases  as  much  in  beauty  in  front  as  it 
has  done  within  the  last  four  degrees  of  latitude,  it  will  be  indeed 
a lovely  land. 

We  all  felt  great  lassitude  in  traveling.  The  atmosphere  is 
oppressive  both  in  cloud  and  sunshine.  The  evaporation  from 
the  river  must  be  excessively  great,  and  I feel  as  if  the  fluids  of 
the  system  joined  in  the  general  motion  of  watery  vapor  upward, 
as  enormous  quantities  of  water  must  be  drunk  to  supply  its 
place. 

When  under  way  our  usual  procedure  is  this:  We  get  up 
a little  before  five  in  the  morning ; it  is  then  beginning  to  dawn. 
While  I am  dressing,  coffee  is  made ; and,  having  filled  my 
pannikin,  the  remainder  is  handed  to  my  companions,  who  eag- 
erly partake  of  the  refreshing  beverage.  The  servants  are  busy 
loading  the  canoes,  while  the  principal  men  are  sipping  the  cof- 
fee, and,  that  being  soon  over,  we  embark.  The  next  two  hours 
are  the  most  pleasant  part  of  the  day’s  sail.  The  men  pad- 
dle away  most  vigorously ; the  Barotse,  being  a tribe  of  boat- 


266 


FALLS  OF  GONYE. 


men,  have  large,  deeply-developed  chests  and  shoulders,  with  in- 
different lower  extremities.  They  often  engage  in  loud  scolding 
of  each  other  in  order  to  relieve  the  tedium  of  their  work.  About 
eleven  we  land,  and  eat  any  meat  which  may  have  remained 
from  the  previous  evening  meal,  or  a biscuit  with  honey,  and  drink 
water. 

After  an  hour’s  rest  we  again  embark  and  cower  under  an  um- 
brella. The  heat  is  oppressive,  and,  being  weak  from  the  last  at- 
tack of  fever,  I can  not  land  and  keep  the  camp  supplied  with 
flesh.  The  men,  being  quite  uncovered  in  the  sun,  perspire  pro- 
fusely, and  in  the  afternoon  begin  to  stop,  as  if  waiting  for  the  ca- 
noes which  have  been  left  behind.  Sometimes  we  reach  a sleep- 
ing-place two  hours  before  sunset,  and,  all  being  troubled  with 
languor,  we  gladly  remain  for  the  night.  Coffee  again,  and  a bis- 
cuit, or  a piece  of  coarse  bread  made  of  maize  meal,  or  that  of  the 
native  corn,  make  up  the  bill  of  fare  for  the  evening,  unless  we 
have  been  fortunate  enough  to  kill  something,  when  we  boil  a pot- 
ful of  flesh.  This  is  done  by  cutting  it  up  into  long  strips  and 
pouring  in  water  till  it  is  covered.  When  that  is  boiled  dry,  the 
meat  is  considered  ready. 

The  people  at  Gonye  carry  the  canoes  over  the  space  requisite 
to  avoid  the  falls  by  slinging  them  on  poles  tied  on  diagonally. 
They  place  these  on  their  shoulders,  and,  setting  about  the  work 
with  good  humor,  soon  accomplish  the  task.  They  are  a merry 
set  of  mortals;  a feeble  joke  sets  them  off  in  a fit  of  laughter. 
Here,  as  elsewhere,  all  petitioned  for  the  magic  lantern,  and,  as  it 
is  a good  means  of  conveying  instruction,  I willingly  complied. 

The  falls  of  Gonye  have  not  been  made  by  wearing  back,  like 
those  of  Niagara,  but  are  of  a fissure  form.  For  many  miles  be- 
low, the  river  is  confined  in  a narrow  space  of  not  more  than  one 
hundred  yards  wide.  The  water  goes  boiling  along,  and  gives  the 
idea  of  great  masses  of  it  rolling  over  and  over,  so  that  even  the 
most  expert  swimmer  would  find  it  difficult  to  keep  on  the  sur- 
face. Here  it  is  that  the  river,  when  in  flood,  rises  fifty  or  sixty 
feet  in  perpendicular  height.  The  islands  above  the  falls  are  cov- 
ered with  foliage  as  beautiful  as  can  be  seen  any  where.  Viewed 
from  the  mass  of  rock  which  overhangs  the  fall,  the  scenery  was 
the  loveliest  I had  seen. 

Nothing  worthy  of  note  occurred  on  our  way  up  to  Nameta. 


MAKOLOLO  FORAY. 


267 


There  we  heard  that  a party  of  the  Makololo,  headed  by  Lerimo, 
had  made  a foray  to  the  north  and  up  the  Leeba,  in  the  very 
direction  in  which  we  were  about  to  proceed.  Mpololo,  the  un- 
cle of  Sekeletu,  is  considered  the  head  man  of  the  Barotse  valley ; 
and  the  perpetrators  had  his  full  sanction,  because  Masiko,  a son 
of  Santuru,  the  former  chief  of  the  Barotse,  had  fled  high  up  the 
Leeambye,  and,  establishing  himself  there,  had  sent  men  down 
to  the  vicinity  of  Naliele  to  draw  away  the  remaining  Barotse 
from  their  allegiance.  Lerimo’s  party  had  taken  some  of  this 
Masiko’s  subjects  prisoners,  and  destroyed  several  villages  of 
the  Balonda,  to  whom  we  were  going.  This  was  in  direct  oppo- 
sition to  the  policy  of  Sekeletu,  who  wished  to  be  at  peace  with 
these  northern  tribes ; and  Pitsane,  my  head  man,  was  the  bearer 
of  orders  to  Mpololo  to  furnish  us  with  presents  for  the  very  chiefs 
they  had  attacked.  Thus  we  were  to  get  large  pots  of  clarified 
butter  and  bunches  of  beads,  in  confirmation  of  the  message  of 
peace  we  were  to  deliver. 

When  we  reached  Litofe,  we  heard  that  a fresh  foray  was  in 
contemplation,  but  I sent  forward  orders  to  disband  the  party  im- 
mediately. At  Ma-Sekeletu’s  town  we  found  the  head  offender, 
Mpololo  himself,  and  I gave  him  a bit  of  my  mind,  to  the  effect 
that,  as  I was  going  with  the  full  sanction  of  Sekeletu,  if  any 
harm  happened  to  me  in  consequence  of  his  ill-advised  expedi- 
tion, the  guilt  would  rest  with  him.  Ma-Sekeletu,  who  was  pres- 
ent, heartily  approved  all  I said,  and  suggested  that  all  the  cap- 
tives taken  by  Lerimo  should  be  returned  by  my  hand,  to  show 
Masiko  that  the  guilt  of  the  foray  lay  not  with  the  superior  per- 
sons of  the  Makololo,  but  with  a mere  servant.  Her  good  sense 
appeared  in  other  respects  besides,  and,  as  this  was  exactly 
what  my  own  party  had  previously  resolved  to  suggest,  we  were 
pleased  to  hear  Mpololo  agree  to  do  what  he  was  advised.  He 
asked  me  to  lay  the  matter  before  the  under-chiefs  of  Naliele, 
and  when  we  reached  that  place,  on  the  9 th  of  December,  I 
did  so  in  a picho,  called  expressly  for  the  purpose.  Lerimo 
was  present,  and  felt  rather  crestfallen  when  his  exploit  was 
described  by  Mohorisi,  one  of  my  companions,  as  one  of  ex- 
treme cowardice,  he  having  made  an  attack  upon  the  defenseless 
villagers  of  Londa,  while,  as  we  had  found  on  our  former  visit, 
a lion  had  actually  killed  eight  people  of  Naliele  without  his 


268 


LIBERALITY  OF  THE  PEOPLE. 


daring  to  encounter  it.  The  Makololo  are  cowardly  in  respect 
to  animals,  but  brave  against  men.  Mpololo  took  all  the  guilt 
upon  himself  before  the  people,  and  delivered  up  a captive  child 
whom  his  wife  had  in  her  possession ; others  followed  his  ex- 
ample, till  we  procured  the  release  of  five  of  the  prisoners.  Some 
thought,  as  Masiko  had  tried  to  take  their  children  by  strat- 
agem, they  ought  to  take  his  by  force,  as  the  two  modes  suited 
the  genius  of  each  people  — the  Makalaka  delight  in  cunning, 
and  the  Makololo  in  fighting ; and  others  thought,  if  Sekeletu 
meant  them  to  be  at  peace  with  Masiko,  he  ought  to  have  told 
them  so. 

It  is  rather  dangerous  to  tread  in  the  footsteps  of  a marauding 
party  with  men  of  the  same  tribe  as  the  aggressors,  but  my  peo- 
ple were  in  good  spirits,  and  several  volunteers  even  offered  to  join 
our  ranks.  We,  however,  adhered  strictly  to  the  orders  of  Seke- 
letu as  as  to  our  companions,  and  refused  all  others. 

The  people  of  every  village  treated  us  most  liberally,  pre- 
senting, besides  oxen,  butter,  milk,  and  meal,  more  than  we  could 
stow  away  in  our  canoes.  The  cows  in  this  valley  are  now 
yielding,  as  they  frequently  do,  more  milk  than  the  people  can 
use,  and  both  men  and  women  present  butter  in  such  quantity 
that  I shall  be  able  to  refresh  my  men  as  we  move  along.  Anoint- 
ing the  skin  prevents  the  excessive  evaporation  of  the  fluids  of 
the  body,  and  acts  as  clothing  in  both  sun  and  shade.  They  al- 
ways made  their  presents  gracefully.  When  an  ox  was  given, 
the  owner  would  say,  “ Here  is  a little  bit  of  bread  for  you.” 
This  was  pleasing,  for  I had  been  accustomed  to  the  Bechuanas 
presenting  a miserable  goat,  with  the  pompous  exclamation,  “ Be- 
hold an  ox!”  The  women  persisted  in  giving  me  copious  sup- 
plies of  shrill  praises,  or  “ lullilooing ;”  but,  though  I frequently 
told  them  to  modify  their  “ great  lords”  and  “ great  lions”  to  more 
humble  expressions,  they  so  evidently  intended  to  do  me  honor 
that  I could  not  help  being  pleased  with  the  poor  creatures’  wishes 
for  our  success. 

The  rains  began  while  we  were  at  Naliele ; this  is  much  later 
than  usual ; but,  though  the  Barotse  valley  has  been  in  need  of 
rain,  the  people  never  lack  abundance  of  food.  The  showers 
are  refreshing,  but  the  air  feels  hot  and  close ; the  thermometer, 
however,  in  a cool  hut,  stands  only  at  84°.  The  access  of  the 


SEKOBINY AXE'S  MISGOYEKNMENT. 


269 


external  air  to  any  spot  at  once  raises  its  temperature  above  90°. 
A new  attack  of  fever  here  caused  excessive  languor ; but,  as  I 
am  already  getting  tired  of  quoting  my  fevers,  and  never  liked 
to  read  travels  myself  where  much  was  said  about  the  illnesses 
of  the  traveler,  I shall  henceforth  endeavor  to  say  little  about 
them. 

We  here  sent  back  the  canoe  of  Sekeletu,  and  got  the  loan  of 
others  from  Mpololo.  Eight  riding  oxen,  and  seven  for  slaughter* 
were,  according  to  the  orders  of  that  chief,  also  furnished ; some 
were  intended  for  our  own  use,  and  others  as  presents  to  the 
chiefs  of  the  Balonda.  Mpololo  was  particularly  liberal  in  giving- 
all  that  Sekeletu  ordered,  though,  as  he  feeds  on  the  cattle  he 
has  in  charge,  he  might  have  felt  it  so  much  abstracted  from  his 
own  perquisites.  Mpololo  now  acts  the  great  man,  and  is  fol- 
lowed every  where  by  a crowd  of  toadies,  who  sing  songs  in  dis- 
paragement of  Mpepe,  of  whom  he  always  lived  in  fear.  While 
Mpepe  was  alive,  he  too  was  regaled  with  the  same  fulsome 
adulation,  and  now  they  curse  him.  They  are  very  foul-tongued ; 
equals,  on  meeting,  often  greet  each  other  with  a profusion  of 
oaths,  and  end  the  volley  with  a laugh. 

In  coming  up  the  river  to  Naliele  we  met  a party  of  fugitive 
Barotse  returning  to  their  homes,  and,  as  the  circumstance  illus- 
trates the  social  status  of  these  subjects  of  the  Makololo,  I intro- 
duce it  here.  The  villagers  in  question  were  the  children,  or 
serfs,  if  we  may  use  the  term,  of  a young  man  of  the  same  age 
and  tribe  as  Sekeletu,  who,  being  of  an  irritable  temper,  went 
by  the  nickname  of  Sekobinyane — a little  slavish  thing.  Ilis 
treatment  of  his  servants  was  so  bad  that  most  of  them  had  fled ; 
and  when  the  Mambari  came,  and,  contrary  to  the  orders  of 
Sekeletu,  purchased  slaves,  Sekobinyane  sold  one  or  two  of  the 
Barotse  children  of  his  village.  The  rest  fled  immediately  to 
Masiko,  and  were  gladly  received  by  that  Barotse  chief  as  his 
subjects. 

When  Sekeletu  and  I first  ascended  the  Leeambye,  we  met 
Sekobinyane  coming  down,  on  his  way  to  Linyanti.  On  being 
asked  the  news,  he  remained  silent  about  the  loss  of  his  village, 
it  being  considered  a crime  among  the  Makololo  for  any  one  to 
treat  his  people  so  ill  as  to  cause  them  to  run  away  from  him. 
He  then  passed  us,  and,  dreading  the  vengeance  of  Sekeletu  for 


270 


FUGITIVES.— THE  BEE-EATER. 


his  crime,  secretly  made  his  escape  from  Linyanti  to  Lake  Ngami. 
He  was  sent  for,  however,  and  the  chief  at  the  lake  delivered  him 
up,  on  Sekeletu  declaring  that  he  had  no  intention  of  punishing 
him  otherwise  than  by  scolding.  He  did  not  even  do  that,  as 
Sekobinyane  was  evidently  terrified  enough,  and  also  became  ill 
through  fear. 

The  fugitive  villagers  remained  only  a few  weeks  with  their 
new  master  Masiko,  and  then  fled  back  again,  and  were  received 
as  if  they  had  done  nothing  wrong.  All  united  in  abusing  the 
conduct  of  Sekobinyane,  and  no  one  condemned  the  fugitives ; 
and  the  cattle,  the  use  of  which  they  had  previously  enjoyed,  never 
having  been  removed  from  their  village,  they  re-established  them- 
selves with  apparent  gladness. 

This  incident  may  give  some  idea  of  the  serfdom  of  the  subject 
tribes,  and,  except  that  they  are  sometimes  punished  for  running 
away  and  other  offenses,  I can  add  nothing  more  by  way  of  show- 
ing the  true  nature  of  this  form  of  servitude. 

Leaving  Halide,  amid  abundance  of  good  wishes  for  the  success 
of  our  expedition,  and  hopes  that  we  might  return  accompanied 
with  white  traders,  we  began  again  our  ascent  of  the  river.  It 
was  now  beginning  to  rise,  though  the  rains  had  but  just  com- 
menced in  the  valley.  The  banks  are  low,  but  cleanly  cut,  and 
seldom  sloping.  At  low  water  they  are  from  four  to  eight  feet 
high,  and  make  the  river  always  assume  very  much  the  aspect 
of  a canal.  They  are  in  some  parts  of  whitish,  tenacious  clay, 
with  strata  of  black  clay  intermixed,  and  black  loam  in  sand,  or 
pure  sand  stratified.  As  the  river  rises  it  is  always  wearing  to 
one  side  or  the  other,  and  is  known  to  have  cut  across  from  one 
bend  to  another,  and  to  form  new  channels.  As  we  coast  along 
the  shore,  pieces  which  are  undermined  often  fall  in  with  a splash 
like  that  caused  by  the  plunge  of  an  alligator,  and  endanger  the 
canoe. 

These  perpendicular  banks  afford  building-places  to  a pretty 
bee-eater,*  which  loves  to  breed  in  society.  The  face  of  the 
sand-bank  is  perforated  with  hundreds  of  holes  leading  to  their 
nests,  each  of  which  is  about  a foot  apart  from  the  other;  and 
as  we  pass  they  pour  out  of  their  hiding-places,  and  float  over- 
head. 

* Merops  apiaster  and  M.  lullockoides  (Smith). 


BIRDS.— SPONGES. 


271 


A speckled  kingfisher  is  seen  nearly  every  hundred  yards, 
which  builds  in  similar  spots,  and  attracts  the  attention  of  herd- 
boys,  who  dig  out  its  nest  for  the  sake  of  the  young.  This,  and 
a most  lovely  little  blue  and  orange  kingfisher,  are  seen  every 
where  along  the  banks,  dashing  down  like  a shot  into  the  water 
for  their  prey.  A third,  seen  more  rarely,  is  as  large  as  a pigeon, 
and  is  of  a slaty  color. 

Another  inhabitant  of  the  banks  is  the  sand-martin,  which 
also  likes  company  in  the  work  of  raising  a family.  They 
never  leave  this  part  of  the  country.  One  may  see  them 
preening  themselves  in  the  very  depth  of  winter,  while  the 
swallows,  of  which  we  shall  yet  speak,  take  winter  trips.  I 
saw  sand-martins  at  the  Orange  River  during  a period  of  winter 
frost ; it  is,  therefore,  probable  that  they  do  not  migrate  even 
from  thence. 

Around  the  reeds,  which  in  some  parts  line  the  banks,  we  see 
fresh-water  sponges.  They  usually  encircle  the  stalk,  and  are 
hard  and  brittle,  presenting  numbers  of  small  round  grains  near 
their  circumference. 

The  river  was  running  at  the  rate  of  five  miles  an  hour,  and 
canned  bunches  of  reed  and  decaying  vegetable  matter  on  its  sur- 
face ; yet  the  water  was  not  discolored.  It  had,  however,  a slight- 
ly yellowish-green  tinge,  somewhat  deeper  than  its  natural  color. 
This  arose  from  the  quantity  of  sand  carried  by  the  rising  flood 
from  sand-banks,  which  are  annually  shifted  from  one  spot  to 
another,  and  from  the  pieces  falling  in  as  the  banks  are  worn ; 
for  when  the  water  is  allowed  to  stand  in  a glass,  a few  sec- 
onds suffice  for  its  deposit  at  the  bottom.  This  is  considered 
an  unhealthy  period.  When  waiting,  on  one  occasion,  for  the 
other  canoes  to  come  up,  I felt  no  inclination  to  leave  the  one  I 
was  in ; but  my  head  boatman,  Mashauana,  told  me  never  to  re- 
main on  board  while  so  much  vegetable  matter  was  floating  down 
the  stream. 

1 7 th  December.  At  Libonta.  We  were  detained  for  days  to- 
gether collecting  contributions  of  fat  and  butter,  according  to  the 
orders  of  Sekeletu,  as  presents  to  the  Balonda  chiefs.  Much  fe- 
ver prevailed,  and  ophthalmia  was  rife,  as  is  generally  the  case 
before  the  rains  begin.  Some  of  my  own  men  required  my  as- 
sistance, as  well  as  the  people  of  Libonta.  A lion  had  done  a 


272 


LIBONTA. 


good  deal  of  mischief  here,  and  when  the  people  went  to  attack  it 
two  men  were  badly  wounded ; one  of  them  had  his  thigh-bone 
quite  broken,  showing  the  prodigious  power  of  this  animal’s  jaws. 
The  inflammation  produced  by  the  teeth-wounds  proved  fatal  to 
one  of  them. 

Here  we  demanded  the  remainder  of  the  captives,  and  got  our 
number  increased  to  nineteen.  They  consisted  of  women  and 
children,  and  one  young  man  of  twenty.  One  of  the  boys  was 
smuggled  away  in  the  crowd  as  we  embarked.  The  Makololo 
under-chiefs  often  act  in  direct  opposition  to  the  will  of  the  head 
chief,  trusting  to  circumstances  and  brazenfacedness  to  screen 
themselves  from  his  open  displeasure ; and  as  he  does  not  always 
find  it  convenient  to  notice  faults,  they  often  go  to  considerable 
lengths  in  wrong-doing. 

Libonta  is  the  last  town  of  the  Makololo  ; so,  when  we  parted 
from  it,  we  had  only  a few  cattle-stations  and  outlying  hamlets 
in  front,  and  then  an  uninhabited  border  country  till  we  came 
to  Londa  or  Lunda.  Libonta  is  situated  on  a mound  like  the 
rest  of  the  villages  in  the  Barotse  valley,  but  here  the  tree- 
covered  sides  of  the  valley  begin  to  approach  nearer  the  river. 
The  village  itself  belongs  to  two  of  the  chief  wives  of  Sebituane, 
who  furnished  us  with  an  ox  and  abundance  of  other  food.  The 
same  kindness  was  manifested  by  all  who  could  afford  to  give 
any  thing ; and  as  I glance  over  their  deeds  of  generosity  re- 
corded in  my  journal,  my  heart  glows  with  gratitude  to  them, 
and  I hope  and  pray  that  God  may  spare  me  to  make  them  some 
return. 

Before  leaving  the  villages  entirely,  we  may  glance  at  our  way 
of  spending  the  nights.  As  soon  as  we  land,  some  of  the  men  cut 
a little  grass  for  my  bed,  while  Mashuana  plants  the  poles  of 
the  little  tent.  These  are  used  by  day  for  carrying  burdens,  for 
the  Barotse  fashion  is  exactly  like  that  of  the  natives  of  India, 
only  the  burden  is  fastened  near  the  ends  of  the  pole,  and  not 
suspended  by  long  cords.  The  bed  is  made,  and  boxes  ranged 
on  each  side  of  it,  and  then  the  tent  pitched  over  all.  Four  or 
five  feet  in  front  of  my  tent  is  placed  the  principal  or  kotla  fire, 
the  wood  for  which  must  be  collected  by  the  man  who  occupies 
the  post  of  herald,  and  takes  as  his  perquisite  the  heads  of  all  the 
oxen  slaughtered,  and  of  all  the  game  too.  Each  person  knows 


MODE  OF  PASSING  THE  NIGHT. 


273 


the  station  he  is  to  occupy,  in  reference  to  the  post  of  honor  at 
the  fire  in  front  of  the  door  of  the  tent.  The  two  Makololo 
occupy  my  right  and  left,  both  in  eating  and  sleeping,  as  long 
as  the  journey  lasts.  But  Mashauana,  my  head  boatman, 
makes  his  bed  at  the  door  of  the  tent  as  soon  as  I retire.  The 
rest,  divided  into  small  companies  according  to  their  tribes, 
make  sheds  all  round  the  fire,  leaving  a horseshoe-shaped  space 
in  front  sufficient  for  the  cattle  to  stand  in.  The  fire  gives 
confidence  to  the  oxen,  so  the  men  are  always  careful  to  keep 
them  in  sight  of  it.  The  sheds  are  formed  by  planting  two 
stout  forked  poles  in  an  inclined  direction,  and  placing  another 
over  these  in  a horizontal  position.  A number  of  branches  are 
then  stuck  in  the  ground  in  the  direction  to  which  the  poles 
are  inclined,  the  twigs  drawn  down  to  the  horizontal  pole  and 
tied  with  strips  of  bark.  Long  grass  is  then  laid  over  the 
branches  in  sufficient  quantity  to  draw  off  the  rain,  and  we  have 
sheds  open  to  the  fire  in  front,  but  secure  from  beasts  behind. 
In  less  than  an  hour  we  were  usually  all  under  cover.  We 
never  lacked  abundance  of  grass  during  the  whole  journey.  It  is 
a picturesque  sight  at  night,  when  the  clear  bright  moon  of  these 
climates  glances  on  the  sleeping  forms  around,  to  look  out  upon 
the  attitudes  of  profound  repose  both  men  and  beasts  assume. 
There  being  no  danger  from  wild  animals  in  such  a night,  the  fires 
are  allowed  almost  to  go  out ; and  as  there  is  no  fear  of  hungry 
dogs  coming  over  sleepers  and  devouring  the  food,  or  quietly  eat- 
ing up  the  poor  fellows’  blankets,  which  at  best  were  but  greasy 
skins,  which  sometimes  happened  in  the  villages,  the  picture  was 
one  of  perfect  peace. 

The  cooking  is  usually  done  in  the  natives’  own  style,  and, 
as  they  carefully  wash  the  dishes,  pots,  and  the  hands  before 
handling  food,  it  is  by  no  means  despicable.  Sometimes  altera- 
tions are  made  at  my  suggestion,  and  then  they  believe  that 
they  can  cook  in  thorough  white  man’s  fashion.  The  cook  always 
comes  in  for  something  left  in  the  pot,  so  all  are  eager  to  obtain 
the  office. 

I taught  several  of  them  to  wash  my  shirts,  and  they  did  it 
well,  though  their  teacher  had  never  been  taught  that  work 
himself.  Frequent  changes  of  linen  and  sunning  of  my  blanket 
kept  me  more  comfortable  than  might  have  been  anticipated, 

S 


274 


ABUNDANCE  OF  ANIMAL  LIFE. 


and  I feel  certain  that  the  lessons  of  cleanliness  rigidly  instilled 
"by  my  mother  in  childhood  helped  to  maintain  that  respect 
which  these  people  entertain  for  European  ways.  It  is  question- 
able if  a descent  to  barbarous  ways  ever  elevates  a man  in  the 
eyes  of  savages. 

When  quite  beyond  the  inhabited  parts,  we  found  the  country 
abounding  in  animal  life  of  every  form.  There  are  upward  of 
thirty  species  of  birds  on  the  river  itself.  Hundreds  of  the  Ibis 
religiosa  come  down  the  Leeambye  with  the  rising  water,  as  they 
do  on  the  Nile  ; then  large  white  pelicans,  in  flocks  of  three  hund- 
red at  a time,  following  each  other  in  long  extending  line,  rising 
and  falling  as  they  fly  so  regularly  all  along  as  to  look  like  an 
extended  coil  of  birds ; clouds  of  a black  shell-eating  bird,  called 
linongolo  (Anastomus  lamelligerus ) ; also  plovers,  snipes,  curlews, 
and  herons  without  number. 

There  are,  besides  the  more  common,  some  strange  varieties. 
The  pretty  white  ardetta  is  seen  in  flocks,  settling  on  the  backs 
of  large  herds  of  buffaloes,  and  following  them  on  the  wing 
when  they  run ; while  the  kala  ( Textor  erythrorhynchus ) is  a 
better  horseman,  for  it  sits  on  the  withers  when  the  animal  is  at 
full  speed. 

Then  those  strange  birds,  the  scissor-bills,  with  snow-white 
breast,  jet-black  coat,  and  red  beak,  sitting  by  day  on  the  sand- 
banks, the  very  picture  of  comfort  and  repose.  Their  nests  are 
only  little  hollows  made  on  these  same  sand-banks,  without  any 
attempt  of  concealment ; they  watch  them  closely,  and  frighten 
away  the  marabou  and  crows  from  their  eggs  by  feigned  attacks 
at  their  heads.  When  man  approaches  their  nests,  they  change 
their  tactics,  and,  like  the  lapwing  and  ostrich,  let  one  wing 
drop  and  make  one  leg  limp,  as  if  lame.  The  upper  mandible 
being  so  much  shorter  than  the  lower,  the  young  are  more  help- 
less than  the  stork  in  the  fable  with  the  flat  dishes,  and  must 
have  every  thing  conveyed  into  the  mouth  by  the  parents  till 
they  are  able  to  provide  for  themselves.  The  lower  mandible, 
as  thin  as  a paper-knife,  is  put  into  the  water  while  the  bird 
skims  along  the  surface,  and  scoops  up  any  little  insects  it 
meets.  It  has  great  length  of  wing,  and  can  continue  its  flight 
with  perfect  ease,  the  wings  acting,  though  kept  above  the 
level  of  the  body.  The  wonder  is,  how  this  plowing  of  the 


WATER-FOWL. 


275 


surface  of  the  water  can  be  so  well  performed  as  to  yield  a 
meal,  for  it  is  usually  done  in  the  dark.  Like  most  aquatic 
feeders,  they  work  by  night,  when  insects  and  fishes  rise  to 
the  surface.  They  have  great  affection  for  their  young,  its 
amount  being  increased  in  proportion  to  the  helplessness  of  the 
offspring. 

There  are  also  numbers  of  spoonbills,  nearly  white  in  plumage ; 
the  beautiful,  stately  flamingo ; the  Numidian  crane,  or  demoi- 
selle, some  of  which,  tamed  at  Government  House,  Cape  Town, 
struck  every  one  as  most  graceful  ornaments  to  a noble  mansion, 
as  they  perched  on  its  pillars.  There  are  two  cranes  besides — 
one  light  blue,  the  other  also  light  blue,  but  with  a white  neck ; 
and  gulls  ( Procellaria ) of  different  sizes  abound. 

One  pretty  little  wader,  an  avoset,  appears  as  if  standing  on 
stilts,  its  legs  are  so  long ; and  its  bill  seems  bent  the  wrong  way, 
or  upward.  It  is  constantly  seen  wading  in  the  shallows,  digging 
up  little  slippery  insects,  the  peculiar  form  of  the  bill  enabling  it 
to  work  them  easily  out  of  the  sand.  When  feeding,  it  puts  its 
head  under  the  water  to  seize  the  insect  at  the  bottom,  then  lifts 
it  up  quickly,  making  a rapid  gobbling,  as  if  swallowing  a wrig- 
gling worm. 

The  Parra  Af  ricana  runs  about  on  the  surface,  as  if  walking 
on  water,  catching  insects.  It  too  has  long,  thin  legs,  and  ex- 
tremely long  toes,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  it  to  stand  on  the 
floating  lotus-leaves  and  other  aquatic  plants.  When  it  stands 
on  a lotus-leaf  five  inches  in  diameter,  the  spread  of  the  toes,  act- 
ing  on  the  principle  of  snow-shoes,  occupies  all  the  surface,  and  it 
never  sinks,  though  it  obtains  a livelihood,  not  by  swimming  or 
flying,  but  by  walking  on  the  water. 

"Water-birds,  whose  prey  or  food  requires  a certain  aim  or  ac- 
tion in  one  direction,  have  bills  quite  straight  in  form,  as  the  her- 
on and  snipe ; while  those  which  are  intended  to  come  in  con- 
tact with  hard  substances,  as  breaking  shells,  have  the  bills  gen- 
tly curved,  in  order  that  the  shock  may  not  be  communicated  to 
the  brain. 

The  Barotse  valley  contains  great  numbers  of  large  black 
geese.*  They  may  be  seen  every  where  walking  slowly  about, 


Anser  leucagaster  and  melanogaster. 


276 


WATER-FOWL.— ALLIGATORS. 


feeding.  They  have  a strong  black  spur  on  the  shoulder,  like  the 
armed  plover,  and  as  strong  as  that  on  the  heel  of  a cock,  but  are 
never  seen  to  use  them,  except  in  defense  of  their  young.  They 
choose  ant-hills  for  their  nests,  and  in  the  time  of  laying  the 
Barotse  consume  vast  quantities  of  their  eggs.  There  are  also 
two  varieties  of  geese,  of  somewhat  smaller  size,  but  better 
eating.  One  of  these,  the  Egyptian  goose,  or  Vulpanser,  can  not 
rise  from  the  water,  and  during  the  floods  of  the  river  great 
numbers  are  killed  by  being  pursued  in  canoes.  The  third  is 
furnished  with  a peculiar  knob  on  the  beak.  These,  with  myri- 
ads of  ducks  of  three  varieties,  abound  every  where  on  the  Lee- 
ambye.  On  one  occasion  the  canoe  neared  a bank  on  which  a 
large  flock  was  sitting.  Two.  shots  furnished  our  whole  party 
with  a supper,  for  we  picked  up  seventeen  ducks  and  a goose. 
No  wonder  the  Barotse  always  look  back  to  this  fruitful  valley  as 
the  Israelites  did  to  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt.  The  poorest  per- 
sons are  so  well  supplied  with  food  from  their  gardens,  fruits  from 
the  forest  trees,  and  fish  from  the  river,  that  their  children,  when 
taken  into  the  service  of  the  Makololo,  where  they  have  only  one 
large  meal  a day,  become  quite  emaciated,  and  pine  for  a return  to 
their  parents. 

Part  of  our  company  marched  along  the  banks  with  the  oxen, 
and  part  went  in  the  canoes,  but  our  pace  was  regulated  by 
the  speed  of  the  men  on  shore.  Their  course  was  rather  difficult, 
on  account  of  the  numbers  of  departing  and  re-entering  branches 
of  the  Leeambye,  which  they  had  to  avoid  or  wait  at  till  we 
ferried  them  over.  The  number  of  alligators  is  prodigious,  and 
in  this  river  they  are  more  savage  than  in  some  others.  Many 
children  are  carried  off  annually  at  Sesheke  and  other  towns ; 
for,  notwithstanding  the  danger,  when  they  go  down  for  water 
they  almost  always  must  play  a while.  This  reptile  is  said  by 
the  natives  to  strike  the  victim  with  its  tail,  then  drag  him  in  and 
drown  him.  When  lying  in  the  water  watching  for  prey,  the 
body  never  appears.  Many  calves  are  lost  also,  and  it  is  seldom 
that  a number  of  cows  can  swim  over  at  Sesheke  without  some 
loss.  I never  could  avoid  shuddering  on  seeing  my  men 
swimming  across  these  branches,  after  one  of  them  had  been 
caught  by  the  thigh  and  taken  below.  He,  however,  retained,  as 
nearly  all  of  them  in  the  most  trying  circumstances  do,  his  full 


ALLIGATORS.— SUPERSTITION. 


277 


presence  of  mind,  and,  having  a small,  square,  ragged -edged 
javelin  with  him,  when  dragged  to  the  bottom  gave  the  alligator 
a stab  behind  the  shoulder.  The  alligator,  writhing  in  pain,  left 
him,  and  he  came  out  with  the  deep  marks  of  the  reptile’s  teeth 
on  his  thigh.  Here  the  people  have  no  antipathy  to  persons  who 
have  met  with  such  an  adventure,  but,  in  the  Bamangwato  and 
Bakwain  tribes,  if  a man  is  either  bitten  or  even  has  had  water 
splashed  over  him  by  the  reptile’s  tail,  he  is  expelled  his  tribe. 
When  on  the  Zouga  we  saw  one  of  the  Bamangwato  living  among 
the  Bayeiye,  who  had  the  misfortune  to  have  been  bitten  and 
driven  out  of  his  tribe  in  consequence.  Fearing  that  I would  re- 
gard him  with  the  same  disgust  which  his  countrymen  profess  to 
feel,  he  would  not  tell  me  the  cause  of  his  exile,  but  the  Bayeiye 
informed  me  of  it,  and  the  scars  of  the  teeth  were  visible  on  his 
thigh.  If  the  Bakwains  happened  to  go  near  an  alligator  they 
would  spit  on  the  ground,  and  indicate  its  presence  by  saying 
“Boleo  ki  bo” — “ Thei'e  is  sin.”  They  imagine  the  mere  sight 
of  it  would  give  inflammation  of  the  eyes ; and  though  they  eat 
the  zebra  without  hesitation,  yet  if  one  bites  a man  he  is  expelled 
the  tribe,  and  obliged  to  take  his  wife  and  family  away  to  the 
Kalahari.  These  curious  relics  of  the  animal-worship  of  former 
times  scarcely  exist  among  the  Makololo.  Sebituane  acted  on 
the  principle,  “ Whatever  is  food  for  men  is  food  for  me so  no 
man  is  here  considered  unclean.  The  Barotse  appear  inclined  to 
pray  to  alligators  and  eat  them  too,  for  when  I wounded  a water- 
antelope,  called  mochose,  it  took  to  the  water;  when  near  the 
other  side  of  the  river  an  alligator  appeared  at  its  tail,  and  then 
both  sank  together.  Mashauana,  who  was  nearer  to  it  than  I,  told 
me  that,  “ though  he  had  called  to  it  to  let  his  meat  alone,  it  re- 
fused to  listen.”  One  day  we  passed  some  Barotse  lads  who  had 
speared  an  alligator,  and  were  waiting  in  expectation  of  its  floating 
soon  after.  The  meat  has  a strong  musky  odor,  not  at  all  inviting 
for  any  one  except  the  very  hungry. 

When  we  had  gone  thirty  or  forty  miles  above  Libonta  we 
sent  eleven  of  our  captives  to  the  west,  to  the  chief  called  Mako- 
ma,  with  an  explanatory  message.  This  caused  some  delay ; but 
as  we  were  loaded  with  presents  of  food  from  the  Makololo,  and 
the  wild  animals  were  in  enormous  herds,  we  fared  sumptuously. 
It  was  grievous,  however,  to  shoot  the  lovely  creatures,  they 


278 


GAME.— COMPARATIVE  TENACITY  OF  LIFE. 


were  so  tame.  With  but  little  skill  in  stalking,  one  could  easily 
get  within  fifty  or  sixty  yards  of  them.  There  I lay,  looking 
at  the  graceful  forms  and  motions  of  beautiful  pokus,*  leches, 
and  other  antelopes,  often  till  my  men,  wondering  what  was  the 
matter,  came  up  to  see,  and  frightened  them  away.  If  we  had 
been  starving,  I could  have  slaughtered  them  with  as  little  hesi- 
tation as  I should  cut  off  a patient’s  leg ; but  I felt  a doubt,  and 
the  antelopes  got  the  benefit  of  it.  Have  they  a guardian  spirit 
over  them?  I have  repeatedly  observed,  when  I approached  a 
herd  lying  beyond  an  ant-hill  with  a tree  on  it,  and  viewed 
them  with  the  greatest  caution,  they  very  soon  showed  symp- 
toms of  uneasiness.  They  did  not  snuff  danger  in  the  wind,  for 
I was  to  leeward  of  them ; but  the  almost  invariable  apprehen- 
sion of  danger  which  arose,  while  unconscious  of  the  direction  in 
which  it  lay,  made  me  wonder  whether  each  had  what  the  an- 
cient physicians  thought  we  all  possessed,  an  archon,  or  presiding 
spirit. 

If  we  could  ascertain  the  most  fatal  spot  in  an  animal,  we 
could  dispatch  it  with  the  least  possible  amount  of  suffering; 
but  as  that  is  probably  the  part  to  which  the  greatest  amount 
of  nervous  influence  is  directed  at  the  moment  of  receiving  the 
shot,  if  we  can  not  be  sure  of  the  heart  or  brain,  we  are  never 
certain  of  speedy  death.  Antelopes,  formed  for  a partially  am- 
phibious existence,  and  other  animals  of  that  class,  are  much 
more  tenacious  of  life  than  those  which  are  purely  terrestrial. 
Most  antelopes,  when  in  distress  or  pursued,  make  for  the  wa- 
ter. If  hunted,  they  always  do.  A leche  shot  right  through  the 
body,  and  no  limb-bone  broken,  is  almost  sure  to  get  away,  while 
a zebra,  with  a wound  of  no  greater  severity,  will  probably  drop 
down  dead.  I have  seen  a rhinoceros,  while  standing  apparently 
chewing  the  cud,  drop  down  dead  from  a shot  in  the  stomach, 
while  others  shot  through  one  lung  and  the  stomach  go  off  as 
if  little  hurt.  But  if  one  should  crawl  up  silently  to  within  twen- 
ty yards  either  of  the  white  or  black  rhinoceros,  throwing  up  a 
pinch  of  dust  every  now  and  then,  to  find  out  that  the  anxiety 
to  keep  the  body  concealed  by  the  bushes  has  not  led  him  to 


* I propose  to  name  this  new  species  Antilope  Vardonii,  after  the  African  travel- 
er, Major  Vardon. 


GUN  MEDICINE. 


279 


the  windward  side,  then  sit  down,  rest  the  elbow  on  the  knees,  and 
aim,  slanting  a little  upward,  at  a dark  spot  behind  the  shoulders, 
it  falls  stone  dead. 

To  show  that  a shock  on  the  part  of  the  system  to  which 
much  nervous  force  is  at  the  time  directed  will  destroy  life,  it 
may  be  mentioned  that  an  eland,  when  hunted,  can  be  dispatched 
by  a wound  which  does  little  more  than  injure  the  muscular 
system ; its  whole  nervous  force  is  then  imbuing  the  organs 
of  motion ; and  a giraffe,  when  pressed  hard  by  a good  horse 
only  two  or  three  hundred  yards,  has  been  known  to  drop  down 
dead,  without  any  wound  being  inflicted  at  all.  A full  gallop 
by  an  eland  or  giraffe  quite  dissipates  its  power,  and  the 
hunters,  aware  of  this,  always  try  to  press  them  at  once  to  it, 
knowing  that  they  have  but  a short  space  to  run  before  the 
animals  are  in  their  power.  In  doing  this,  the  old  sportsmen 
are  careful  not  to  go  too  close  to  the  giraffe’s  tail,  for  this  animal 
can  swing  his  hind  foot  round  in  a way  which  would  leave  little 
to  choose  between  a kick  with  it  and  a clap  from  the  arm  of  a 
windmill. 

When  the  nervous  force  is  entire,  terrible  wounds  may  be  in- 
flicted without  killing;  a tsessebe  having  been  shot  through  the 
neck  while  quietly  feeding,  we  went  to  him,  and  one  of  the  men 
cut  his  throat  deep  enough  to  bleed  him  largely.  He  started  up 
after  this  and  ran  more  than  a mile,  and  wrould  have  got  clear  off 
had  not  a dog  brought  him  to  bay  under  a tree,  where  we  found 
him  standing. 

My  men,  having  never  had  fire-arms  in  their  hands  before, 
found  it  so  difficult  to  hold  the  musket  steady  at  the  flash  of 
fire  in  the  pan,  that  they  naturally  expected  me  to  furnish  them 
with  “ gun  medicine,”  without  which,  it  is  almost  universally 
believed,  no  one  can  shoot  straight.  Great  expectations  had 
been  formed  wdien  I arrived  among  the  Makololo  on  this  subject ; 
but,  having  invariably  declined  to  deceive  them,  as  some  for 
their  own  profit  have  done,  my  men  now  supposed  that  I would 
at  last  consent,  and  thereby  relieve  myself  from  the  hard  work 
of  hunting  by  employing  them  after  due  medication.  This  I 
was  most  willing  to  do,  if  I could  have  done  it  honestly ; for, 
having  but  little  of  the  hunting  furore  in  my  composition,  I 


280 


DIFFICULTY  IN  USING  THE  GUN. 


always  preferred  eating  the  game  to  killing  it.  Sulphur  is  the 
remedy  most  admired,  and  I remember  Sechele  giving  a large 
price  for  a very  small  bit.  He  also  gave  some  elephants’  tusks, 
worth  £30,  for  another  medicine  which  was  to  make  him  invul- 
nerable to  musket  balls.  As  I uniformly  recommended  that 
these  things  should  be  tested  by  experiment,  a calf  was  anointed 
with  the  charm  and  tied  to  a tree.  It  proved  decisive,  and 
Sechele  remarked  it  was  “pleasanter  to  be  deceived  than  un- 
deceived.” I offered  sulphur  for  the  same  purpose,  but  that  was 
declined,  even  though  a person  came  to  the  town  afterward  and 
rubbed  his  hands  with  a little  before  a successful  trial  of  shooting 
at  a mark. 

I explained  to  my  men  the  nature  of  a gun,  and  tried  to 
teach  them,  but  they  would  soon  have  expended  all  the  ammu- 
nition in  my  possession.  I was  thus  obliged  to  do  all  the 
shooting  myself  ever  afterward.  Their  inability  was  rather  a 
misfortune ; for,  in  consequence  of  working  too  soon  after  having 
been  bitten  by  the  lion,  the  bone  of  my  left  arm  had  not  united 
well.  Continual  hard  manual  labor,  and  some  falls  from  ox- 
back,  lengthened  the  ligament  by  which  the  ends  of  the  bones 
were  united,  and  a false  joint  was  the  consequence.  The  limb 
has  never  been  painful,  as  those  of  my  companions  on  the  day 
of  the  rencounter  with  the  lion  have  been,  but,  there  being  a joint 
too  many,  I could  not  steady  the  rifle,  and  was  always  obliged  to 
shoot  with  the  piece  resting  on  the  left  shoulder.  I wanted 
steadiness  of  aim,  and  it  generally  happened  that  the  more 
hungry  the  party  became,  the  more  frequently  I missed  the 
animals. 

"VYe  spent  a Sunday  on  our  way  up  to  the  confluence  of  the 
Leeba  and  Leeambye.  Hains  had  fallen  here  before  we  came, 
and  the  woods  had  put  on  their  gayest  hue.  Flowers  of  great 
beauty  and  curious  forms  grow  every  where ; they  are  unlike 
those  in  the  south,  and  so  are  the  trees.  Many  of  the  forest-tree 
leaves  are  palmated  and  largely  developed ; the  trunks  are 
covered  with  lichens,  and  the  abundance  of  ferns  which  appear 
in  the  woods  shows  we  are  now  in  a more  humid  climate  than 
any  to  the  south  of  the  Barotse  valley.  The  ground  begins  to 
swarm  with  insect  life ; and  in  the  cool,  pleasant  mornings  the 


DEPRAVITY— ITS  TREATMENT. 


281 


welkin  rings  with  the  singing  of  birds,  which  is  not  so  delightful 
as  the  notes  of  birds  at  home,  because  I have  not  been  familiar 
with  them  from  infancy.  The  notes  here,  however,  strike  the 
mind  by  their  loudness  and  variety,  as  the  wellings  forth  from 
joyous  hearts  of  praise  to  Him  who  fills  them  with  overflowing 
gladness.  All  of  us  rise  early  to  enjoy  the  luscious  balmy  air  of 
the  morning.  We  then  have  worship ; but,  amid  all  the  beauty 
and  loveliness  with  which  we  are  surrounded,  there  is  still  a 
feeling  of  want  in  the  soul  in  viewing  one’s  poor  companions, 
and  hearing  bitter,  impure  words  jarring  on  the  ear  in  the  per- 
fection of  the  scenes  of  Nature,  and  a longing  that  both  their 
hearts  and  ours  might  be  brought  into  harmony  with  the  Great 
Father  of  Spirits.  I pointed  out,  in,  as  usual,  the  simplest  words 
I could  employ,  the  remedy  which  God  has  presented  to  us,  in 
the  inexpressibly  precious  gift  of  His  own-  Son,  on  whom  the 
Lord  “laid  the  iniquity  of  us  all.”  The  great  difficulty  in  deal- 
ing with  these  people  is  to  make  the  subject  plain.  The  minds 
of  the  auditors  can  not  be  understood  by  one  who  has  not  mingled 
much  with  them.  They  readily  pray  for  the  forgiveness  of  sins, 
and  then  sin  again ; confess  the  evil  of  it,  and  there  the  matter 
ends. 

I shall  not  often  advert  to  their  depravity.  My  practice  has 
always  been  to  apply  the  remedy  with  all  possible  earnestness, 
but  never  allow  my  own  mind  to  dwell  on  the  dark  shades  of 
men’s  characters.  I have  never  been  able  to  draw  pictures  of 
guilt,  as  if  that  could  awaken  Christian  sympathy.  The  evil  is 
there.  But  all  around  in  this  fair  creation  are  scenes  of  beauty, 
and  to  turn  from  these  to  ponder  on  deeds  of  sin  can  not  promote 
a healthy  state  of  the  faculties.  I attribute  much  of  the  bodily 
health  I enjoy  to  following  the  plan  adopted  by  most  physicians, 
who,  while  engaged  in  active,  laborious  efforts  to  assist  the  needy, 
at  the  same  time  follow  the  delightful  studies  of  some  department 
of  natural  history.  The  human  misery  and  sin  we  endeavor  to 
alleviate  and  cure  may  be  likened  to  the  sickness  and  impurity 
of  some  of  the  back  slums  of  great  cities.  One  contents  him- 
self by  ministering  to  the  sick  and  trying  to  remove  the  causes, 
without  remaining  longer  in  the  filth  than  is  necessary  for  his 
work ; another,  equally  anxious  for  the  public  good,  stirs  up 


282 


WILD  FRUITS. 


every  cesspool,  that  lie  may  describe  its  reeking  vapors,  and,  by 
long  contact  with  impurities,  becomes  himself  infected,  sickens, 
and  dies. 

The  men  went  about  during  the  day,  and  brought  back  wild 
fruits  of  several  varieties,  which  I had  not  hitherto  seen.  One, 
called  mogametsa,  is  a bean  with  a little  pulp  round  it,  which 
tastes  like  sponge-cake;  another,  named  mawa,  grows  abundantly 
on  a low  bush.  There  are  many  berries  and  edible  bulbs  almost 
every  where.  The  mamosho  or  moshomosho,  and  milo  (a  medlar), 
were  to  be  found  near  our  encampment.  These  are  botli  good, 
if  indeed  one  can  be  a fair  judge  who  felt  quite  disposed  to  pass 
‘a  favorable  verdict  on  every  fruit  which  had  the  property  of  being 
eatable  at  all.  Many  kinds  are  better  than  our  crab-apple  or 
sloe,  and,  had  they  the  care  and  culture  these  have  enjoyed, 
might  take  high  rank  among  the  fruits  of  the  world.  All  that 
the  Africans  have  thought  of  has  been  present  gratification ; 
and  now,  as  I sometimes  deposit  date-seeds  in  the  soil,  and  tell 
them  I have  no  hope  whatever  of  seeing  the  fruit,  it  seems  to 
them  as  the  act  of  the  South  Sea  Islanders  appears  to  us,  when 
they  planted  in  their  gardens  iron  nails  received  from  Captain 
Cook. 

There  are  many  fruits  and  berries  in  the  forests,  the  uses  of 
which  are  unknown  to  my  companions.  Great  numbers  of  a 
kind  of  palm  I have  never  met  with  before  were  seen  growing  at 
and  below  the  confluence  of  the  Loeti  and  Leeambye ; the  seed 
probably  came  down  the  former  river.  It'  is  nearly  as  tall  as  the 
palmyra.  The  fruit  is  larger  than  of  that  species ; it  is  about  four 
inches  long,  and  has  a soft  yellow  pulp  round  the  kernel  or  seed; 
when  ripe,  it  is  fluid  and  stringy,  like  the  wild  mango,  and  not 
very  pleasant  to  eat. 

Before  we  came  to  the  junction  of  the  Leeba  and  Leeambye 
we  found  the  banks  twenty  feet  high,  and  composed  of  marly 
sandstone.  They  are  covered  with  trees,  and  the  left  bank  has 
the  tsetse  and  elephants.  I suspect  the  fly  has  some  connection 
with  this  animal,  and  the  Portuguese  in  the  district  of  Tete  must 
think  so  too,  for  they  call  it  the  Musca  da  elephant  (the  elephant 
%)• 

The  water  of  inundation  covers  even  these  lofty  banks,  but 


PIGEONS.— FISH. 


283 


does  not  stand  long  upon  them  ; hence  the  crop  of  trees.  Where 
it  remains  for  any  length  of  time,  trees  can  not  live.  On  the 
right  bank,  or  that  in  which  the  Loeti  flows,  there  is  an  extensive 
flat  country  called  Manga,  which,  though  covered  with  grass,  is 
destitute  in  a great  measure  of  trees. 

Flocks  of  green  pigeons  rose  from  the  trees  as  we  passed  along 
the  banks,  and  the  notes  of  many  birds  told  that  we  were  now 
among  strangers  of  the  feathered  tribe.  The  beautiful  trogon, 
with  bright  scarlet  breast  and  black  back,  uttered  a most  pe- 
culiar note,  similar  to  that  we  read  of  as  having  once  been  emit- 
ted by  Memnon,  and  likened  to  the  tuning  of  a lyre.  The  boat- 
men answered  it  by  calling  “Nama,  nama!” — meat,  meat — as  if 
they  thought  that  a repetition  of  the  note  "would  be  a good 
omen  for  our  success  in  hunting.  Many  more  interesting  birds 
were  met ; but  I could  make  no  collection,  as  I was  proceeding 
on  the  plan  of  having  as  little  luggage  as  possible,  so  as  not  to 
excite  the  cupidity  of  those  through  whose  country  we  intended 
to  pass. 

Vast  shoals  of  fish  come  down  the  Leeambye  with  the  rising 
waters,  as  we  observed  they  also  do  in  the  Zouga.  They  are 
probably  induced  to  make  this  migration  by  the  increased  rapid- 
ity of  the  current  dislodging  them  from  their  old  pasture-grounds 
higher  up  the  river.  Insects  constitute  but  a small  portion  of 
the  food  of  many  fish.  Fine  vegetable  matter,  like  slender  mosses, 
growing  on  the  bottom,  is  devoured  greedily ; and  as  the  fishes 
are  dislodged  from  the  main  stream  by  the  force  of  the  current, 
and  find  abundant  pasture  on  the  flooded  plains,  the  whole  com- 
munity becomes  disturbed  and  wanders. 

The  mosala  ( Clarias  Cajpensis  and  Glanis  siluris),  the  mullet 
(. Mugil  Africanus),  and  other  fishes,  spread  over  the  Barotse 
valley  in  such  numbers  that  when  the  waters  retire  all  the  people 
are  employed  in  cutting  them  up  and  drying  them  in  the  sun. 
The  supply  exceeds  the  demand,  and  the  land  in  numerous  places 
is  said  to  emit  a most  offensive  smell.  WTherever  you  see  the 
Zambesi  in  the  centre  of  the  country,  it  is  remarkable  for  the 
abundance  of  animal  life  in  and  upon  its  waters,  and  on  the  adja- 
cent banks. 

We  passed  great  numbers  of  hippopotami.  They  are  very  nu- 


284 


HIPPOPOTAMI. 


merous  in  the  parts  of  the  river  where  they  are  never  hunted. 
The  males  appear  of  a dark  color,  the  females  of  yellowish  brown. 
There  is  not  such  a complete  separation  of  the  sexes  among  them 
as  among  elephants.  They  spend  most  of  their  time  in  the  wa- 
ter, lolling  about  in  a listless,  dreamy  manner.  When  they  come 
out  of  the  river  by  night,  they  crop  off  the  soft  succulent  grasses 
very  neatly.  When  they  blow,  they  puff  up  the  water  about 
three  feet  high. 


MESSAGE  TO  MASIKO. 


285 


CHAPTER  XY. 

Message  to  Masiko,  the  Barotse  Chief,  regarding  the  Captives. — Navigation  of  the 
Leeambye. — Capabilities  of  this  District. — The  Leeba. — Flowers  and  Bees. — 
Buffalo-hunt. — Field  for  a Botanist. — Young  Alligators  ; their  savage  Nature. — 
Suspicion  of  the  Balonda. — Sekelenke’s  Present. — A Man  and  his  two  Wives. — 
Hunters.  — Message  from  Manenko,  a female  Chief.  — Mambari  Traders.  — A 
Dream. — Sheakondo  and  his  People. — Teeth-filing. — Desire  for  Butter. — Inter- 
view with  Nyamoana,  another  female  Chief. — Court  Etiquette. — Hair  versus 
Wool. — Increase  of  Superstition. — Arrival  of  Manenko  ; her  Appearance  and 
Husband. — Mode  of  Salutation. — Anklets. — Embassy,  with  a Present  from  Ma- 
siko.— Boast  Beef.  — Manioc.  — Magic  Lantern. — Manenko  an  accomplished 
Scold : compels  us  to  wait. — Unsuccessful  Zebra-hunt. 

On  the  27th  of  December  we  were  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Leeba  and  Leeambye  (lat.  14°  10'  52"  S.,  long.  23°  35'  40"  E.). 
Masiko,  the  Barotse  chief,  for  whom  we  had  some  captives,  lived 
nearly  due  east  of  this  point.  They  were  two  little  boys,  a little 
girl,  a young  man,  and  two  middle-aged  women.  One  of  these 
was  a member  of  a Babimpe  tribe,  who  knock  out  both  upper 
and  lower  front  teeth  as  a distinction.  As  we  had  been  informed 
by  the  captives  on  the  previous  Sunday  that  Masiko  was  in  the 
habit  of  seizing  all  orphans,  and  those  who  have  no  powerful 
friend  in  the  tribe  whose  protection  they  can  claim,  and  selling 
them  for  clothing  to  the  Mambari,  we  thought  the  objection  of 
the  women  to  go  first  to  his  town  before  seeing  their  friends 
quite  reasonable,  and  resolved  to  send  a party  of  our  own  people 
to  see  them  safely  among  their  relatives.  I told  the  captive 
young  man  to  inform  Masiko  that  he  was  very  unlike  his  father 
Santuru,  who  had  refused  to  sell  his  people  to  Mambari.  He 
will  probably  be  afraid  to  deliver  such  a message  himself,  but  it 
is  meant  for  his  people,  and  they  will  circulate  it  pretty  widely, 
and  Masiko  may  yet  feel  a little  pressure  from  without.  We 
sent  Mosantu,  a Batoka  man,  and  his  companions,  with  the  cap- 
tives. The  Barotse  whom  we  had  were  unwilling  to  go  to  Ma- 
siko, since  they  owe  him  allegiance  as  the  son  of  Santuru,  and 
while  they  continue  with  the  Makololo  are  considered  rebels. 


I 


286  NAVIGATION  OF  THE  LEEAMBYE. 

The  message  by  Mosantu  was,  that  “ I was  sony  to  find  that  San- 
turu  had  not  borne  a wiser  son.  Santuru  loved  to  govern  men, 
but  Masiko  wanted  to  govern  wild  beasts  only,  as  he  sold  his  peo- 
ple to  the  Mambari adding  an  explanation  of  the  return  of  the 
captives,  and  an  injunction  to  him  to  live  in  peace,  and  prevent 
his  people  kidnapping  the  children  and  canoes  of  the  Makololo, 
as  a continuance  in  these  deeds  would  lead  to  war,  which  I wish- 
ed to  prevent.  He  was  also  instructed  to  say,  if  Masiko  wanted 
fuller  explanation  of  my  views,  he  must  send  a sensible  man  to 
talk  with  me  at  the  first  town  of  the  Balonda,  to  which  I was 
about  to  proceed. 

We  ferried  Mosantu  over  to  the  left  bank  of  the  Leeba.  The 
journey  required  five  days,  but  it  could  not  have  been  at  a quick- 
er rate  than  ten  or  twelve  miles  per  day ; the  children  were  be- 
tween seven  and  eight  years  of  age,  and  unable  to  walk  fast  in  a 
hot  sun. 

Leaving  Mosantu  to  pursue  his  course,  we  shall  take  but  one 
glance  down  the  river,  which  we  are  now  about  to  leave,  for  it 
comes  at  this  point  from  the  eastward,  and  our  course  is  to  be 
directed  to  the  northwest,  as  we  mean  to  go  to  Loanda  in 
Angola.  From  the  confluence,  where  we  now  are,  down  to  Mo- 
sioatunya,  there  are  many  long  reaches,  where  a vessel  equal 
to  the  Thames  steamers  plying  between  the  bridges  could  run 
as  freely  as  they  do  on  the  Thames.  It  is  often,  even  here,  as 
broad  as  that  river  at  London  Bridge,  but,  without  accurate 
measurement  of  the  depth,  one  could  not  say  which  contained 
most  water.  There  are,  however,  many  and  serious  obstacles 
to  a continued  navigation  for  hundreds  of  miles  at  a stretch. 
About  ten  miles  below  the  confluence  of  the  Loeti,  for  instance, 
there  are  many  large  sand-banks  in  the  stream ; then  you  have 
a hundred  miles  to  the  Biver  Simah,  where  a Thames  steamer 
could  ply  at  all  times  of  the  year  ; but,  again,  the  space  between 
Simah  and  Katima-molelo  has  five  or  six  rapids  with  cataracts, 
one  of  which,  Gonye,  could  not  be  passed  at  any  time  without 
portage.  Between  these  rapids  there  are  reaches  of  still,  deep 
water,  of  several  miles  in  length.  Beyond  Katima-molelo  to  the 
confluence  of  the  Chobe  you  have  nearly  a hundred  miles  again, 
of  a river  capable  of  being  navigated  in  the  same  way  as  in  the 
Barotse  valley. 


THE  LEEBA. 


287 


Now  I do  not  say  that  this  part  of  the  river  presents  a very 
inviting  prospect  for  extemporaneous  European  enterprise ; but 
when  we  have  a pathway  which  requires  only  the  formation  of 
portages  to  make  it  equal  to  our  canals  for  hundreds  of  miles, 
where  the  philosophers  supposed  there  was  naught  but  an  ex- 
tensive sandy  desert,  we  must  confess  that  the  future  partakes  at 
least  of  the  elements  of  hope.  My  deliberate  conviction  was 
and  is  that  the  part  of  the  country  indicated  is  as  capable  of 
supporting  millions  of  inhabitants  as  it  is  of  its  thousands.  The 
grass  of  the  Barotse  valley,  for  instance,  is  such  a densely- 
matted  mass  that,  when  “ laid,”  the  stalks  bear  each  other  up,  so 
that  one  feels  as  if  walking  on  the  sheaves  of  a hay-stack,  and 
the  leches  nestle  under  it  to  bring  forth  their  young.  The  soil 
which  produces  this,  if  placed  under  the  plow,  instead  of  being 
mere  pasturage,  would  yield  grain  sufficient  to  feed  vast  multi- 
tudes. 

We  now  began  to  ascend  the  Leeba.  The  water  is  black  in 
color  as  compared  with  the  main  stream,  which  here  assumes 
the  name  of  Kabompo.  The  Leeba  flows  placidly,  and,  unlike 
the  parent  river,  receives  numbers  of  little  rivulets  from  both 
sides.  It  winds  slowly  through  the  most  charming  meadows, 
each  of  which  has  either  a soft,  sedgy  centre,  large  pond,  or  trick- 
ling rill  down  the  middle.  The  trees  arc  now  covered  with  a pro- 
fusion of  the  freshest  foliage,  and  seem  planted  in  groups  of  such 
pleasant,  graceful  outline  that  art  could  give  no  additional  charm. 
The  grass,  which  had  been  burned  off  and  was  growing  again  aft- 
er the  rains,  was  short  and  green,  and  all  the  scenery  so  like  that 
of  a carefully -tended  gentleman’s  park,  that  one  is  scarcely  re- 
minded that  the  surrounding  region  is  in  the  hands  of  simple 
nature  alone.  I suspect  that  the  level  meadows  are  inundated 
annually,  for  the  spots  on  which  the  trees  stand  are  elevated 
three  or  four  feet  above  them,  and  these  elevations,  being  of  dif- 
ferent shapes,  give  the  strange  variety  of  outline  of  the  park-like 
woods.  Numbers  of  a fresh-water  shell  are  scattered  all  over 
these  valleys.  The  elevations,  as  I have  observed  elsewhere,  are 
of  a soft,  sandy  soil,  and  the  meadows  of  black,  rich  alluvial  loam. 
There  are  many  beautiful  flowers,  and  many  bees  to  sip  their 
nectar.  We  found  plenty  of  honey  in  the  woods,  and  saw  the 


288 


BUFFALO  HUNT. 


stages  on  which  the  Balonda  dry  their  meat,  when  they  come  down 
to  hunt  and  gather  the  produce  of  the  wild  hives.  In  one  part 
we  came  upon  groups  of  lofty  trees  as  straight  as  masts,  with  fes- 
toons of  orchilla-weed  hanging  from  the  branches.  This,  which 
is  used  as  a dye-stuff,  is  found  nowhere  in  the  dry  country  to  the 
south.  It  prefers  the  humid  climate  near  the  west  coast. 

A large  buffalo  was  wounded,  and  ran  into  the  thickest  part 
of  the  forest,  bleeding  profusely.  The  young  men  went  on  his 
trail;  and,  though  the  vegetation  was  so  dense  that  no  one  could 
have  run  more  than  a few  yards,  most  of  them  went  along  quite 
carelessly,  picking  and  eating  a fruit  of  the  melon  family  called 
Mponko.  When  the  animal  heard  them  approach  he  always 
fled,  shifting  his  stand  and  doubling  on  his  course  in  the  most 
cunning  manner.  In  other  cases  I have  known  them  turn  back 
to  a point  a few  yards  from  their  own  trail,  and  then  lie  down 
in  a hollow  waiting  for  the  hunter  to  come  up.  Though  a heavy, 
lumbering-looking  animal,  his  charge  is  then  rapid  and  terrific. 
More  accidents  happen  by  the  buffalo  and  the  black  rhinoceros 
than  by  the  lion.  Though  all  are  aware  of  the  mischievous 
nature  of  the  buffalo  when  wounded,  our  young  men  went  after 
him  quite  carelessly.  They  never  lose  their  presence  of  mind, 
but,  as  a buffalo  charges  back  in  a forest,  dart  dexterously  out 
of  his  way  behind  a tree,  and,  wheeling  round,  stab  him  as  he 
passes. 

A tree  in  flower  brought  the  pleasant  fragrance  of  hawthorn 
hedges  back  to  memory ; its  leaves,  flowers,  perfumes,  and  fruit 
resembled  those  of  the  hawthorn,  only  the  flowers  were  as  large 
as  dog-roses,  and  the  “haws”  like  boys’  marbles.  Here  the 
flowers  smell  sweetly,  while  few  in  the  south  emit  any  scent  at 
all,  or  only  a nauseous  odor.  A botanist  would  find  a rich 
harvest  on  the  banks  of  the  Leeba.  This  would  be  his  best 
season,  for  the  flowers  all  run  rapidly  to  seed,  and  then  insects 
of  every  shape  spring  into  existence  to  devour  them.  The 
climbing  plants  display  great  vigor  of  growth,  being  not  only 
thick  in  the  trunk,  but  also  at  the  very  point,  in  the  manner  of 
quickly-growing  asparagus.  The  maroro  or  malolo  now  appears, 
and  is  abundant  in  many  parts  between  this  and  Angola.  It 
is  a small  bush  with  a yellow  fruit,  and  in  its  appearance  a dwarf 


YOUNG  ALLIGATORS.  289 

“ anona .”  The  taste  is  sweet,  and  the  fruit  is  wholesome:  it  is 
full  of  seeds,  like  the  custard-apple. 

On  the  28th  we  slept  at  a spot  on  the  right  bank  from  which 
had  just  emerged  two  broods  of  alligators.  We  had  seen  many 
young  ones  as  we  came  up,  so  this  seems  to  be  their  time  of 
coming  forth  from  the  nests,  for  we  saw  them  sunning  them- 
selves on  sand-banks  in  company  with  the  old  ones.  We  made 
our  fire  in  one  of  the  deserted  nests,  which  were  strewed  all  over 
with  the  broken  shells.  At  the  Zouga  we  saw  sixty  eggs  taken 
out  of  one  such  nest  alone.  They  are  about  the  size  of  those  of 
a goose,  only  the  eggs  of  the  alligator  are  of  the  same  diameter 
at  both  ends,  and  the  white  shell  is  partially  elastic,  from  having 
a strong  internal  membrane  and  but  little  lime  in  its  composi- 
tion. The  distance  from  the  water  was  about  ten  feet,  and  there 
were  evidences  of  the  same  place  having  been  used  for  a similar 
purpose  in  former  years.  A broad  path  led  up  from  the  water 
to  the  nest,  and  the  dam,  it  was  said  by  my  companions,  after 
depositing  the  eggs,  covers  them  up,  and  returns  afterward  to 
assist  the  young  out  of  the  place  of  confinement  and  out  of  the 
egg.  She  leads  them  to  the  edge  of  the  water,  and  then  leaves 
them  to  catch  small  fish  for  themselves.  Assistance  to  come 
forth  seems  necessary,  for  here,  besides  the  tough  membrane  of 
the  shell,  they  had  four  inches  of  earth  upon  them  ; but  they  do 
not  require  immediate  aid  for  food,  because  they  all  retain  a 
portion  of  yolk,  equal  to  that  of  a hen’s  egg,  in  a membrane  in 
the  abdomen,  as  a stock  of  nutriment,  while  only  beginning  inde- 
pendent existence  by  catching  fish.  Fish  is  the  principal  food 
of  both  small  and  large,  and  they  are  much  assisted  in  catching 
them  by  their  broad,  scaly  tails.  Sometimes  an  alligator,  view- 
ing a man  in  the  water  from  the  opposite  bank,  rushes  across  the 
stream  with  wonderful  agility,  as  is  seen  by  the  high  ripple  he 
makes  on  the  surface  caused  by  his  rapid  motion  at  the  bottom ; 
but  in  general  they  act  by  stealth,  sinking  underneath  as  soon  as 
they  see  man.  They  seldom  leave  the  water  to  catch  prey,  but 
often  come  out  by  day  to  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  basking  in  the 
sun.  In  walking  along  the  bank  of  the  Zouga  once,  a small  one, 
about  three  feet  long,  made  a dash  at  my  feet,  and  caused  me  to 
rash  quickly  in  another  direction ; but  this  is  unusual,  for  I nev- 
er heard  of  a similar  case.  A wounded  leclie,  chased  into  any  of 

T 


290 


ALLIGATORS. 


the  lagoons  in  the  Barotse  valley,  or  a man  or  dog  going  in  for  the 
purpose  of  bringing  out  a dead  one,  is  almost  sure  to  be  seized, 
though  the  alligators  may  not  appear  on  the  surface.  When  em- 
ployed in  looking  for  food  they  keep  out  of  sight ; they  fish  chief- 
ly by  night.  When  eating,  they  make  a loud,  champing  noise, 
which  when  once  heard  is  never  forgotten. 

The  young,  which  had  come  out  of  the  nests  where  we  spent 
the  night,  did  not  appear  wary ; they  were  about  ten  inches  long, 
with  yellow  eyes,  and  pupil  merely  a perpendicular  slit.  They 
were  all  marked  with  transverse  slips  of  pale  green  and  brown, 
half  an  inch  broad.  When  speared,  they  bit  the  weapon  savage- 
ly, though  their  teeth  were  but  partially  developed,  uttering  at 
the  same  time  a sharp  bark  like  that  of  a whelp  when  it  first  be- 
gins to  use  its  voice.  I could  not  ascertain  whether  the  dam  de- 
vours them,  as  reported,  or  whether  the  ichneumon  has  the  same 
reputation  here  as  in  Egypt.  Probably  the  Barotse  and  Bayeiye 
would  not  look  upon  it  as  a benefactor ; they  prefer  to  eat  the 
eggs  themselves,  and  be  their  own  ichneumons.  The  white  of  the 
egg  does  not  coagulate,  but  the  yolk  does,  and  this  is  the  only  part 
eaten. 

As  the  population  increases,  the  alligators  will  decrease,  for 
their  nests  will  be  oftener  found ; the  principal  check  on  their 
inordinate  multiplication  seems  to  be  man.  They  are  more  sav- 
age and  commit  more  mischief  in  the  Leeambye  than  in  any  oth- 
er river.  After  dancing  long  in  the  moonlight  nights,  young  men 
run  down  to  the  water  to  wash  off  the  dust  and  cool  themselves 
before  going  to  bed,  and  are  thus  often  carried  away.  One  won- 
ders they  are  not  afraid ; but  the  fact  is,  they  have  as  little  sense 
of  danger  impending  over  them  as  the  hare  has  when  not  actually 
pursued  by  the  hound,  and  in  many  rencounters,  in  which  they  es- 
cape, they  had  not  time  to  be  afraid,  and  only  laugh  at  the  cir- 
cumstance afterward : there  is*  a want  of  calm  reflection.  In 
many  cases,  not  referred  to  in  this  book,  I feel  more  horror  now 
in  thinking  on  dangers  I have  run  than  I did  at  the  time  of  their 
occurrence. 

When  we  reached  the  part  of  the  river  opposite  to  the  village 
of  Manenko,  the  first  female  chief  whom  we  encountered,  two  of 
the  people  called  Balunda,  or  Balonda,  came  to  us  in  their  little 
canoe.  From  them  we  learned  that  Kolimbota,  one  of  our  party. 


SEKELENKE’S  PRESENT. 


291 


who  had  been  in  the  habit  of  visiting  these  parts,  was  believed 
by  the  Balonda  to  have  acted  as  a guide  to  the  marauders  under 
Lerimo,  whose  captives  we  were  now  returning.  They  very  nat- 
urally suspected  this,  from  the  facility  with  which  their  villages 
had  been  found,  and,  as  they  had  since  removed  them  to  some 
distance  from  .the  river,  they  were  unwilling  to  lead  us  to  their 
places  of  concealment.  We  were  in  bad  repute,  but,  having  a 
captive  boy  and  girl  to  show  in  evidence  of  Sekeletu  and  our- 
selves not  being  partakers  in  the  guilt  of  inferior  men,  I could 
freely  express  my  desire  that  all  should  live  in  peace.  They 
evidently  felt  that  I ought  to  have  taught  the  Makololo  first, 
before  coming  to  them,  for  they  remarked  that  what  I advanced 
was  very  good,  but  guilt  lay  at  the  door  of  the  Makololo  for 
disturbing  the  previously  existing  peace.  They  then  went  away 
to  report  us  to  Manenko. 

When  the  strangers  visited  us  again  in  the  evening,  they  were 
accompanied  by  a number  of  the  people  of  an  Ambonda  chief 
named  Sekelenke.  The  Ambonda  live  far  to  the  N.W. ; their 
language,  the  Bonda,  is  the  common  dialect  in  Angola.  Seke- 
lenke had  fled,  and  was  now  living  with  his  village  as  a vassal 
of  Masiko.  As  notices  of  such  men  will  perhaps  convey  the 
best  idea  of  the  state  of  the  inhabitants  to  the  reader,  I shall 
hereafter  allude  to  the  conduct  of  Sekelenke,  whom  I at  present 
only  introduce.  Sekelenke  had  gone  with  his  villagers  to  hunt 
elephants  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Leeba,  and  was  now  on  his 
way  back  to  Masiko.  He  sent  me  a dish  of  boiled  zebra’s  flesh, 
and  a request  that  I should  lend  him  a canoe  to  ferry  his  wives 
and  family  across  the  river  to  the  bank  on  which  we  were  en- 
camped. Many  of  Sekelenke’s  people  came  to  salute  the  first 
white  man  they  ever  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing;  but  Sekelenke 
himself  did  not  come  near.  We  heard  he  was  offended  with  some 
of  his  people  for  letting  me  know  he  was  among  the  company. 
He  said  that  I should  be  displeased  with  him  for  not  coming  and 
making  some  present.  This  was  the  only  instance  in  which  I 
was  shunned  in  this  quarter. 

As  it  would  have  been  impolitic  to  pass  Manenko,  or  any  chief, 
without  at  least  showing  so  much  respect  as  to  call  and  explain 
the  objects  of  our  passing  through  the  country,  we  waited  two 
entire  days  for  the  return  of  the  messengers  to  Manenko ; and  as 


292 


HUNTERS. 


I could  not  hurry  matters,  I went  into  the  adjacent  country  to 
search  for  meat  for  the  camp. 

The  country  is  furnished  largely  with  forest,  having  occa- 
sionally open  lawns  covered  with  grass,  not  in  tufts  as  in  the 
south,  hut  so  closely  planted  that  one  can  not  see  the  soil.  We 
came  upon  a man  and  his  two  wives  and  children,- burning  coarse 
rushes  and  the  stalks  of  tsitla,  growing  in  a brackish  marsh,  in 
order  to  extract  a kind  of  salt  from  the  ashes.  They  make  a 
funnel  of  branches  of  trees,  and  line  it  with  grass  rope,  twisted 
round  until  it  is,  as  it  were,  a beehive-roof  inverted.  The  ashes 
are  put  into  water,  in  a calabash,  and  then  it  is  allowed  to  perco- 
late through  the  small  hole  in  the  bottom  and  through  the  grass. 
When  this  water  is  evaporated  in  the  sun,  it  yields  sufficient 
salt  to  form  a relish  with  food.  The  women  and  children  fled 
with  precipitation,  but  we  sat  down  at  a distance,  and  allowed 
the  man  time  to  gain  courage  enough  to  speak.  He,  however, 
trembled  excessively  at  the  apparition  before  him  ; but  when 
we  explained  that  our  object  was  to  hunt  game,  and  not  men, 
he  became  calm,  and  called  back  his  wives.  We  soon  afterward 
came  to  another  party  on  the  same  errand  with  ourselves.  The 
man  had  a bow  about  six  feet  long,  and  iron-headed  arrows 
about  thirty  inches  in  length ; he  had  also  wooden  arrows  neatly 
barbed,  to  shoot  in  cases  where  he  might  not  be  quite  certain 
of  recovering  them  again.  We  soon  afterward  got  a zebra, 
and  gave  our  hunting  acquaintances  such  a liberal  share  that 
we  soon  became  friends.  All  whom  we  saw  that  day  then  came 
with  us  to  the  encampment  to  beg  a little  meat ; and  as  they 
have  so  little  salt,  I have  no  doubt  they  felt  grateful  for  what  we 
gave. 

Sekelenke  and  his  people,  twenty-four  in  number,  defiled  past 
our  camp  carrying  large  bundles  of  dried  elephants’  meat.  Most 
of  them  came  to  say  good-by,  and  Sekelenke  himself  sent  to  say 
that  he  had  gone  to  visit  a wife  living  in  the  village  of  Manenko. 
It  was  a mere  African  manoeuvre  to  gain  information,  and  not 
commit  himself  to  either  one  line  of  action  or  another  with  re- 
spect to  our  visit.  As  he  was  probably  in  the  party  before  us,  I 
replied  that  it  was  all  right,  and  when  my  people  came  up  from 
Masiko  I would  go  to  my  wife  too.  Another  zebra  came  to  our 
camp,  and,  as  we  had  friends  near,  it  was  shot.  It  was  the  Equus 


MAMBARI  TRADERS.  293 

montatius,  though  the  country  is  perfectly  flat,  and  was  finely 
marked  down  to  the  feet,  as  all  the  zebras  are  in  these  parts. 

To  our  first  message,  offering  a visit  of  explanation  to  Ma- 
nenko,  we  got  an  answer,  with  a basket  of  manioc  roots,  that 
we  must  remain  where  we  were  till  she  should  visit  us.  Having 
waited  two  days  already  for  her,  other  messengers  arrived  with 
orders  for  me  to  come  to  her.  After  four  days  of  rains  and 
negotiation,  I declined  going  at  all,  and  proceeded  up  the  river 
to  the  small  stream  Makondo  (lat.  13°  23'  12//  S.),  which  enters 
the  Leeba  from  the  east,  and  is  between  twenty  and  thirty  yards 
broad. 

January  ls£,  1854.  We  had  heavy  rains  almost  every  day ; in- 
deed, the  rainy  season  had  fairly  set  in.  Baskets  of  the  purple  fruit 
called  mawa  were  frequently  brought  to  us  by  the  villagers ; not 
for  sale,  but  from  a belief  that  their  chiefs  would  be  pleased  to 
hear  that  they  had  treated  us  well ; we  gave  them  pieces  of  meat 
in  return. 

When  crossing  at  the  confluence  of  the  Leeba  and  Makondo, 
one  of  my  men  picked  up  a bit  of  a steel  watch-chain  of  English 
manufacture,  and  we  were  informed  that  this  was  the  spot  where 
the  Mambari  cross  in  coming  to  Masiko.,  Their  visits  explain 
why  Sekelenke  kept  his  tusks  so  carefully.  These  Mambari  are 
very  enterprising  merchants : when  they  mean  to  trade  with  a 
town,  they  deliberately  begin  the  affair  by  building  huts,  as  if 
they  knew  that  little  business  could  be  transacted  without  a lib- 
eral allowance  of  time  for  palaver.  They  bring  Manchester  goods 
into  the  heart  of  Africa ; these  cotton  prints  look  so  wonderful 
that  the  Makololo  could  not  believe  them  to  be  the  work  of  mor- 
tal hands.  On  questioning  the  Mambari  they  were  answered  that 
English  manufactures  came  out  of  the  sea,  and  beads  were  gath- 
ered on  its  shore.  To  Africans  our  cotton  mills  are  fairy  dreams. 
“ How  can  the  irons  spin,  weave,  and  print  so  beautifully?”  Our 
country  is  like  what  Taprobane  was  to  our  ancestors — a strange 
realm  of  light,  whence  came  the  diamond,  muslin,  and  peacocks ; 
an  attempt  at  explanation  of  our  manufactures  usually  elicits  the 
expression,  “Truly  ye  are  gods!” 

When  about  to  leave  the  Makondo,  one  of  my  men  had  dreamed 
that  Mosantu  was  shut  up  a prisoner  in  a stockade:  this  dream 
depressed  the  spirits  of  the  whole  party,  and  when  I came  out  of 


294 


SHEAKONDO  AND  HIS  PEOPLE. 


my  little  tent  in  the  morning,  they  were  sitting  the  pictures  of 
abject  sorrow.  I asked  if  we  were  to  be  guided  by  dreams,  or 
by  the  authority  I derived  from  Sekeletu,  and  ordered  them  to 
load  the  boats  at  once ; they  seemed  ashamed  to  confess  their 
fears ; the  Makololo  picked  up  courage  and  upbraided  the  others 
for  having  such  superstitious  views,  and  said  this  was  always 
their  way;  if  even  a certain  bird  called  to  them,  they  would  turn 
back  from  an  enterprise,  saying  it  was  unlucky.  They  entered 
the  canoes  at  last,  and  were  the  better  of  a little  scolding  for  be- 
ing inclined  to  put  dreams  before  authority.  It  rained  all  the 
morning,  but  about  eleven  we  reached  the  village  of  Sheakondo,  on 
a small  stream  named  Lonkonye.  We  sent  a message  to  the 
head  man,  who  soon  appeared  with  two  wives,  bearing  handsome 
presents  of  manioc:  Sheakondo  could  speak  the  language  of  the 
Barotse  well,  and  seemed  awestruck  when  told  some  of  the 
“ words  of  God.”  He  manifested  no  fear,  always  spoke  frankly, 
and  when  he  made  an  asseveration,  did  so  by  simply  pointing  up 
to  the  sky  above  him.  The  Balonda  cultivate  the  manioc  or  cas- 
sava extensively ; also  dura,  ground-nuts,  beans,  maize,  sweet  po- 
tatoes, and  yams,  here  called  “ lekoto,”  but  as  yet  we  see  only  the 
outlying  villages. 

The  people  who  came  with  Sheakondo  to  our  bivouac  had 
their  teeth  filed  to  a point  by  way  of  beautifying  them,  though 
those  which  were  left  untouched  were  always  the  whitest;  they 
are  generally  tattooed  in  various  parts,  but  chiefly  on  the  abdo- 
men : the  skin  is  raised  in  small  elevated  cicatrices,  each  nearly 
half  an  inch  long  and  a quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  so  that  a 
number  of  them  may  constitute  a star,  or  other  device.  The  dark 
color  of  the  skin  prevents  any  coloring  matter  being  deposited  in 
these  figures,  but  they  love  much  to  have  the  whole  surface  of  their 
bodies  anointed  witli  a comfortable  varnish  of  oil.  In  their  unas- 
sisted state  they  depend  on  supplies  of  oil  from  the  Palma  Christi, 
or  castor-oil-plant,  or  from  various  other  oliferous  seeds,  but  they 
are  all  excessively  fond  of  clarified  butter  or  ox  fat.  Sheakondo’s 
old  wife  presented  some  manioc  roots,  and  then  politely  requested 
to  be  anointed  with  butter : as  I had  been  bountifully  supplied  by 
the  Makololo,  I gave  her  as  much  as  would  suffice,  and  as  they 
have  little  clothing,  I can  readily  believe  that  she  felt  her  comfort 
greatly  enhanced  thereby. 


INTERVIEW  WITH  FEMALE  CHIEF. 


295 


The  favorite  wife,  who  was  also  present,  wras  equally  anxious 
for  butter.  She  had  a profusion  of  iron  rings  on  her  ankles,  to 
which  were  attached  little  pieces  of  sheet  iron,  to  enable  her  to 
make  a tinkling  as  she  walked  in  her  mincing  African  style ; the 
same  thing  is  thought  pretty  by  our  own  dragoons  in  walking 
jauntingly. 

We  had  so  much  rain  and  cloud  that  I could  not  get  a single 
observation  for  either  longitude  or  latitude  for  a fortnight.  Yet 
the  Leeba  docs  not  show  any  great  rise,  nor  is  the  water  in  the 
least  discolored.  It  is  slightly  black,  from  the  number  of  mossy 
rills  which  fall  into  it.  It  has  remarkably  few  birds  and  fish, 
while  the  Leeambye  swarms  with  both.  It  is  noticeable  that 
alligators  here  possess  more  of  the  fear  of  man  than  in  the 
Leeambye.  The  Balonda  have  taught  them,  by  their  poisoned 
arrows,  to  keep  out  of  sight.  We  did  not  see  one  basking  in  the 
sun.  The  Balonda  set  so  many  little  traps  for  birds  that  few 
appear.  I observed,  however,  many  (to  me)  new  small  birds  of 
song  on  its  banks.  More  rain  has  been  falling  in  the  east  than 
here,  for  the  Leeambye  was  rising  fast  and  working  against  the 
sandy  banks  so  vigorously  that  a slight  yellow  tinge  was  percep- 
tible in  it. 

One  of  our  men  was  bitten  by  a non-venomous  serpent,  and 
of  course  felt  no  harm.  The  Barotse  concluded  that  this  was 
owing  to  many  of  them  being  present  and  seeing  it,  as  if  the 
sight  of  human  eyes  could  dissolve  the  poison  and  act  as  a 
charm.  / 

On  the  6th  of  January  we  reached  the  village  of  another  fe- 
male chief,  named  Nyamoana,  who  is  said  to  be  the  mother  of 
Manenko,  and  sister  of  Shinte  or  Kabompo,  the  greatest  Balonda 
chief  in  this  part  of  the  country.  Her  people  had  but  recently 
come  to  the  present  locality,  and  had  erected  only  twenty  huts. 
Her  husband,  Samoana,  was  clothed  in  a kilt  of  green  and  red 
baize,  and  was  armed  with  a spear  and  a broadsword  of  antique 
form,  about  eighteen  inches  long  and  three  broad.  The  chief 
and  her  husband  were  sitting  on  skins  placed  in  the  middle  of  a 
circle  thirty  paces  in  diameter,  a little  raised  above  the  ordinary 
level  of  the  ground,  and  having  a trench  round  it.  Outside  the 
trench  sat  about  a hundred  persons  of  all  ages  and  both  sexes. 
The  men  were  well  armed  with  bows,  arrows,  spears,  and  broad- 


296 


COURT  ETIQUETTE. 


swords.  Beside  the  husband  sat  a rather  aged  woman,  having  a 
bad  outward  squint  in  the  left  eye.  We  put  down  our  arms 
about  forty  yards  off,  and  I walked  up  to  the  centre  of  the  circu- 
lar bench,  and  saluted  him  in  the  usual  way  by  clapping  the 
hands  together  in  their  fashion.  He  pointed  to  his  wife,  as  much 
as  to  say,  the  honor  belongs  to  her.  I saluted  her  in  the  same 
way,  and  a mat  having  been  brought,  I squatted  down  in  front  of 
them. 

The  talker  was  then  called,  and  I was  asked  who  was  my 
spokesman.  Having  pointed  to  Kolimbota,  who  knew  their 
dialect  best,  the  palaver  began  in  due  form.  I explained  the 
real  objects  I had  in  view,  without  any  attempt  to  mystify  or 
appear  in  any  other  character  than  my  own,  for  I have  always 
been  satisfied  that,  even  though  there  were  no  other  consid- 
erations, the  truthful  way  of  dealing  with  the  uncivilized  is 
unquestionably  the  best.  Kolimbota  repeated  to  Nyamoana’s 
talker  what  I had  said  to  him.  He  delivered  it  all  verbatim  to 
her  husband,  who  repeated  it  again  to  her.  It  was  thus  all 
rehearsed  four  times  over,  in  a tone  loud  enough  to  be  heard  by 
the  whole  party  of  auditors.  The  response  came  back  by  the 
same  roundabout  route,  beginning  at  the  lady  to  her  hus- 
band, etc. 

After  explanations  and  re-explanations,  I perceived  that  our 
new  friends  were  mixing  up  my  message  of  peace  and  friendship 
with  Makololo  affairs,  and  stated  that  it  was  not  delivered  on  the 
authority  of  any  one  less  than  that  of  their  Creator,  and  that  if 
the  Makololo  did  again  break  His  laws  and  attack  the  Balonda, 
the  guilt  would  rest  with  the  Makololo  and  not  with  me.  The 
palaver  then  came  to  a close. 

By  way  of  gaining  their  confidence,  I showed  them  my  hair, 
which  is  considered  a curiosity  in  all  this  region.  They  said, 
“Is  that  hair?  It  is  the  mane  of  a lion,  and  not  hair  at  all.” 
Some  thought  that  I had  made  a wig  of  lion’s  mane,  as  they 
sometimes  do  with  fibres  of  the  “ife,”  and  dye  it  black,  and 
twist  it  so  as  to  resemble  a mass  of  their  own  wool.  I could 
not  return  the  joke  by  telling  them  that  theirs  was  not  hair,  but 
the  wool  of  sheep,  for  they  have  none  of  these  in  the  country ; 
and  even  though  they  had,  as  Herodotus  remarked,  “ the  African 
sheep  are  clothed  with  hair,  and  men’s  heads  with  wool.”  So  I 


INCREASE  OF  SUPERSTITION. 


297 


had  to  be  content  with  asserting  that  mine  was  the  real  original 
hair,  such  as  theirs  would  have  been  had  it  not  been  scorched 
and  frizzled  by  the  sun.  In  proof  of  what  the  sun  could  do,  I 
compared  my  own  bronzed  face  and  hands,  then  about  the  same 
in  complexion  as  the  lighter-colored  Makololo,  with  the  white 
skin  of  my  chest.  They  readily  believed  that,  as  they  go  nearly 
naked  and  fully  exposed  to  that  influence,  we  might  be  of  com- 
mon origin  after  all.  Here,  as  every  where,  when  heat  and  moist- 
ure are  combined,  the  people  are  very  dark,  but  not  quite  black. 
There  is  always  a shade  of  brown  in  the  most  deeply  colored. 
I showed  my  watch  and  pocket  compass,  which  are  considered 
great  curiosities ; but,  though  the  lady  was  called  on  by  her 
husband  to  look,  she  would  not  be  persuaded  to  approach  near 
enough. 

These  people  are  more  superstitious  than  any  we  had  yet 
encountered  ; though  still  only  building  their  village,  they  had 
found  time  to  erect  two  little  sheds  at  the  chief  dwelling  in  it,  in 
which  were  placed  two  pots  having  charms  in  them.  When 
asked  what  medicine  they  contained,  they  replied,  “Medicine 
for  the  Barimo but  when  I rose  and  looked  into  them,  they 
said  they  were  medicine  for  the  game.  Here  we  saw  the  first 
evidence  of  the  existence  of  idolatry  in  the  remains  of  an  old 
idol  at  a deserted  village.  It  was  simply  a human  head  carved 
on  a block  of  wood.  Certain  charms  mixed  with  red  ochre  and 
white  pipe-clay  are  dotted  over  them  when  they  are  in  use  ; and 
a crooked  stick  is  used  in  the  same  way  for  an  idol  when  they 
have  no  professional  carver. 

As  the  Leeba  seemed  still  to  come  from  the  direction  in  which 
we  wished  to  go,  I was  desirous  of  proceeding  farther  up  with 
the  canoes ; but  Nyamoana  was  anxious  that  we  should  allow 
her  people  to  conduct  us  to  her  brother  Shinte ; and  when  I 
explained  the  advantage  of  water-carriage,  she  represented  that 
her  brother  did  not  live  near  the  river,  and,  moreover,  there  was 
a cataract  in  front,  over  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  convey  the 
canoes.  She  was  afraid,  too,  that  the  Balobale,  whose  country 
lies  to  the  west  of  the  river,  not  knowing  the  objects  for  which 
we  had  come,  would  kill  us.  To  my  reply  that  I had  been  so 
often  threatened  with  death  if  I visited  a new  tribe  that  I was 
now  more  afraid  of  killing  any  one  than  of  being  killed,  she 


298 


MODE  OF  SALUTATION. 


rejoined  that  the  Balobale  would  not  kill  me,  but  the  Makololo 
would  all  be  sacrificed  as  their  enemies.  This  produced  consid- 
erable effect  on  my  companions,  and  inclined  them  to  the  plan  of 
Nyamoana,  of  going  to  the  town  of  her  brother  rather  than  as- 
cending the  Leeba.  The  arrival  of  Manenko  herself  on  the  scene 
threw  so  much  weight  into  the  scale  on  their  side  that  I was 
forced  to  yield  the  point. 

Manenko  was  a tall,  strapping  woman  about  twenty,  distin- 
guished by  a profusion  of  ornaments  and  medicines  hung  round 
her  person  ; the  latter  are  supposed  to  act  as  charms.  Her  body 
was  smeared  all  over  with  a mixture  of  fat  and  red  ochre,  as  a 
protection  against  the  weather ; a necessary  precaution,  for,  like 
most  of  the  Balonda  ladies,  she  was  otherwise  in  a state  of 
frightful  nudity.  This  was  not  from  -want  of  clothing,  for,  being 
a chief,  she  might  have  been  as  well  clad  as  any  of  her  subjects, 
but  from  her  peculiar  ideas  of  elegance  in  dress.  When  she 
arrived  with  her  husband,  Sambanza,  they  listened  for  some  time 
to  the  statements  I was  making  to  the  people  of  Nyamoana, 
after  which  the  husband,  acting  as  spokesman,  commenced  an 
oration,  stating  the  reasons  for  their  coming,  and,  during  every 
two  or  three  seconds  of  the  delivery,  he  picked  up  a little  sand, 
and  rubted  it  on  the  upper  part  of  his  arms  and  chest.  This  is 
a common  mode  of  salutation  in  Londa ; and  when  they  wish 
to  be  excessively  polite,  they  bring  a quantity  of  ashes  or  pipe- 
clay in  a piece  of  skin,  and,  taking  up  handfuls,  rub  it  on  the 
chest  and  upper  front  part  of  each  arm ; others,  in  saluting,  drum 
their  ribs  with  their  elbows ; while  others  still  touch  the  ground 
with  one  cheek  after  the  other,  and  clap  their  hands.  The  chiefs 
go  through  the  manoeuvre  of  rubbing  the  sand  on  the  arms,  but 
only  make  a feint  at  picking  up  some.  When  Sambanza  had 
finished  his  oration,  he  rose  up,  and  showed  his  ankles  orna- 
mented with  a bundle  of  copper  rings ; had  they  been  very 
heavy,  they  would  have  made  him  adopt  a straggling  walk. 
Some  chiefs  have  really  so  many  as  to  be  forced,  by  the  weight 
and  size,  to  keep  one  foot  apart  from  the  other,  the  weight 
being  a serious  inconvenience  in  walking.  The  gentlemen  like 
Sambanza,  who  wish  to  imitate  their  betters,  do  so  in  their 
walk ; so  you  see  men,  with  only  a few  ounces  of  ornament  on 
their  legs,  strutting  along  as  if  they  had  double  the  number  of 


EMBASSY  AND  PRESENT  FROM  MASIKO. 


299 


pounds.  When  I smiled  at  Sambanza’s  walk,  the  people  remark- 
ed, “ That  is  the  way  in  which  they  show  off  their  lordship  in 
these  parts.” 

Manenko  was  quite  decided  in  the  adoption  of  the  policy  of 
friendship  with  the  Makololo  which  we  recommended ; and,  by 
way  of  cementing  the  bond,  she  and  her  counselors  proposed  that 
Kolimbota  should  take  a wife  among  them.  By  this  expedient 
she  hoped  to  secure  his  friendship,  and  also  accurate  information 
as  to  the  future  intentions  of  the  Makololo.  She  thought  that  he 
would  visit  the  Balonda  more  frequently  afterward,  having  the 
good  excuse  of  going  to  see  his  wife ; and  the  Makololo  would 
never,  of  course,  kill  the  villagers  among  whom  so  near  a relative 
of  one  of  their  own  children  dwells.  Kolimbota,  I found,  thought 
favorably  of  the  proposition,  and  it  afterward  led  to  his  desertion 
from  us. 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  in  which  Manenko  arrived,  we  were 
delighted  by  the  appearance  of  Mosantu  and  an  imposing  em- 
bassy from  Masiko.  It  consisted  of  all  his  under-chiefs,  and  they 
brought  a fine  elephant’s  tusk,  two  calabashes  of  honey,  and  a 
large  piece  of  blue  baize,  as  a present.  The  last  was  intended 
perhaps  to  show  me  that  he  was  a truly  great  chief,  who  had 
such  stores  of  white  men’s  goods  at  hand  that  he  could  afford 
to  give  presents  of  them ; it  might  also  be  intended  for  Mosan- 
tu, for  chiefs  usually  remember  the  servants;  I gave  it  to  him. 
Masiko  expressed  delight,  by  his  principal  men,  at  the  return  of 
the  captives,  and  at  the  proposal  of  peace  and  alliance  with  the 
Makololo.  He  stated  that  he  never  sold  any  of  his  own  people 
to  the  Mambari,  but  only  captives  whom  his  people  kidnapped 
from  small  neighboring  tribes.  When  the  question  was  put 
whether  his  people  had  been  in  the  habit  of  molesting  the  Mako- 
lolo by  kidnapping  their  servants  and  stealing  canoes,  it  was 
admitted  that  two  of  his  men,  when  hunting,  had  gone  to  the 
Makololo  gardens,  to  see  if  any  of  their  relatives  were  there. 
As  the  great  object  in  all  native  disputes  is  to  get  both  parties 
to  turn  over  a new  leaf,  I explained  the  desirableness  of  for- 
getting past  feuds,  accepting  the  present  Makololo  professions 
as  genuine,  and  avoiding  in  future  to  give  them  any  cause  for 
marauding.  I presented  Masiko  with  an  ox,  furnished  by  Seke- 
letu  as  provision  for  ourselves.  All  these  people  are  excessively 


300 


MANENKO  A SCOLD. 


fond  of  beef  and  butter,  from  having  been  accustomed  to  them 
in  their  youth,  before  the  Makololo  deprived  them  of  cattle. 
They  have  abundance  of  game,  but  I am  quite  of  their  opinion 
that,  after  all,  there  is  naught  in  the  world  equal  to  roast  beef, 
and  that  in  their  love  for  it  the  English  show  both  good  taste 
and  sound  sense.  The  ox  was  intended  for  Masiko,  but  his  men 
were  very  anxious  to  get  my  sanction  for  slaughtering  it  on  the 
spot.  I replied  that  when  it  went  out  of  my  hands  I had  no 
more  to  do  with  it.  They,  however,  wished  the  responsibility  of 
slaughtering  it  to  rest  with  me ; if  I had  said  they  might  kill  it, 
not  many  ounces  would  have  remained  in  the  morning.  I would 
have  given  permission,  but  had  nothing  else  to  offer  in  return  for 
Masiko’s  generosity. 

We  were  now  without  any  provisions  except  a small  dole  of 
manioc  roots  each  evening  from  Nyamoana,  which,  when  eaten 
raw,  produce  poisonous  effects.  A small  loaf,  made  from  nearly 
the  last  morsel  of  maize-meal  from  Libonta,  was  my  stock,  and 
our  friends  from  Masiko  were  still  more  destitute;  yet  we  all 
rejoiced  so  much  at  their  arrival  that  we  resolved  to  spend  a 
day  with  them.  The  Barotse  of  our  party,  meeting  with  relatives 
and  friends  among  the  Barotse  of  Masiko,  had  many  old  tales  to 
tell ; and,  after  pleasant  hungry  converse  by  day,  we  regaled 
our  friends  with  the  magic  lantern  by  night,  and,  in  order  to 
make  the  thing  of  use  to  all,  we  removed  our  camp  up  to  the 
village  of  Nyamoana.  This  is  a good  means  of  arresting  the 
attention,  and  conveying  important  facts  to  the  minds  of  these 
people. 

When  erecting  our  sheds  at  the  village,  Manenko  fell  upon 
our  friends  from  Masiko  in  a way  that  left  no  doubt  on  our 
minds  but  that  she  is  a most  accomplished  scold.  Masiko  had, 
on  a former  occasion,  sent  to  Samoana  for  a cloth,  a common 
way  of  keeping  up  intercourse,  and,  after  receiving  it,  sent  it 
back,  because  it  had  the  appearance  of  having  had  “ witchcraft 
medicine”  on  it ; this  was  a grave  offense,  and  now  Manenko 
had  a good  excuse  for  venting  her  spleen,  the  embassadors 
having  called  at  her  village,  and  slept  in  one  of  the  huts  without 
leave.  If  her  family  was  to  be  suspected  of  dealing  in  evil 
charms,  why  were  Masiko’s  people  not  to  be  thought  guilty  of 
leaving  the  same  in  her  hut?  She  advanced  and  receded  in 


DETAINED  BY  MANENKO. 


301 


true  oratorical  style,  belaboring  ber  own  servants  as  well  for 
allowing  the  offense,  and,  as  usual  in  more  civilized  feminine 
lectures,  she  leaned  over  the  objects  of  her  ire,  and  screamed 
forth  all  their  faults  and  failings  ever  since  they  were  born,  and 
her  despair  of  ever  seeing  them  become  better,  until  they  were 
all  “killed  by  alligators.”  Masiko’s  people  followed  the  plan  of 
receiving  this  torrent  of  abuse  in  silence,  and,  as  neither  we  nor 
they  had  any  thing  to  eat,  we  parted  next  morning.  In  reference 
to  Masiko  selling  slaves  to  the  Mambari,  they  promised  to  explain 
the  relationship  which  exists  between  even  the  most  abject  of  his 
people  and  our  common  Father;  and  that  no  more  kidnapping 
ought  to  be  allowed,  as  he  ought  to  give  that  peace  and  security 
to  the  smaller  tribes  on  his  eastern  borders  which  he  so  much 
desired  to  obtain  himself  from  the  Makololo.  We  promised  to 
return  through  his  town  when  we  came  back  from  the  sea-coast. 

Manenko  gave  us  some  manioc  roots  in  the  morning,  and  had 
determined  to  carry  our  baggage  to  her  uncle’s,  Kabompo  or 
Shinte.  We  had  heard  a sample  of  what  she  could  do  with  her 
tongue ; and  as  neither  my  men  nor  myself  had  much  inclination 
to  encounter  a scolding  from  this  black  Mrs.  Caudle,  we  made 
ready  the  packages ; but  she  came  and  said  the  men  whom  she 
had  ordered  for  the  service  had  not  yet  come ; they  would  arrive 
to-morrow.  Being  on  low  and  disagreeable  diet,  I felt  annoyed 
at  this  further  delay,  and  ordered  the  packages  to  be  put  into  the 
canoes  to  proceed  up  the  river  without  her  servants  ; but  Manenko 
was  not  to  be  circumvented  in  this  way ; she  came  forward  with 
her  people,  and  said  her  uncle  would  be  angry  if  she  did  not  carry 
forward  the  tusks  and  goods  of  Sekeletu,  seized  the  luggage,  and 
declared  that  she  would  carry  it  in  spite  of  me.  My  men  suc- 
cumbed sooner  to  this  petticoat  government  than  I felt  inclined 
to  do,  and  left  me  no  power ; and,  being  unwilling  to  encounter 
her  tongue,  I was  moving  off  to  the  canoes,  when  she  gave  me  a 
kind  explanation,  and,  with  her  hand  on  my  shoulder,  put  on  a 
motherly  look,  saying,  “Now,  my  little  man,  just  do  as  the  rest 
have  done.”  My  feelings  of  annoyance  of  course  vanished,  and  I 
went  out  to  try  and  get  some  meat. 

The  only  game  to  be  found  in  these  parts  are  the  zebra , the 
Jcualata  or  tahetsi  ( Aigoceros  equina ),  kama  (Bubalus  caama ), 
buffaloes,  and  the  small  antelope  hakitenwe  {Philantomba). 


302  UNSUCCESSFUL  ZEBRA-HUNT. 

The  animals  can  he  seen  here  only  by  following  on  their  trail 
for  many  miles.  Urged  On  by  hunger,  we  followed  that  of  some 
zebras  during  the  greater  part  of  the  day : when  within  fifty 
yards  of  them,  in  a dense  thicket,  I made  sure  of  one,  but,  to  my 
infinite  disgust,  the  gun  missed  fire,  and  off  they  bounded.  The 
climate  is  so  very  damp,  from  daily  heavy  rains,  that  every  thing 
becomes  loaded  with  moisture,  and  the  pow'der  in  the  gun-nipples 
can  not  be  kept  dry.  It  is  curious/to  mark  the  intelligence  of  the 
game;  in  districts  where  they  are  much  annoyed  by  fire-arms,  they 
keep  out  on  the  most  open  spots  of  country  they  can  find,  in  order 
to  have  a widely-extended  range  of  vision,  and  a man  armed  is 
carefully  shunned.  From  the  frequency  with  which  I have  been 
allowed  to  approach  nearer  without  than  with  a gun,  I believe  they 
know  the  difference  between  safety  and  danger  in  the  two  cases. 
But  here,  where  they  are  killed  by  the  arrows  of  the  Balonda,  they 
select  for  safety  the  densest  forest,  where  the  arrow  can  not  be 
easily  shot.  The  variation  in  the  selection  of  standing-spots 
during  the  day  may,  however,  be  owing  partly  to  the  greater  heat 
of  the  sun,  for  here  it  is  particularly  sharp  and  penetrating.  How- 
ever accounted  for,  the  wild  animals  here  do  select  the  forests  by 
day,  while  those  farther  south  generally  shun  these  covers,  and, 
on  several  occasions,  I have  observed  there  was  no  sunshine  to 
cause  them  to  seek  for  shade. 


s 


CHARMS. 


303 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

Nyamoana’s  Present. — Charms. — Manenko’s  pedestrian  Powers. — An  Idol. — Ba- 
londa  Arms.  — Rain.  — Hunger.  — Palisades. — Dense  Forests. — Artificial  Bee- 
hives.— Mushrooms. — Villagers  lend  the  Roofs  of  their  Houses. — Divination  and 
Idols. — Manenko’s  Whims. — A night  Alarm. — Shintc’s  Messengers  and  Present. 
— The  proper  Way  to  approach  a Village. — A Merman. — Enter  Shinte’s  Town: 
its  Appearance. — Meet  two  half-caste  Slave-traders. — The  Makololo  scorn  them. 
— The  Balonda  real  Negroes. — Grand  Reception  from  Shinte.  — His  Kotla. — 
Ceremony  of  Introduction. — The  Orators. — Women.  — Musicians  and  Musical 
Instruments. — A disagreeable  Request. — Private  Interviews  with  Shinte. — Give 
him  an  Ox. — Fertility  of  Soil. — Manenko’s  new  Hut. — Conversation  with  Shinte. 
— Kolimbbta’s  Proposal. — Balonda’s  Punctiliousness. — Selling  Children. — Kid- 
napping.— Shinte’s  Offer  of  a Slave. — Magic  Lantern. — Alarm  of  Women. — De- 
lay.— Sambanza  returns  intoxicated. — The  last  and  greatest  Proof  of  Shinte’s 
Friendship. 

11  th  of  January,  1854.  Ox  starting  this  morning,  Samoana 
(or  rather  Nyamoana,  for  the  ladies  are  the  chiefs  here)  presented 
a string  of  beads,  and  a shell  highly  valued  among  them,  as  an 
atonement  for  having  assisted  Manenko,  as  they  thought,  to  vex 
me  the  day  before.  They  seemed  anxious  to  avert  any  evil  which 
might  arise  from  my  displeasure  ; but  having  replied  that  I never 
kept  my  anger  up  all  night,  they  were  much  pleased  to  see  me 
satisfied.  We  had  to  cross,  in  a canoe,  a stream  which  flows 
past  the  village  of  Nyamoana.  Manenko’s  doctor  waved  some 
charms  over  her,  and  she  took  some  in  her  hand  and  on  her  body 
before  she  ventured  upon  the  water.  One  of  my  men  spoke  rath- 
er loudly  when  near  the  doctor’s  basket  of  medicines.  The  doc- 
tor reproved  him,  and  always  spoke  in  a whisper  himself,  glanc- 
ing back  to  the  basket  as  if  afraid  of  being  heard  by  something 
therein.  So  much  superstition  is  quite  unknown  in  the  south, 
and  is  mentioned  here  to  show  the  difference  in  the  feelings  of 
this  new  people,  and  the  comparative  want  of  reverence  on  these 
points  among  Caffres  and  Bechuanas. 

Manenko  was  accompanied  by  her  husband  and  her  drummer ; 
the  latter  continued  to  thump  most  vigorously  until  a heavy, 
drizzling  mist  set  in  and  compelled  him  to  desist.  Her  husband 


304 


AN  IDOL.— BALONDA  ARMS. 


used  various  incantations  and  vociferations  to  drive  away  the 
rain,  but  down  it  poured  incessantly,  and  on  our  Amazon  went, 
in  the  very  lightest  marching  order,  and  at  a pace  that  few  of  the 
men  could  keep  up  with.  Being  on  ox-back,  I kept  pretty  close 
to  our  leader,  and  asked  her  why  she  did  not  clothe  herself  dur- 
ing the  rain,  and  learned  that  it  is  not  considered  proper  for  a 
chief  to  appear  effeminate.  He  or  she  must  always  wear  the  ap- 
pearance of  robust  youth,  and  bear  vicissitudes  without  wincing. 
My  men,  in  admiration  of  her  pedestrian  powers,  every  now  and 
then  remarked,  “ Manenko  is  a soldier and  thoroughly  wet  and 
cold,  we  were  all  glad  when  she  proposed  a halt  to  prepare  our 
night’s  lodging  on  the  banks  of  a stream. 

The  country  through  which  we  were  passing  was  the  same 
succession  of  forest  and  open  lawns  as  formerly  mentioned : 
the  trees  were  nearly  all  evergreens,  and  of  good,  though  not 
very  gigantic  size.  The  lawns  were  covered  with  grass,  which, 
in  thickness  of  crop,  looked  like  ordinary  English  hay.  We 
passed  two  small  hamlets  surrounded  by  gardens  of  maize  and 
manioc,  and  near  each  of  these  I observed,  for  the  first  time,  an 
ugly  idol  common  in  Londa — the  figure  of  an  animal,  resembling 
an  alligator,  made  of  clay.  It  is  formed  of  grass,  plastered  over 
with  soft  clay ; two  cowrie-shells  are  inserted  as  eyes,  and  num- 
bers of  the  bristles  from  the  tail  of  an  elephant  are  stuck  in  about 
the  neck.  It  is  called  a lion,  though,  if  one  were  not  told  so,  he 
would  conclude  it  to  be  an  alligator.  It  stood  in  a shed,  and  the 
Balonda  pray  and  beat  drums  before  it  all  night  in  cases  of  sick- 
ness. 

Some  of  the  men  of  Manenko’s  train  had  shields  made  of 
reeds,  neatly  woven  into  a square  shape,  about  five  feet  long  and 
three  broad.  With  these,  and  short  broadswords  and  sheaves  of 
iron-headed  arrows,  they  appeared  rather  ferocious.  But  the 
constant  habit  of  wearing  arms  is  probably  only  a substitute  for 
the  courage  they  do  not  possess.  We  always  deposited  our  fire- 
arms and  spears  outside  a village  before  entering  it,  while  the 
Balonda,  on  visiting  us  at  our  encampment,  always  came  fully 
armed,  until  we  ordered  them  either  to  lay  down  their  weapons 
or  be  off.  Next  day  we  passed  through  a piece  of  forest  so 
dense  that  no  one  could  have  penetrated  it  without  an  axe.  It 
was  flooded,  not  by  the  river,  but  by  the  heavy  rains  which 


HUNGER. — PALISADES. 


305 


poured  down  every  day,  and  kept  those  who  had  clothing  con- 
stantly wet.  I observed,  in  this  piece  of  forest,  a very  strong 
smell  of  sulphureted  hydrogen.  This  I had  observed  repeatedly 
in  other  parts  before.  I had  attacks  of  fever  of  the  intermittent 
type  again  and  again,  in  consequence  of  repeated  drenchings  in 
these  unhealthy  spots. 

On  the  11th  and  12th  we  were  detained  by  incessant  rains,  and 
so  heavy  I never  saw  the  like  in  the  south.  I had  a little  tapio- 
ca and  a small  quantity  of  Libonta  meal,  which  I still  reserved 
for  worse  times.  The  patience  of  my  men  under  hunger  was  ad- 
mirable ; the  actual  want  of  the  present  is  never  so  painful  as  the 
thought  of  getting  nothing  in  the  future.  We  thought  the  people 
of  some  large  hamlets  very  niggardly  and  very  independent  of 
their  chiefs,  for  they  gave  us  and  Manenko  nothing,  though  they 
had  large  fields  of  maize  in  an  eatable  state  around  them.  When 
she  went  and  kindly  begged  some  for  me,  they  gave  her  five  ears 
only.  They  were  subjects  of  her  uncle  ; and,  had  they  been  Ma- 
kololo,  would  have  been  lavish  in  their  gifts  to  the  niece  of  their 
chief.  I suspected  that  they  were  dependents  of  some  of  Shinte’s 
principal  men,  and  had  no  power  to /part  with  the  maize  of  their 
masters. 

Each  house  of  these  hamlets  has  a palisade  of  thick  stakes 
around  it,  and  the  door  is  made  to  resemble  the  rest  of  the 
stockade ; the  door  is  never  seen  open ; when  the  owner  wishes 
to  enter,  he  removes  a stake  or  two,  squeezes  his  body  in,  then 
plants  them  again  in  their  places,  so  that  an  enemy  coming  in  the 
night  would  find  it  difficult  to  discover  the  entrance.  These  pal- 
isades seem  to  indicate  a sense  of  insecurity  in  regard  to  their  fel- 
low-men, for  there  are  no  wild  beasts  to  disturb  them ; the  bows 
and  arrows  have  been  nearly  as  efficacious  in  clearing  the  country 
here  as  guns  have  in  the  country  farther  south.  This  was  a dis- 
appointment to  us,  for  we  expected  a continuance  of  the  abund- 
ance of  game  in  the  north  which  we  found  when  we  first  came  up 
to  the  confluence  of  the  Leeba  and  Leeambye. 

A species  of  the  silver-tree  of  the  Cape  ( Leucodendron  argen- 
teurri)  is  found  in  abundance  in  the  parts  through  which  we  have 
traveled  since  leaving  Samoana’s.  As  it  grows  at  a height  of 
between  two  and  three  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea,  on  the  Cape  Table  Mountain,  and  again  on  the  northern 

U 


306 


DENSE  FORESTS. 


slope  of  the  Cashan  Mountains,  and  here  at  considerably  greater 
heights  (four  thousand  feet),  the  difference  of  climate  prevents 
the  botanical  range  being  considered  as  affording  a good  approxi- 
mation to  the  altitude.  The  rapid  flow  of  the  Leeambye,  which 
once  seemed  to  me  evidence  of  much  elevation  of  the  country 
from  which  it  comes,  I now  found,  by  the  boiling  point  of  water, 
was  fallacious.* 

The  forests  became  more  dense  as  we  went  north.  We  travel- 
ed much  more  in  the  deep  gloom  of  the  forest  than  in  open  sun- 
light. No  passage  existed  on  either  side  of  the  narrow  path  made 
by  the  axe.  Large  climbing  plants  entwined  themselves  around 
the  trunks  and  branches  of  gigantic  trees  like  boa  constrictors, 
and  they  often  do  constrict  the  trees  by  which  they  rise,  and,  kill- 
ing them,  stand  erect  themselves.  The  bark  of  a fine  tree  found 
in  abundance  here,  and  called  “ motuia,”  is  used  by  the  Barotse 
for  making  fish-lines  and  nets,  and  the  “molompi,”  so  well 
adapted  for  paddles  by  its  lightness  and  flexibility,  was  abund- 
ant. There  were  other  trees  quite  new  to  my  companions;  many 
of  them  ran  up  to  a height  of  fifty  feet  of  one  thickness,  and  with- 
out branches. 

In  these  forests  we  first  encountered  the  artificial  beehives 
so  commonly  met  with  all  the  way  from  this  to  Angola.  They 
consist  of  about  five  feet  of  the  bark  of  a tree  fifteen  or  eighteen 


* On  examining  this  subject  when  I returned  to  Linyanti,  I found  that,  accord- 
ing to  Dr.  Arnott,  a declivity  of  three  inches  per  mile  gives  a velocity  in  a smooth, 
straight  channel  of  three  miles  an  hour.  The  general  velocity  of  the  Zambesi  is 
three  miles  and  three  quarters  per  hour,  though  in  the  rocky  parts  it  is  some- 
times as  much  as  four  and  a half.  If,  however,  we  make  allowances  for  rough- 
ness of  bottom,  bendings  of  channel,  and  sudden  descents  at  cataracts,  and  say  the 
declivity  is  even  seven  inches  per  mile,  those  800  miles  between  the  east  coast  and 
the  great  falls  would  require  less  than  500  feet  to  give  the  observed  velocity,  and 
the  additional  distance  to  this  point  would  require  but  150  feet  of  altitude  more. 
If  my  observation  of  this  altitude  may  be  depended  on,  we  have  a steeper  declivity 
for  the  Zambesi  than  for  some  other  great  rivers.  The  Ganges,  for  instance,  is 
said  to  be  at  1800  miles  from  its  mouth  only  800  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
and  water  requires  a month  to  come  that  distance.  But  there  are  so  many  modi- 
fying circumstances,  it  is  difficult  to  draw  any  reliable  conclusion  from  the  cur- 
rents. The  Chobe  is  sometimes  heard  of  as  flooded,  about  40  miles  above  Linyan- 
ti,  a fortnight  before  the  inundation  reaches  that  point,  but  it  is  very  tortuous.  The 
great  river  Magdalena  falls  only  500  feet  in  a thousand  miles  ; other  rivers  much 


more. 


BEEHIVES.— MUSHROOMS. 


307 


inches  in  diameter.  Two  incisions  are  made  right  round  the 
tree  at  points  five  feet  apart,  then  one  longitudinal  slit  from  one 
of  these  to  the  other ; the  workman  next  lifts  up  the  hark  on 
each  side  of  this  slit,  and  detaches  it  from  the  trunk,  taking 
care  not  to  break  it,  until  the  whole  comes  from  the  tree.  The 
elasticity  of  the  bark  makes  it  assume  the  form  it  had  before; 
the  slit  is  sewed  or  pegged  up  with  wooden  pins,  and  ends  made 
of  coiled  grass-rope  are  inserted,  one  of  which  has  a hole  for  the 
ingress  of  the  bees  in  the  centre,  and  the  hive  is  complete. 
These  hives  are  placed  in  a horizontal  position  on  high  trees  in 
different  parts  of  the  forest,  and  in  this  way  all  the  wax  exported 
from  Benguela  and  Loanda  is  collected.  It  is  all  the  produce 
of  free  labor.  A “ piece  of  medicine”  is  tied  round  the  trunk 
of  the  tree,  and  proves  sufficient  protection  against  thieves. 
The  natives  seldom  rob  each  other,  for  all  believe  that  certain 
medicines  can  inflict  disease  and  death ; and  though  they  con- 
sider that  these  are  only  known  to  a few,  they  act  on  the 
principle  that  it  is  best  to  let  them  all  alone.  The  gloom 
of  these  forests  strengthens  the  superstitious  feelings  of  the 
people.  In  other  quarters,  where  they  are  not  subjected  to 
this  influence,  I have  heard  the  chiefs  issue  proclamations  to 
the  effect  that  real  witchcraft  medicines  had  been  placed  at  cer- 
tain gardens  from  which  produce  had  been  stolen,  the  thieves 
having  risked  the  power  of  the  ordinary  charms  previously  placed 
there. 

This  being  the  rainy  season,  great  quantities  of. mushrooms 
were  met  with,  and  were  eagerly  devoured  by  my  companions : 
the  edible  variety  is  always  found  growing  out  of  ant-hills,  and 
attains  the  diameter  of  the  crown  of  a hat ; they  are  quite  white, 
and  very  good,  even  when  eaten  raw ; they  occupy  an  extensive 
region  of  the  interior ; some,  not  edible,  are  of  a brilliant  red,  and 
others  are  of  the  same  light  blue  as  the  paper  used  by  apotheca- 
ries to  put  up  their  medicines. 

There  was  a considerable  pleasure,  in  spite  of  rain  and  fever,  in 
this  new  scenery.  The  deep  gloom  contrasted  strongly  with  the 
shadeless  glare  of  the  Kalahari,  which  had  left  an  indelible  im- 
pression on  my  memory.  Though  drenched  day  by  day  at  this 
time,  and  for  months  afterward,  it  was  long  before  I could  believe 
that  we  were  getting  too  much  of  a good  thing.  Nor  could  I look 


808 


LENDING  ROOFS  OF  HUTS. 


at  water  being  thrown  away  without  a slight,  quick  impression 
flitting  across  the  mind  that  we  were  guilty  of  wasting  it.  Every 
now  and  then  we  emerged  from  the  deep  gloom  into  a pretty  little 
valley,  having  a damp  portion  in  the  middle ; which,  though  now 
filled  with  water,  at  other  times  contains  moisture  enough  for 
wells  only.  These  wells  have  shades  put  over  them  in  the  form 
of  little  huts. 

We  crossed,  in  canoes,  a little  never-failing  stream,  which  pass- 
es by  the  name  of  Lefuje,  or  “ the  rapid.”  It  comes' from  a good- 
ly high  mountain,  called  Monakadzi  (the  woman),  which  gladdened 
our  eyes  as  it  rose  to  our  sight  about  twenty  or  thirty  miles  to 
the  east  of  our  course.  It  is  of  an  oblong  shape,  and  seemed  at 
least  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  plains.  The  Lefuje  probably 
derives  its  name  from  the  rapid  descent  of  the  short  course  it  has 
to  flow  from  Monakadzi  to  the  Leeba. 

The  number  of  little  villages  seeemed  about  equal  to  the 
number  of  valleys.  At  some  we  stopped  and  rested,  the  people 
becoming  more  liberal  as  we  advanced.  Others  we  found  de- 
serted, a sudden  panic  having  seized  the  inhabitants,  though  the 
drum  of  Manenko  was  kept  beaten  pretty  constantly,  in  order 
to  give  notice  of  the  approach  of  great  people.  When  we  had 
decided  to  remain  for  the  night  at  any  village,  the  inhabitants 
lent  us  the  roofs  of  their  huts,  which  in  form  resemble  those  of 
the  Makololo,  or  a Chinaman’s  hat,  and  can  be  taken  off  the  walls 
at  pleasure.  They  lifted  them  off,  and  brought  them  to  the  spot 
we  had  selected  as  our  lodging,  and,  when  my  men  had  propped 
them  up  with  stakes,  they  were  then  safely  housed  for  the  night. 
Every  one  who  comes  to  salute  either  Manenko  or  ourselves 
rubs  the  upper  parts  of  the  arms  and  chest  with  ashes ; those 
who  wish  to  show  profounder  reverence  put  some  also  on  the 
face. 

We  found  that  every  village  had  its  idols  near  it.  This  is  the 
case  all  through  the  country  of  the  Balonda,  so  that,  when  we 
came  to  an  idol  in  the  woods,  we  always  knew  that  we  were 
within  a quarter  of  an  hour  of  human  habitations.  One  very 
ugly  idol  we  passed  rested  on  a horizontal  beam  placed  on 
two  upright  posts.  This  beam  was  furnished  with  two  loops  of 
cord,  as  of  a chain,  to  suspend  offerings  before  it.  On  remarking 
to  my  companions  that  these  idols  had  ears,  but  that  they  heard 


MANENKO’S  WHIMS. 


309 


not,  etc.,  I learned  that  the  Balonda,  and  even  the  Barotse,  be- 
lieve that  divination  may  be  performed  by  means  of  these  blocks 
of  wood  and  clay ; and  though  the  wood  itself  could  not  hear, 
the  owners  had  medicines  by  which  it  could  be  made  to  hear  and 
give  responses,  so  that  if  an  enemy  were  approaching  they 
would  have  full  information.  Manenko  having  brought  us  to  a 
stand  on  account  of  slight  indisposition  and  a desire  to  send  for- 
ward notice  of  our  approach  to  her  uncle,  I asked  why  it  was  nec- 
essary to  send  forward  information  of  our  movements,  if  Shinte 
had  idols  who  could  tell  him  every  thing.  “ She  did  it  only,”* 
was  the  reply.  It  is  seldom  of  much  use  to  show  one  who  wor- 
ships idols  the  folly  of  idolatry  without  giving  something  else  as 
an  object  of  adoration  instead.  They  do  not  love  them.  They 
fear  them,  and  betake  themselves  to  their  idols  only  when  in  per- 
plexity and  danger. 

While  delayed,  by  Manenko’s  management,  among  the  Ba- 
londa villages,  a little  to  the  south  of  the  town  of  Shinte,  we 
were  well  supplied  by  the  villagers  with  sweet  potatoes  and 
green  maize ; Sambanza  went  to  his  mother’s  village  for  sup- 
plies of  other  food.  I was  laboring  under  fever,  and  did  not 
find  it  very  difficult  to  exercise  patience  with  her  whims ; but  it 
being  Saturday,  I thought  we  might  as  well  go  to  the  town  for 
Sunday  (15th).  “No;  her  messenger  must  return  from  her 
uncle  first.”  Being  sure  that  the  answer  of  the  uncle  would  be 
favorable,  I thought  we  might  go  on  at  once,  and  not  lose  two 
days  in  the  same  spot.  “ No,  it  is  our  custom  and  every  thing 
else  I could  urge  was  answered  in  the  genuine  pertinacious  lady 
style.  She  ground  some  meal  for  me  with  her  own  hands,  and 
when  she  brought  it  told  me  she  had  actually  gone  to  a village 
and  begged  corn  for  the  purpose.  She  said  this  with  an  air  as 
if  the  inference  must  be  drawn  by  even  a stupid  white  man : 
“ I know  how  to  manage,  don’t  I ?”  It  was  refreshing  to  get 
food  which  could  be  eaten  without  producing  the  unpleasantness 
described  by  the  Rev.  John  Newton,  of  St.  Mary’s,  Woolnoth, 
London,  when  obliged  to  eat  the  same  roots  while  a slave  in  the 
West  Indies.  The  day  (January  14th),  for  a wonder,  was  fair, 


* This  is  a curious  African  idiom,  by  which  a person  implies  he  had  no  particular 
reason  for  his  act. 


310 


MODE  OF  APPROACHING  VILLAGES. 


and  the  sun  shone,  so  as  to  allow  us  to  dry  our  clothing  and  oth- 
er goods,  many  of  which  were  mouldy  and  rotten  from  the  long- 
continued  damp.  The  guns  rusted,  in  spite  of  being  oiled  every 
evening. 

During  the  night  we  were  all  awakened  by  a terrific  shriek  from 
one  of  Manenko’s  ladies.  She  piped  out  so  loud  and  long  that  we 
all  imagined  she  had  been  seized  by  a lion,  and  my  men  snatched 
up  their  arms,  which  they  always  place  so  as  to  be  ready  at  a mo- 
ment’s notice,  and  ran  to  the  rescue  ; but  we  found  the  alarm  had 
been  caused  by  one  of  the  oxen  thrusting  his  head  into  her  hut 
and  smelling  her : she  had  put  her  hand  on  his  cold,  wet  nose, 
and  thought  it  was  all  over  with  her. 

On  Sunday  afternoon  messengers  arrived  from  Slxinte,  ex- 
pressing his  approbation  of  the  objects  we  had  in  view  in  our 
journey  through  the  country,  and  that  he  was  glad  of  the  pros- 
pect of  a way  being  opened  by  which  white  men  might  visit 
him,  and  allow  him  to  purchase  ornaments  at  pleasure.  Ma- 
nenko  now  threatened  in  sport  to  go  on,  and  I soon  afterward 
perceived  that  what  now  seemed  to  me  the  dilly-dallying  way  of 
this  lady  was  the  proper  mode  of  making  acquaintance  with  the 
Balonda;  and  much  of  the  favor  with  which  I was  received  in 
different  places  was  owing  to  my  sending  forward  messengers  to 
state  the  object  of  our  coming  before  entering  each  town  and 
village.  When  we  came  in  sight  of  a village  we  sat  down  under 
the  shade  of  a tree  and  sent  forward  a man  to  give  notice  who 
we  were  and  what  were  our  objects.  The  head  man  of  the 
village  then  sent  out  his  principal  men,  as  Shinte  now  did,  to  bid 
us  welcome  and  show  us  a tree  under  which  we  might  sleep. 
Before  I had  profited  by  the  rather  tedious  teaching  of  Manenko, 
I sometimes  entered  a village  and  created  unintentional  alarm. 
The  villagers  would  continue  to  look  upon  us  with  suspicion  as 
long  as  we  remained.  Shinte  sent  us  two  large  baskets  of 
manioc  and  six  dried  fishes.  His  men  had  the  skin  of  a mon- 
key, called  in  their  tongue  “polixma”  ( Colobus  guereza ),  of  a jet 
black  color,  except  the  long  mane,  which  is  pure  white : it  is  said 
to  be  found  in  the  north,  in  the  country  of  Matiamvo,  the  para- 
mount chief  of  all  the  Balonda.  We  learned  from  them  that 
they  are  in  the  habit  of  praying  to  their  idols  when  unsuccessful 
in  killing  game  or  in  any  other  enterprise.  They  behaved  with 


A MERMAN. 


311 


reverence  at  our  religious  services.  This  will  appear  important 
if  the  reader  remembers  the  almost  total  want  of  prayer  and  rever- 
ence we  encountered  in  the  south. 

Our  friends  informed  us  that  Shinte  would  be  highly  honored 
by  the  presence  of  three  white  men  in  his  town  at  once.  Two 
others  had  sent  forward  notice  of  their  approach  from  another 
quarter  (the  west) ; could  it  be  Barth  or  Krapf  ? How  pleasant 
to  meet  with  Europeans  in  such  an  out-of-the-way  region ! The 
rush  of  thoughts  made  me  almost  forget  my  fever.  Are  they  of 
the  same  color  as  I am  ? “ Yes  ; exactly  so.”  And  have  the  same 
hair?  “Is  that  hair?  we  thought  it  was  a wig;  we  never  saw 
the  like  before ; this  white  man  must  be  of  the  sort  that  lives  in 
the  sea.”  Henceforth  my  men  took  the  hint,  and  always  sounded 
my  praises  as  a true  specimen  of  the  variety  of  white  men  who 
live  in  the  sea.  “Only  look  at  his  hair;  it  is  made  quite  straight 
by  the  sea-water!” 

I explained  to  them  again  and  again  that,  when  it  was  said  we 
came  out  of  the  sea,  it  did  not  mean  that  we  came  from  beneath 
the  water ; but  the  fiction  has  been  widely  spread  in  the  interior 
by  the  Mambari  that  the  real  white  men  live  in  the  sea,  and  the 
myth  was  too  good  not  to  be  taken  advantage  of  by  my  com- 
panions ; so,  notwithstanding  my  injunctions,  I believe  that,  when 
I was  out  of  hearing,  my  men  always  represented  themselves  as 
led  by  a genuine  merman : “Just  see  his  hair!”  If  I returned 
from  walking  to  a little  distance,  they  would  remark  of  some  to 
whom  they  had  been  holding  forth,  “ These  people  want  to  see 
your  hair.” 

As  the  strangers  had  woolly  hair  like  themselves,  I had  to 
give  up  the  idea  of  meeting  any  thing  more  European  than  two 
half-caste  Portuguese,  engaged  in  trading  for  slaves,  ivory,  and 
bees’-wax. 

1 Qth.  After  a short  march  we  came  to  a most  lovely  valley 
about  a mile  and  a half  wide,  and  stretching  away  eastward  up 
to  a low  prolongation  of  Monakadzi.  A small  stream  meanders 
down  the  centre  of  this  pleasant  green  glen;  and  on  a little  rill, 
which  flows  into  it  from  the  western  side,  stands  the  town  of 
Kabompo,  or,  as  he  likes  best  to  be  called,  Shinte.  (Lat.  12° 
37'  35"  S.,  long.  22°  47/  E.)  When  Manenko  thought  the  sun 
was  high  enough  for  us  to  make  a lucky  entrance,  we  found 


312 


SLAVE-TRADERS. 


the  town  embowered  in  banana  and  other  tropical  trees  having 
great  expansion  of  leaf;  the  streets  are  straight,  and  present 
a complete  contrast  to  those  of  the  Bechuanas,  which  are  all  very 
tortuous.  Here,  too,  we  first  saw  native  huts  with  square  walls 
and  round  roofs.  The  fences  or  Avails  of  the  courts  which  sur- 
round the  huts  are  wonderfully  straight,  and  made  of  upright 
poles  a few  inches  apart,  with  strong  grass  or  leafy  bushes  neatly 
woven  between.  In  the  courts  Avere  small  plantations  of  tobacco, 
and  a little  solanaceous  plant  which  the  Balonda  use  as  a relish; 
also  sugar-cane  and  bananas.  Many  of  the  poles  liaAre  grown 
again,  and  trees  of  the  Ficus  Indica  family  have  been  planted 
around,  in  order  to  give  to  the  inhabitants  a grateful  shade : 
they  regard  this  tree  Avith  some  sort  of  veneration  as  a medicine 
or  charm.  Goats  were  broAvsing  about,  and,  Avhen  we  made  our 
appearance,  a crowd  of  negroes,  all  fully  armed,  ran  tOAvard  us 
as  if  they  would  eat  us  up  ; some  had  guns,  but  the  manner 
in  which  they  were  held  showed  that  the  OAvners  were  more 
accustomed  to  bows  and  arrows  than  to  white  men’s  weapons. 
After  surrounding  and  staring  at  us  for  an  hour,  they  began  to 
disperse. 

The  two  native  Portuguese  traders  of  whom  Ave  had  heard  had 
erected  a little  encampment  opposite  the  place  where  ours  Avas 
about  to  be  made.  One  of  them,  whose  spine  had  been  injured 
in  youth — a rare  sight  in  this  country — came  and  visited  us.  I 
returned  the  visit  next  morning.  His  tall  companion  had  that 
sickly  yellow  hue  which  made  him  look  fairer  than  myself,  but 
his  head  was  covered  Avith  a crop  of  unmistakable  wool.  They 
had  a gang  of  young  female  slaves  in  a chain,  hoeing  the  ground 
in  front  of  their  encampment  to  clear  it  of  weeds  and  grass ; these 
were  purchased  recently  in  Lobale,  Avhence  the  traders  had  now 
come.  There  were  many  Mambari  Avith  them,  and  the  establish- 
ment was  conducted  with  that  military  order  which  pervades  all 
the  arrangements  of  the  Portuguese  colonists.  A drum  was  beaten 
and  trumpet  sounded  at  certain  hours,  quite  in  military  fashion. 
It  was  the  first  time  most  of  my  men  had  seen  slaves  in  chains. 
“They  are  not  men,”  they  exclaimed  (meaning  they  are  beasts), 
“ Avho  treat  their  children  so.” 

The  Balonda  are  real  negroes,  having  much  more  wool  on  their 
heads  and  bodies  than  any  of  the  Bechuana  or  Caflfre  tribes. 


' 


; 

is*. UWAffAlM 


RECEPTION  BY  SHINTE. 


315 


They  are  generally  very  dark  in  color,  hut  several  are  to  be 
seen  of  a lighter  hue ; many  of  the  slaves  who  have  been  ex- 
ported to  Brazil  have  gone  ‘from  this  region ; but  while  they 
have  a general  similarity  to  the  typical  negro,  I never  could, 
from  my  own  observation,  think  that  our  ideal  negro,  as  seen  in 
tobacconists’  shops,  is  the  true  type.  A large  proportion  of  the 
Balonda,  indeed,  have  heads  somewhat  elongated  backward  and 
upward,  thick  lips,  flat  noses,  elongated  ossa  calces , etc.,  etc. ; but 
there  are  also  many  good-looking,  well-shaped  heads  and  persons 
among  them. 

17 th,  Tuesday.  We  were  honored  with  a grand  reception  by 
Shinte  about  eleven  o’clock.  Sambanza  claimed  the  honor  of 
presenting  us,  Manenko  being  slightly  indisposed.  The  native 
Portuguese  and  Mambari  went  fully  armed  with  guns,  in  order 
to  give  Shinte  a salute ; their  drummer  and  trumpeter  making  all 
the  noise  that  very  old  instruments  would  produce.  The  kotla, 
or  place  of  audience,  was  about  a hundred  yards  square,  and 
two  graceful  specimens  of  a species  of  banian  stood  near  one 
end ; under  one  of  these  sat  Shinte,  on  a sort  of  throne  covered 
with  a leopard’s  skin.  He  had  on  a checked  jacket,  and  a kilt  of 
scarlet  baize  edged  with  green  ; many  strings  of  large  beads  hung 
from  his  neck,  and  his  limbs  were  covered  with  iron  and  copper 
armlets  and  bracelets ; on  his  head  he  wore  a helmet  made  of 
beads  woven  neatly  together,  and  crowned  with  a great  bunch  of 
goose-feathers.  Close  to  him  sat  three  lads  with  large  sheaves 
of  arrows  over  their  shoulders. 

When  we  entered  the  kotla,  the  whole  of  Manenko’s  party 
saluted  Shinte  by  clapping  their  hands,  and  Sambanza  did 
obeisance  by  rubbing  his  chest  and  arms  with  ashes.  One  of 
the  trees  being  unoccupied,  I retreated  to  it  for  the  sake  of  the 
shade,  and  my  whole  party  did  the  same.  We  were  now  about 
forty  yards  from  the  chief,  and  could  see  the  whole  ceremony. 
The  different  sections  of  the  tribe  came  forward  in  the  same  way 
that  we  did,  the  head  man  of  each  making  obeisance  with  ashes 
which  he  carried  with  him  for  the  purpose ; then  came  the  sol- 
diers, all  armed  to  the  teeth,  running  and  shouting  toward  us, 
with  their  swords  drawn,  and  their  faces  screwed  up  so  as  to  ap 
pear  as  savage  as  possible,  for  the  purpose,  I thought,  of  trying 
whether  they  could  not  make  us  take  to  our  heels.  As  wc  did 


316 


RECEPTION  BY  SHINTE. 


not,  they  turned  round  toward  Shinte  and  saluted  him,  then  re- 
tired. When  all  had  come  and  were  seated,  then  began  the 
curious  capering  usually  seen  in  pichos.  A man  starts  up,  and 
imitates  the  most  approved  attitudes  observed  in  actual  fight, 
as  throwing  one  javelin,  receiving  another  on  the  shield,  spring- 
ing to  one  side  to  avoid  a third,  running  backward  or  forward, 
leaping,  etc.  This  over,  Sambanza  and  the  spokesman  of  Ny- 
amoana  stalked  backward  and  forward  in  front  of  Shinte,  and 
gave  forth,  in  a loud  voice,  all  they  had  been  able  to  learn, 
either  from  myself  or  people,  of  my  past  history  and  connec- 
tion with  the  Makololo ; the  return  of  the  captives ; the  wish  to 
open  the  country  to  trade ; the  Bible  as  a word  from  heaven ; 
the  white  man’s  desire  for  the  tribes  to  live  in  peace : he  ought 
to  have  taught  the  Makololo  that  first,  for  the  Balonda  never 
attacked  them,  yet  they  had  assailed  the  Balonda : perhaps  he 
is  fibbing,  perhaps  not ; they  rather  thought  he  was ; but  as 
the  Balonda  had  good  hearts,  and  Shinte  had  never  done  harm 
to  any  one,  he  had  better  receive  the  white  man  well,  and  send 
him  on  his  way.  Sambanza  was  gayly  attired,  and,  besides  a pro- 
fusion of  beads,  had  a cloth  so  long  that  a boy  carried  it  after  him 
as  a train. 

Behind  Shinte  sat  about  a hundred  women,  clothed  in  their 
best,  which  happened  to  be  a profusion  of  red  baize.  The  chief 
wife  of  Shinte,  one  of  the  Matebele  or  Zulus,  sat  in  front  with  a 
curious  red  cap  on  her  head.  During  the  intervals  between  the 
speeches,  these  ladies  burst  forth  into  a sort  of  plaintive  ditty : 
but  it  was  impossible  for  any  of  us  to  catch  whether  it  was  in 
praise  of  the  speaker,  of  Shinte,  or  of  themselves.  This  was  the 
first  time  I had  ever  seen  females  present  in  a public  assembly. 
In  the  south  the  women  are  not  permitted  to  enter  the  kotla ; 
and  even  when  invited  to  come  to  a religious  service  there,  would 
not  enter  until  ordered  to  do  so  by  the  chief;  but  here  they  ex- 
pressed approbation  by  clapping  their  hands,  and  laughing  to  dif- 
ferent speakers  ; and  Shinte  frequently  turned  round  and  spoke  to 
them. 

A party  of  musicians,  consisting  of  three  drummers  and  four 
performers  on  the  piano,  went  round  the  kotla  several  times, 
regaling  us  with  their  music.  Their  drums  are  neatly  carved 
from  the  trunk  of  a tree,  and  have  a small  hole  in  the  side 


MUSICIANS  AND  MUSICAL  INSTRUMENTS. 


317 


covered  with  a bit  of  spider’s  web : the  ends  are  covered  with  the 
skin  of  an  antelope  pegged  on  ; and  when  they  wish  to  tighten  it, 
they  hold  it  to  the  fire  to  make  it  contract : the  instruments  are 
beaten  with  the  hands. 


The  Marimba,  or  Musical  Instrument  of  the  Balonda. 


The  piano,  named  “ marimba,”  consists  of  two  bars  of  wood 
placed  side  by  side,  here  quite  straight,  but,  farther  north,  bent 
round  so  as  to  resemble  half  the  tire  of  a carriage-wheel ; across 
these  are  placed  about  fifteen  wooden  keys,  each  of  which  is  two 
or  three  inches  broad,  and  fifteen  or  eighteen  inches  long;  their 
thickness  is  regulated  according  to  the  deepness  of  the  note 
required : each  of  the  keys  has  a calabash  beneath  it ; from  the 
upper  part  of  each  a portion  is  cut  off  to  enable  them  to  embrace 
the  bars,  and  form  hollow  sounding-boards  to  the  keys,  which 
also  are  of  different  sizes,  according  to  the  note  required ; and 
little  drumsticks  elicit  the  music.  Rapidity  of  execution  seems 
much  admired  among  them,  and  the  music  is  pleasant  to  the 
ear.  In  Angola  the  Portuguese  use  the  marimba  in  their 
dances. 

When  nine  speakers  had  concluded  their  orations,  Shinte  stood 
up,  and  so  did  all  the  people.  He  had  maintained  true  African 


318 


PRIVATE  INTERVIEW  WITH  SHINTE. 


dignity  of  manner  all  the  while,  but  my  people  remarked  that  he 
scarcely  ever  took  his  eyes  off  me  for  a moment.  About  a thou- 
sand people  were  present,  according  to  my  calculation,  and  three 
hundred  soldiers.  The  sun  had  now  become  hot ; and  the  scene 
ended  by  the  Mambari  discharging  their  guns. 

18^A.  We  were  awakened  during  the  night  by  a message  from 
Shinte,  requesting  a visit  at  a very  unseasonable  hour.  As  I 
was  just  in  the  sweating  stage  of  an  intermittent,  and  the  path 
to  the  town  lay  through  a wet  valley,  I declined  going.  Kolim- 
bota,  who  knows  their  customs  best,  urged  me  to  go ; but,  inde- 
pendent of  sickness,  I hated  words  of  the  night  and  deeds  of 
darkness.  “ I was  neither  a hyrnna  nor  a witch.”  Kolimbota 
thought  that  we  ought  to  conform  to  their  wishes  in  every  thing : 
I thought  we  ought  to  have  some  choice  in  the  matter  as  well, 
which  put  him  into  high  dudgeon.  However,  at  ten  next 
morning  we  went,  and  were  led  into  the  courts  of  Shinte,  the 
walls  of  which  were  woven  rods,  all  very  neat  and  high.  Many 
trees  stood  within  the  inclosure  and  afforded  a grateful  shade. 
These  had  been  planted,  for  we  saw  some  recently  put  in,  with 
grass  wound  round  the  trunk  to  protect  them  from  the  sun.  The 
otherwise  waste  corners  of  the  streets  were  planted  with  sugar- 
cane and  bananas,  which  spread  their  large  light  leaves  over  the 
walls. 

The  Ficus  Indica  tree,  under  which  we  now  sat,  had  very  large 
leaves,  but  showed  its  relationship  to  the  Indian  banian  by  send- 
ing down  shoots  toward  the  ground.  Shinte  soon  came,  and 
appeared  a man  of  upward  of  fifty-five  years  of  age,  of  frank  and 
open  countenance,  and  about  the  middle  height.  He  seemed  in 
good  humor,  and  said  he  had  expected  yesterday  “that  a man 
who  came  from  the  gods  would  have  approached  and  talked  to 
him.”  That  had  been  my  own  intention  in  going  to  the  recep- 
tion ; but  when  we  came  and  saw  the  formidable  preparations, 
and  all  his  own  men  keeping  at  least  forty  yards  off  from  him,  I 
yielded  to  the  solicitations  of  my  men,  and  remained  by  the  tree 
opposite  to  that  under  which  he  sat.  His  remark  confirmed  my 
previous  belief  that  a frank,  open,  fearless  manner  is  the  most 
winning  with  all  these  Africans.  I stated  the  object  of  my  jour- 
ney and  mission,  and  to  all  I advanced  the  old  gentleman  clap- 
ped his  hands  in  approbation.  He  replied  through  a spokes- 


FERTILITY  OF  SOIL. 


319 


man  ; then  all  the  company  joined  in  the  response  by  clapping  of 
hands  too. 

After  the  more  serious  business  was  over,  I asked  if  he  had 
ever  seen  a white  man  before.  He  replied,  “ Never ; you  are 
the  very  first  I have  seen  with  a white  skin  and  straight  hair : 
your  clothing,  too,  is  different  from  any  we  have  ever  seen.’' 
They  had  been  visited  by  native  Portuguese  and  Mambari 
only. 

On  learning  from  some  of  the  people  that  “ Shinte’s  mouth  was 
bitter  for  want  of  tasting  ox-flesh,”  I presented  him  with  an  ox, 
to  his  great  delight ; and,  as  his  country  is  so  well  adapted  for 
cattle,  I advised  him  to  begin  a trade  in  cows  with  the  Makololo. 
He  was  pleased  with  the  idea,  and  when  we  returned  from  Loan- 
da,  we  found  that  he  had  profited  by  the  hint,  for  he  had  got  three, 
and  one  of  them  justified  my  opinion  of  the  country,  for  it  was 
more  like  a prize  heifer  for  fatness  than  any  we  had  seen  in  Af- 
rica. He  soon  afterward  sent  us  a basket  of  green  maize  boiled, 
another  of  manioc-meal,  and  a small  fowl.  The  maize  shows  by 
its  size  the  fertility  of  the  black  soil  of  all  the  valleys  here,  and  so 
does  the  manioc,  though  no  manure  is  ever  applied.  We  saw  ma- 
nioc attain  a height  of  six  feet  and  upward,  and  this  is  a plant 
which  requires  the  very  best  soil. 

During  this  time  Manenko  had  been  extremely  busy  with  all 
her  people  in  getting  up  a very  pretty  hut  and  court-yard,  to  be,  as 
she  said,  her  residence  always  when  white  men  were  brought  by 
her  along  the  same  path.  When  she  heard  that  we  had  given  an 
ox  to  her  uncle,  she  came  forward  to  us  with  the  air  of  one  wrong- 
ed, and  explained  that  “ this  white  man  belonged  to  her ; she  had 
brought  him  here,  and  therefore  the  ox  was  hers,  not  Shinte’s.” 
She  ordered  her  men  to  bring  it,  got  it  slaughtered  by  them,  and 
presented  her  uncle  with  a leg  only.  Shinte  did  not  seem  at  all 
annoyed  at  the  occurrence. 

mh.  I was  awakened  at  an  early  hour  by  a messenger  from 
Shinte ; but  the  thirst  of  a raging  fever  being  just  assuaged 
by  the  bursting  forth  of  a copious  perspiration,  I declined  going 
for  a few  hours.  Violent  action  of  the  heart  all  the  way  to  the 
town  did  not  predispose  me  to  be  patient  with  the  delay  which 
then  occurred,  probably  on  account  of  the  divination  being  unfa- 
vorable: “They  could  not  find  Shinte.”  When  I returned  to 


320 


CONVERSATION  WITH  SHINTE. 


bed,  another  message  was  received,  “ Shinte  wished  to  say  all  he 
had  to  tell  me.  at  once.”  This  was  too  tempting  an  offer,  so  we 
went,  and  he  had  a fowl  ready  in  his  hand  to  present,  also  a bas- 
ket of  manioc-meal,  and  a calabash  of  mead.  Referring  to  the 
constantly-recurring  attacks  of  fever,  he  remarked  that  it  was  the 
only  thing  which  would  prevent  a successful  issue  to  my  journey, 
for  he  had  men  to  guide  me  who  knew  all  the  paths  which  led  to 
the  white  men.  He  had  himself  traveled  far  when  a young  man. 
On  asking  what  he  would  recommend  for  the  fever,  “Drink 
plenty  of  the  mead,  and  as  it  gets  in,  it  will  drive  the  fever  out.” 
It  was  rather  strong,  and  I suspect  he  liked  the  remedy  pretty 
well,  even  though  he  had  no  fever.  He  had  always  been  a friend 
to  Sebituane,  and,  now  that  his  son  Sekeletu  was  in  his  place, 
Shinte  was  not  merely  a friend,  but  a father  to  him ; and  if  a son 
asks  a favor,  the  father  must  give  it.  He  was  highly  pleased 
with  the  large  calabashes  of  clarified  butter  and  fat  which 
Sekeletu  had  sent  him,  and  wished  to  detain  Kolimbota,  that  he 
might  send  a present  back  to  Sekeletu  by  his  hands.  This  prop- 
osition we  afterward  discovered  was  Kolimbota’s  own,  as  he  had 
heard  so  much  about  the  ferocity  of  the  tribes  through  which  we 
were  to  pass  that  he  wished  to  save  his  skin.  It  will  be  seen  far- 
ther on  that  he  was  the  only  one  of  our  party  who  returned  with 
a wound. 

We  were  particularly  struck,  in  passing  through  the  village, 
with  the  punctiliousness  of  manners  shown  by  the  Balonda.  The 
inferiors,  on  meeting  their  superiors  in  the  street,  at  once  drop  on 
their  knees  and  rub  dust  on  their  arms  and  chest ; they  continue 
the  salutation  of  clapping  the  hands  until  the  great  ones  have  pass- 
ed. Sambanza  knelt  down  in  this  manner  till  the  son  of  Shinte 
had  passed  him. 

We  several  times  saw  the  woman  who  occupies  the  office  of 
drawer  of  water  for  Shinte ; she  rings  a bell  as  she  passes  along 
to  give  warning  to  all  to  keep  out  of  her  way ; it  would  be  a 
grave  offense  for  any  one  to  come  near  her,  and  exercise  an  evil 
influence  by  his  presence  on  the  drink  of  the  chief.  I suspect 
that  offenses  of  the  slightest  character  among  the  poor  are  made 
the  pretext  for  selling  them  or  their  children  to  the  Mambari. 
A young  man  of  Lobale  had  fled  into  the  country  of  Shinte,  and 
located  himself  without  showing  himself  to  the  chief.  This  was 


KIDNAPPING. 


321 


considered  an  offense  sufficient  to  warrant  his  being  seized  and  of- 
fered for  sale  while  we  were  there.  He  had  not  reported  himself, 
so  they  did  not  know  the  reason  of  his  running  away  from  his 
own  chief,  and  that  chief  might  accuse  them  of  receiving  a crimi- 
nal. It  was  curious  to  notice  the  effect  of  the  slave-trade  in 
blunting  the  moral  susceptibility : no  chief  in  the  south  would 
treat  a fugitive  in  this  way.  My  men  were  horrified  at  the  act, 
even  though  old  Shinte  and  his  council  had  some  show  of  reason 
on  their  side ; and  both  the  Barotse  and  the  Makololo  declared 
that,  if  the  Balonda  only  knew  of  the  policy  pursued  by  them  to 
fugitives,  but  few  of  the  discontented  would  remain  long  with 
Shinte.  My  men  excited  the  wonder  of  his  people  by  stating 
that  every  one  of  them  had  one  cow  at  least  in  his  possession. 

Another  incident,  which  occurred  while  we  were  here,  may  be 
mentioned,  as  of  a character  totally  unknown  in  the  south.  Two 
children,  of  seven  and  eight  years  old,  went  out  to  collect  fire- 
wood a short  distance  from  their  parents’  home,  which  was  a quar- 
ter of  a mile  from  the  village,  and  were  kidnapped  ; the  distracted 
parents  could  not  find  a trace  of  them.  This  happened  so  close 
to  the  town,  where  there  are  no  beasts  of  prey,  that  we  suspect 
some  of  the  high  men  of  Shinte’s  court  were  the  guilty  parties : 
they  can  sell  them  by  night.  The  Mambari  erect  large  huts  of 
a square  shape  to  stow  these  stolen  ones  in ; they  arc  well  fed, 
but  aired  by  night  only.  The  frequent  kidnapping  from  out- 
lying hamlets  explains  the  stockades  we  saw  around  them ; 
the  parents  have  no  redress,  for  even  Shinte  himself  seems  fond 
of  working  in  the  dark.  One  night  he  sent  for  me,  though  I 
always  stated  I liked  all  my  dealings  to  be  aboveboard.  When 
I came  he  presented  me  with  a slave  girl  about  ten  years  old ; 
he  said  he  had  always  been  in  the  habit  of  presenting  his  visit- 
ors with  a child.  On  my  thanking  him,  and  saying  that  I 
thought  it  wrong  to  take  away  children  from  their  parents,  that 
I wished  him  to  give  up  this  system  altogether,  and  trade  in 
cattle,  ivory,  and  bees’- wax,  he  urged  that  she  was  “to  be  a 
child”  to  bring  me  water,  and  that  a great  man  ought  to  have 
a child  for  the  purpose,  yet  I had  none.  As  I replied  that  I had 
four  children,  and  should  be  very  sorry  if  my  chief  were  to  take 
my  little  girl  and  give  her  away,  and  that  I would  prefer  this 
child  to  remain  and  carry  water  for  her  own  mother,  he  thought 

X 


322 


MAGIC  LANTEKN. 


I was  dissatisfied  with  her  size,  and  sent  for  one  a head  taller; 
after  many  explanations  of  our  abhorrence  of  slavery,  and  how 
displeasing  it  must  he  to  God  to  see  his  children  selling  one 
another,  and  giving  each  other  so  much  grief  as  this  child’s 
mother  must  feel,  I declined  her  also.  If  I could  have  taken 
her  into  my  family  for  the  purpose  of  instruction,  and  then  re- 
turned her  as  a free  woman,  according  to  a promise  I should 
have  made  to  the  parents,  I might  have  done  so ; hut  to  take 
her  away,  and  probably  never  be  able  to  secure  her  return,  would 
have  produced  no  good  effect  on  the  minds  of  the  Balonda ; they 
would  not  then  have  seen  evidence  of  our  hatred  to  slavery,  and 
the  kind  attentions  of  my  friends  would,  as  it  almost  always  does 
in  similar  cases,  have  turned  the  poor  thing’s  head.  The  dif- 
ference in  position  between  them  and  us  is  as  great  as  between 
the  lowest  and  highest  in  England,  and  we  know  the  effects  of 
sudden  elevation  on  wiser  heads  than  hers,  whose  owners  had  not 
been  born  to  it. 

Shinte  was  most  anxious  to  see  the  pictures  of  the  magic 
lantern ; but  fever  had  so  weakening  an  effect,  and  I had  such 
violent  action  of  the  heart,  with  buzzing  in  the  ears,  that  I could 
not  go  for  several  days ; when  I did  go  for  the  purpose,  he  had 
his  principal  men  and  the  same  crowd  of  court  beauties  near 
him  as  at  the  reception.  The  first  picture  exhibited  was  Abra- 
ham about  to  slaughter  his  son  Isaac ; it  was  shown  as  large  as 
life,  and  the  uplifted  knife  was  in  the  act  of  striking  the  lad; 
the  Balonda  men  remarked  that  the  picture  was  much  more  like 
a god  than  the  things  of  wood  or  clay  they  worshiped.  I ex- 
plained that  this  man  was  the  first  of  a race  to  whom  God  had 
given  the  Bible  we  now  held,  and  that  among  his  children  our 
Savior  appeared.  The  ladies  listened  with  silent  awe;  but, 
when  I moved  the  slide,  the  uplifted  dagger  moving  toward 
them,  they  thought  it  was  to  be  sheathed  in  their  bodies  instead 
of  Isaac’s.  “Mother!  mother!”  all  shouted  at  once,  and  off 
they  rushed  helter-skelter,  tumbling  pell-mell  over  each  other, 
and  over  the  little  idol-huts  and  tobacco-bushes : we  could  not 
get  one  of  them  back  again.  Shinte,  however,  sat  bravely 
through  the  whole,  and  afterward  examined  the  instrument 
with  interest.  An  explanation  was  always  added  after  each 
time  of  showing  its  powers,  so  that  no  one  should  imagine  there 


DELAY.— HEAVY  RAINS. 


323 


was  aught  supernatural  in  it ; and  had  Mr.  Murray,  who  kindly 
brought  it  from  England,  seen  its  popularity  among  both  Mako- 
lolo  and  Balonda,  he  would  have  been  gratified  with  the  direction 
his  generosity  then  took.  It  was  the  only  mode  of  instruction 
I was  ever  pressed  to  repeat.  The  people  came  long  distances 
for  the  express  purpose  of  seeing  the  objects  and  hearing  the 
explanations. 

One  can  not  get  away  quickly  from  these  chiefs ; they  like  to 
have  the  honor  of  strangers  residing  in  their  villages.  Here  we 
had  an  additional  cause  of  delay  in  frequent  rains ; twenty-four 
hours  never  elapsed  without  heavy  showers ; every  thing  is  affected 
by  the  dampness  ; surgical  instruments  become  all  rusty,  clothing 
mildewed,  and  shoes  mouldy ; my  little  tent  was  now  so  rotten 
and  so  full  of  small  holes  that  every  smart  shower  caused  a fine 
mist  to  descend  on  my  blanket,  and  made  me  fain  to  cover  the 
head  with  it.  Heavy  dews  lay  on  every  thing  in  the  morning, 
even  inside  the  tent ; there  is  only  a short  time  of  sunshine  in  the 
afternoon,  and  even  that  is  so  interrupted  by  thunder-showers  that 
we  can  not  dry  our  bedding. 

The  winds  coming  from  the  north  always  bring  heavy  clouds 
and  rain ; in  the  south,  the  only  heavy  rains  noticed  are  those 
which  come  from  the  northeast  or  east.  The  thermometer  falls  as 
low  as  72°  when  there  is  no  sunshine,  though,  when  the  weather 
is  fair,  the  protected  thermometer  generally  rises  as  high  as  82°, 
even  in  the  mornings  and  evenings. 

24 th.  We  expected  to  have  started  to-day,  but  Sambanza,  who 
had  been  sent  off  early  in  the  morning  for  guides,  returned  at 
midday  without  them,  and  drunk.  This  was  the  first  case  of  real 
babbling  intoxication  we  had  seen  in  this  region.  The  boyaloa, 
or  beer  of  the  country,  has  more  of  a stupefying  than  exciting 
nature  ; hence  the  beer-bibbers  are  great  sleepers  ; they  may  fre- 
quently be  seen  lying  on  their  faces  sound  asleep.  This  peculiarity 
of  posture  was  ascribed,  by  no  less  an  authority  than  Aristotle,  to 
wine,  while  those  who  were  sent  asleep  by  beer  were  believed 
“to  lie  upon  their  backs.” 

Sambanza  had  got  into  a state  of  inebriation  from  indulging 
in  mead,  similar  to  that  which  Shinte  presented  to  us,  which  is 
much  more  powerful  than  boyaloa.  As  far  as  we  could  collect 
from  his  incoherent  sentences,  Shinte  had  said  the  rain  was  too 


324 


SHINTE’S  LAST  PROOF  OF  FRIENDSHIP. 


heavy  for  our  departure,  and  the  guides  still  required  time  for 
preparation.  Shinte  himself  was  busy  getting  some  meal  ready 
for  my  use  in  the  journey.  As  it  rained  nearly  all  day,  it  was 
no  sacrifice  to  submit  to  his  advice  and  remain.  Sambanza  stag- 
gered to  Manenko’s  hut ; she,  however,  who  had  never  promised 
“ to  love,  honor,  and  obey  him,”  had  not  been  “ nursing  her  wrath 
to  keep  it  warm,”  so  she  coolly  bundled  him  into  the  hut,  and  put 
him  to  bed. 

As  the  last  proof  of  friendship,  Shinte  came  into  my  tent, 
though  it  could  scarcely  contain  more  than  one  person,  looked 
at  all  the  curiosities,  the  quicksilver,  the  looking-glass,  books, 
hair-brushes,  comb,  watch,  etc.,  etc.,  with  the  greatest  interest; 
then  closing  the  tent,  so  that  none  of  his  own  people  might 


Shell,  and  ornament  made  of  its  end. 


FAREWELL  TO  SHINTE. 


325 


see  the  extravagance  of  which  he  was  about  to  he  guilty,  he  drew 
out  from  his  clothing  a string  of  heads,  and  the  end  of  a conical 
shell,  which  is  considered,  in  regions  far  from  the  sea,  of  as  great 
value  as  the  Lord  Mayor’s  badge  is  in  London.  He  hung  it 
round  my  neck,  and  said,  “ There,  now  you  have  a proof  of  my 
friendship.” 

My  men  informed  me  that  these  shells  are  so  highly  valued  in 
this  quarter,  as  evidences  of  distinction,  that  for  two  of  them  a 
slave  might  he  bought,  and  five  would  be  considered  a handsome 
price  for  an  elephant’s  tusk  worth  ten  pounds.  At  our  last  inter- 
view old  Shinte  pointed  out  our  pincipal  guide,  Intemese,  a man 
about  fifty,  who  was,  he  said,  ordered  to  remain  by  us  till  we  should 
reach  the  sea ; that  I had  now  left  Sekeletu  far  behind,  and  must 
henceforth  look  to  Shinte  alone  for  aid,  and  that  it  would  always 
be  most  cheerfully  rendered.  This  was  only  a polite  way  of  ex- 
pressing his  wishes  for  my  success.  It  was  the  good  words  only 
of  the  guides  which  were  to  aid  me  from  the  next  chief,  Katema, 
on  to  the  sea ; they  were  to  turn  back  on  reaching  him  ; but  he 
gave  a good  supply  of  food  for  the  journey  before  us,  and,  after 
mentioning  as  a reason  for  letting  us  go  even  now  that  no  one 
could  say  we  had  been  driven  away  from  the  town,  since  we  had 
been  several  days  with  him,  he  gave  a most  hearty  salutation,  and 
we  parted  with  the  wish  that  God  might  bless  him. 


326 


MANIOC  GARDENS. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Leave  Shinte. — Manioc  Gardens.  — Mode  of  preparing  the  poisonous  kind. — 
Its  general  Use.  — Presents  of  Food.  — Punctiliousness  of  the  Balonda.  — 
Their  Idols  and  Superstition.  — Dress  of  the  Balonda.  — Villages  beyond 
Lonaje.  — Cazembe.  — Our  Guides  and  the  Makololo.  — Night  Bains.  — Inqui- 
ries for  English  cotton  Goods.— Intemese’s  Fiction. — Visit  from  an  old  Man. — 
Theft.  — Industry  of  our  Guide.  — Loss  of  Pontoon.  — Plains  covered  with 
Water.  — Affection  of  the  Balonda  for  their  Mothers.  — A Night  on  an  Isl- 
and.— The  Grass  on  the  Plains. — Source  of  the  Rivers. — Loan  of  the  Roofs 
of  Huts.  — A Halt. — Fertility  of  the  Country  through  which  the  Lokalueje 
flows. — Omnivorous  Fish. — Natives’  Mode  of  catching  them.— The  Village  of  a 
Half-brother  of  Katema,  his  Speech  and  Present. — Our  Guide’s  Perversity. — 
Mozenkwa’s  pleasant  Home  and  Family. — Clear  Water  of  the  flooded  Rivers. — 
A Messenger  from  Katema.  — Quendende’s  Village:  his  Kindness.  — Crop  of 
Wool. — Meet  People  from  the  Town  of  Matiamvo. — Fireside  Talk. — Matiam- 
vo’s  Character  and  Conduct. — Presentation  at  Katema’s  Court:  his  Present, 
good  Sense,  and  Appearance. — Interview  on  the  following  Day.  — Cattle. — A 
Feast  and  a Makololo  Dance. — Arrest  of  a Fugitive. — Dignified  old  Courtier. — 
Katema’s  lax  Government. — Cold  Wind  from  the  North. — Canaries  and  other 
singing  Birds. — Spiders,  their  Nests  and  Webs. — Lake  Dilolo. — Tradition. — Sa- 
gacity of  Anfs. 

2 Q>th.  Leaving  Shinte,  with  eight  of  his  men  to  aid  in  carrying 
our  luggage,  we  passed,  in  a northerly  direction,  down  the  lovely 
valley  on  which  the  town  stands,  then  went  a little  to  the  west 
through  pretty  open  forest,  and  slept  at  a village  of  Balonda.  In 
the  morning  we  had  a fine  range  of  green  hills,  called  Saloisho, 
on  our  right,  and  were  informed  that  they  were  rather  thickly  in- 
habited by  the  people  of  Shinte,  who  worked  in  iron,  the  ore  of 
which  abounds  in  these  hills. 

The  country  through  which  we  passed  possessed  the  same 
general  character  of  flatness  and  forest  that  we  noticed  before. 
The  soil  is  dark,  with  a tinge  of  red — in  some  places  it  might 
be  called  red  — and  appeared  very  fertile.  Every  valley  con- 
tained villages  of  twenty  or  thirty  huts,  with  gardens  of  manioc, 
which  here  is  looked  upon  as  the  staff  of  life.  Very  little  labor 
is  required  for  its  cultivation.  The  earth  is  drawn  up  into 
oblong  beds,  about  three  feet  broad  and  one  in  height,  and  in 


MANIOC  PORRIDGE. 


327 


these  are  planted  pieces  of  the  manioc  stalk,  at  four  feet  apart. 
A crop  of  beans  or  ground-nuts  is  sown  between  them,  and  when 
these  are  reaped  the  land  around  the  manioc  is  cleared  of  weeds. 
In  from  ten  to  eighteen  months  after  planting,  according  to  the 
quality  of  the  soil,  the  roots  are  fit  for  food.  There  is  no  neces- 
sity for  reaping  soon,  as  the  roots  do  not  become  bitter  and  dry 
until  after  three  years.  When  a woman  takes  up  the  roots,  she 
thrusts  a piece  or  two  of  the  upper  stalks  into  the  hole  she  has 
made,  draws  back  the  soil,  and  a new  crop  is  thereby  begun.  The 
plant  grows  to  a height  of  six  feet,  and  every  part  of  it  is  useful : 
the  leaves  may  be  cooked  as  a vegetable.  The  roots  are  from 
three  to  four  inches  in  diameter,  and  from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches 
long. 

There  are  two  varieties  of  the  manioc  or  cassava — one  sweet 
and  wholesome,  the  other  bitter  and  containing  poison,  but  much 
more  speedy  in  its  growth  than  the  former.  This  last  property 
causes  its  perpetuation.  When  we  reached  the  village  of  Ka- 
pende,  on  the  banks  of  the  rivulet  Lonaje,  we  were  presented 
with  so  much  of  the  poisonous  kind  that  we  were  obliged  to 
leave  it.  To  get  rid  of  the  poison,  the  people  place  it  four  days 
in  a pool  of  water.  It  then  becomes  partially  decomposed,  and 
is  taken  out,  stripped  of  its  skin,  and  exposed  to  the  sun.  When 
dried,  it  is  easily  pounded  into  a fine  white  meal,  closely  resem- 
bling starch,  which  has  either  a little  of  the  peculiar  taste 
arising  from  decomposition,  or  no  more  flavor  than  starch. 
When  intended  to  be  used  as  food,  this  meal  is  stirred  into 
boiling  water:  they  put  in  as  much  as  can  be  moistened,  one 
man  holding  the  vessel  and  the  other  stirring  the  porridge 
with  all  his  might.  This  is  the  common  mess  of  the  country. 
Though  hungry,  we  could  just  manage  to  swallow  it  with  the 
aid  of  a little  honey,  which  I shared  with  my  men  as  long  as  it 
lasted.  It  is  very  unsavory  ( Scottice  wersh);  and  no  matter 
how  much  one  may  eat,  two  hours  afterward  he  is  as  hungry  as 
ever.  When  less  meal  is  employed,  the  mess  is  exactly  like  a 
basin  of  starch  in  the  hands  of  a laundress ; and  if  the  starch 
were  made  from  diseased  potatoes,  some  idea  might  be  formed  of 
the  Balonda  porridge,  which  hunger  alone  forced  us  to  eat.  San- 
turu  forbade  his  nobles  to  eat  it,  as  it  caused  coughing  and  ex- 
pectoration. 


328 


PUNCTILIOUSNESS  OF  THE  BALONDA. 


Our  chief  guide,  Intemese,  sent  orders  to  all  the  villages  around 
our  route  that  Shinte’s  friends  must  have  abundance  of  provis- 
ions. Our  progress  was  impeded  by  the  time  requisite  for  com- 
municating the  chief’s  desire  and  consequent  preparation  of  meal. 
We  received  far  more  food  from  Shinte’s  people  than  from  him- 
self. Kapende,  for  instance,  presented  two  large  baskets  of  meal, 
three  of  manioc  roots  steeped  and  dried  in  the  sun  and  ready  to 
be  converted  into  flour,  three  fowls,  and  seven  eggs,  with  three 
smoke-dried  fishes ; and  others  gave  with  similar  liberality.  I 
gave  to  the  head  men  small  bunches  of  my  stock  of  beads,  with 
an  apology  that  we  were  now  on  our  way  to  the  market  for  these 
goods.  The  present  was  always  politely  received. 

We  had  an  opportunity  of  observing  that  our  guides  had 
much  more  etiquette  than  any  of  the  tribes  farther  south.  They 
gave  us  food,  but  would  not  partake  of  it  when  we  had  cooked 
it,  nor  would  they  eat  their  own  food  in  our  presence.  When 
it  was  cooked  they  retired  into  a thicket  and  ate  their  porridge ; 
then  all  stood  up,  and  clapped  their  hands,  and  praised  Intemese 
for  it.  The  Makololo,  who  are  accustomed  to  the  most  free  and 
easy  manners,  held  out  handfuls  of  what  they  had  cooked  to  any 
of  the  Balonda  near,  but  they  refused  to  taste.  They  are  very 
punctilious  in  their  manners  to  each  other.  Each  hut  has  its 
own  fire,  and  when  it  goes  out  they  make  it  afresh  for  themselves 
rather  than  take  it  from  a neighbor.  I believe  much  of  this 
arises  from  superstitious  fears.  In  the  deep,  dark  forests  near 
each  village,  as  already  mentioned,  you  see  idols  intended  to 
represent  the  human  head  or  a lion,  or  a crooked  stick  smeared 
with  medicine,  or  simply  a small  pot  of  medicine  in  a little  shed, 
or  miniature  huts  with  little  mounds  of  earth  in  them.  But  in 
the  darker  recesses  we  meet  with  human  faces  cut  in  the  bark 
of  trees,  the  outlines  of  which,  with  the  beards,  closely  resemble 
those  seen  on  Egyptian  monuments.  Frequent  cuts  are  made 
on  the  trees  along  all  the  paths,  and  offerings  of  small  pieces  of 
manioc  roots  or  ears  of  maize  are  placed  on  branches.  There 
are  also  to  be  seen  every  few  miles  heaps  of  sticks,  which  are 
treated  in  cairn  fashion,  by  every  one  throwing  a small  branch 
to  the  heap  in  passing;  or  a few  sticks  are  placed  on  the  path, 
and  each  passer-by  turns  from  his  course,  and  forms  a sudden 
bend  in  the  road  to  one  side.  It  seems  as  if  their  minds  were 


VILLAGES  BEYOND  THE  LONAJE. 


329 


ever  in  doubt  and  dread  in  these  gloomy  recesses  of  the  forest, 
and  that  they  were  striving  to  propitiate,  by  their  offerings,  some 
superior  beings  residing  there. 

The  dress  of  the  Balonda  men  consists  of  the  softened  skins  of 
small  animals,  as  the  jackal  or  wild  cat,  hung  before  and  behind 
from  a girdle  round  the  loins.  The  dress  of  the  women  is  of  a 
nondescript  character  ; but  they  were  not  immodest.  They  stood 
before  us  as  perfectly  unconscious  of  any  indecorum  as  we  could 
be  with  our  clothes  on.  But,  while  ignorant  of  their  own  defi- 
ciency, they  could  not  maintain  their  gravity  at  the  sight  of  the 
nudity  of  my  men  behind.  Much  to  the  annoyance  of  my  com- 
panions, the  young  girls  laughed  outright  whenever  their  backs 
were  turned  to  them. 

After  crossing  the  Lonaje,  we  came  to  some  pretty  villages, 
embowered,  as  the  negro  villages  usually  are,  in  bananas,  shrubs, 
and  manioc,  and  near  the  banks  of  the  Leeba  wTe  formed  our  en- 
campment in  a nest  of  serpents,  one  of  which  bit  one  of  our  men, 
but  the  wound  was  harmless.  The  people  of  the  surrounding  vil- 
lages presented  us  with  large  quantities  of  food,  in  obedience  to 
the  mandate  of  Shinte,  without  expecting  any  equivalent.  One 
village  had  lately  been  transferred  hither  from  the  country  of  Ma- 
tiamvo.  They,  of  course,  continue  to  acknowledge  him  as  para- 
mount chief ; but  the  frequent  instances  which  occur  of  people 
changing  from  one  part  of  the  country  to  another,  show  that  the 
great  chiefs  possess  only  a limited  power.  The  only  peculiarity 
we  observed  in  these  people  is  the  habit  of  plaiting  the  beard  into 
a three-fold  cord. 

The  town  of  the  Balonda  chief  Cazembe  was  pointed  out  to 
us  as  lying  to  the  N.E.  and  by  E.  from  the  town  of  Shinte,  and 
great  numbers  of  people  in  this  quarter  have  gone  thither  for 
the  purpose  of  purchasing  copper  anklets,  made  at  Cazembe’s, 
and  report  the  distance  to  be  about  five  days’  journey.  I made 
inquiries  of  some  of  the  oldest  inhabitants  of  the  villages  at 
which  we  were  staying  respecting  the  visit  of  Pereira  and 
Lacerda  to  that  town.  An  old  gray-headed  man  replied  that 
they  had  often  heard  of  white  men  before,  but  never  had  seen 
one,  and  added  that  one  had  come  to  Cazembe  when  our  informant 
was  young,  and  returned  again  without  entering  this  part  of  the 
country.  The  people  of  Cazembe  are  Balonda  or  Baloi,  and 


330 


NIGHT-RAINS. 


his  country  has  been  termed  Londa,  Lunda,  or  Lui,  by  the  Por- 
tuguese. 

It  was  always  difficult  to  get  our  guides  to  move  away  from 
a place.  With  the  authority  of  the  chief,  they  felt  as  comfortable 
as  king’s  messengers  could,  and  were  not  disposed  to  forego  the 
pleasure  of  living  at  free  quarters.  My  Makololo  friends  were 
but  ill  drilled  as  yet ; and  since  they  had  never  left  their  own 
country  before,  except  for  purposes  of  plunder,  they  did  not  take 
readily  to  the  peaceful  system  we  now  meant  to  follow.  They 
either  spoke  too  imperiously  to  strangers,  or,  when  reproved  for 
that,  were  disposed  to  follow  the  dictation  of  every  one  we  met. 
When  Intemese,  our  guide,  refused  to  stir  toward  the  Leeba  on 
the  31st  of  January,  they  would  make  no  effort  to  induce  him 
to  go ; but,  having  ordered  them  to  get  ready,  Intemese  saw 
the  preparations,  and  soon  followed  the  example.  It  took  us 
about  four  hours  to  cross  the  Leeba,  which  is  considerably 
smaller  here  than  where  we  left  it — indeed,  only  about  a hundred 
yards  wide.  It  has  the  same  dark  mossy  hue.  The  villagers 
lent  us  canoes  to  effect  our  passage ; and,  having  gone  to  a vil- 
lage about  two  miles  beyond  the  river,  I had  the  satisfaction  of 
getting  observations  for  both  longitude  and  latitude  — for  the 
former,  the  distance  between  Saturn  and  the  Moon,  and  for  the 
latter  a meridian  altitude  of  Canopus.  Long.  22°  57'  E.,  lat. 
12°  6'  6"  S. 

These  were  the  only  opportunities  I had  of  ascertaining  my 
whereabouts  in  this  part  of  Londa.  Again  and  again  did  I take 
out  the  instruments,  and,  just  as  all  was  right,  the  stars  would  be 
suddenly  obscured  by  clouds.  I had  never  observed  so  great  an 
amount  of  cloudiness  in  any  part  of  the  south  country ; and  as 
for  the  rains,  I believe  that  years  at  Kolobeng  would  not  have 
made  my  little  tent  so  rotten  and  thin  as  one  month  had  done  in 
Londa.  I never  observed  in  the  south  the  heavy  night  and 
early  morning  rains  we  had  in  this  country.  They  often  con- 
tinued all  night,  then  became  heavier  about  an  hour  before 
dawn.  Or  if  fair  during  the  night,  as  day  drew  nigh,  an  ex- 
tremely heavy,  still,  pouring  rain  set  in  without  warning.  Five 
out  of  every  six  days  we  had  this  pouring  rain,  at  or  near  break 
of  day,  for  months  together ; and  it  soon  beat  my  tent  so  thin, 
that  a mist  fell  through  on  my  face  and  made  every  thing  damp. 


INTEMESE’S  FICTION. — THEFT.  33 1 

The  rains  were  occasionally,  hut  not  always,  accompanied  with 
very  loud  thunder. 

February  1st.  This  day  we  had  a fine  view  of  two  hills  call- 
ed Piri  (Peeri),  meaning  “two,”  on  the  side  of  the  river  we  had 
left.  The  country  there  is  named  Mokwankwa.  And  there  In- 
temese  informed  us  one  of  Shinte’s  children  was  horn,  when  he  was 
in  his  progress  southward  from  the  country  of  Matiamvo.  This 
part  of  the  country  would  thus  seem  not  to  have  been  inhabited 
by  the  people  of  Shinte  at  any  very  remote  period.  He  told  me 
himself  that  he  had  come  into  his  present  country  by  command  of 
Matiamvo. 

Here  we  were  surprised  to  hear  English  cotton  cloth  much  more 
eagerly  inquired  after  than  beads  and  ornaments.  They  are  more 
in  need  of  clothing  than  the  Becliuana  tribes  living  adjacent  to  the 
Kalahari  Desert,  who  have  plenty  of  skins  for  the  purpose.  An- 
imals of  all  kinds  are  rare  here,  and  a very  small  piece  of  calico 
is  of  great  value. 

In  the  midst  of  the  heavy  rain,  which  continued  all  the  morn- 
ing, Intemese  sent  to  say  he  was  laid  up  with  pains  in  the  stom- 
ach, and  must  not  be  disturbed ; but  when  it  cleared  up,  about 
eleven,  I saw  our  friend  walking  off  to  the  village,  and  talking  with 
a very  loud  voice.  On  reproaching  him  for  telling  an  untruth,  he 
turned  it  off  with  a laugh  by  saying  he  really  had  a complaint  in 
his  stomach,  which  I might  cure  by  slaughtering  one  of  the  oxen 
and  allowing  him  to  eat  beef.  He  was  evidently  reveling  in  the 
abundance  of  good  food  the  chiefs  orders  brought  us  ; and  he  did 
not  feel  the  shame  I did  when  I gave  a few  beads  only  in  return 
for  large  baskets  of  meal. 

A very  old  man  visited  us  here  with  a present  of  maize : like 
the  others,  he  had  never  before  seen  a white  man,  and,  when  con- 
versing with  him,  some  of  the  young  men  remarked  that  they  were 
the  true  ancients,  for  they  had  now  seen  more  wonderful  things 
than  their  forefathers. 

One  of  Intemese’s  men  stole  a fowl  given  me  by  a lady  of 
the  village.  When  charged  with  the  theft,  every  one  of  Inte- 
mese’s party  vociferated  his  innocence  and  indignation  at  being 
suspected,  continuing  their  loud  asseverations  and  gesticulations 
for  some  minutes.  One  of  my  men,  Loyanke,  went  off  to  the 
village,  brought  the  lady  who  had  presented  the  fowl  to  identify 


332 


PLAINS  COVERED  WITH  WATER. 


it,  and  then  pointed  to  the  hut  in  which  it  was  hidden.  The  Ba- 
londa  collected  round  him,  evincing  great  wrath ; hut  Loyanke 
seized  his  battle-axe  in  the  proper  manner  for  striking,  and,  placing 
himself  on  a little  hillock,  soon  made  them  moderate  their  tones. 
Intemese  then  called  on  me  to  send  one  of  my  people  to  search 
the  huts  if  I suspected  his  people.  The  man  sent  soon  found  it, 
and  brought  it  out,  to  the  confusion  of  Intemese  and  the  laughter 
of  our  party.  This  incident  is  mentioned  to  show  that  the  greater 
superstition  which  exists  here  does  not  lead  to  the  practice  of  the 
virtues.  We  never  met  an  instance  like  this  of  theft  from  a white 
man  among  the  Makololo,  though  they  complain  of  the  Makalaka 
as  addicted  to  pilfering.  The  honesty  of  the  Bakwains  lias  been 
already  noticed.  Probably  the  estimation  in  which  I was  held  as 
a public  benefactor,  in  which  character  I was  not  yet  known  to 
the  Balonda,  may  account  for  the  sacredness  with  which  my  prop- 
erty was  always  treated  before.  But  other  incidents  which  hap- 
pened subserviently  showed,  as  well  as  this,  that  idolaters  are  not 
so  virtuous  as  those  who  have  no  idols. 

As  the  people  on  the  banks  of  the  Leeba  were  the  last  of 
Shinte’s  tribe  over  which  Intemese  had  power,  he  was  naturally 
anxious  to  remain  as  long  as  possible.  He  was  not  idle,  but 
made  a large  wooden  mortar  and  pestle  for  his  wife  during  our  jour- 
ney. He  also  carved  many  wooden  spoons  and  a bowl ; then 
commenced  a basket ; but  as  what  he  considered  good  living  was 
any  thing  but  agreeable  to  us,  who  had  been  accustomed  to  milk 
and  maize,  we  went  forward  on  the  2d  without  him.  He  soon  fol- 
lowed, but  left  our  pontoon,  saying  it  would  be  brought  by  the 
head  man  of  the  village.  This  was  a great  loss,  as  we  afterward 
found;  it  remained  at  this  village  more  than  a year,  and  when 
we  returned  a mouse  had  eaten  a hole  in  it. 

We  entered  on  an  extensive  plain  beyond  the  Leeba,  at  least 
twenty  miles  broad,  and  covered  with  water,  ankle  deep  in  the 
shallowest  parts.  We  deviated  somewhat  from  our  N.  W.  course 
by  the  direction  of  Intemese,  and  kept  the  hills  Piri  nearly  on 
our  right  during  a great  part  of  the  first  day,  in  order  to  avoid 
the  still  more  deeply  flooded  plains  of  Lobale  (Luval  ?)  on  the 
west.  These,  according  to  Intemese,  are  at  present  impassable 
on  account  of  being  thigh  deep.  The  plains  are  so  perfectly 
level  that  rain-water,  which  this  was,  stands  upon  them  for 


LOVE  OF  BALOXDA  FOR  THEIR  MOTHERS. 


333 


months  together.  They  were  not  flooded  by  the  Leeba,  for  that 
was  still  far  within  its  banks.  Here  and  there,  dotted  over  the 
surface,  are  little  islands,  on  which  grow  stunted  date-buslies  and 
scraggy  trees.  The  plains  themselves  are  covered  with  a thick 
sward  of  grass,  which  conceals  the  water,  and  makes  the  flats 
appear  like  great  pale  yellow-colored  prairie-lands,  with  a clear 
horizon,  except  where  interrupted  here  and  there  by  trees.  The 
clear  rain-water  must  have  stood  some  time  among  the  grass,  for 
great  numbers  of  lotus-flowers  were  seen  in  full  blow ; and  the 
runs  of  water  tortoises  and  crabs  were  observed ; other  animals 
also,  which  prey  on  the  fish  that  find  their  way  to  the  plains. 

The  continual  splashing  of  the  oxen  keeps  the  feet  of  the  rider 
constantly  wet,  and  my  men  complain  of  the  perpetual  moisture 
of  the  paths  by  which  we  have  traveled  in  Londa  as  softening 
their  homy  soles.  The  only  information  we  can  glean  is  from 
Intemese,  who  points  out  the  different  localities  as  we  pass  along, 
and  among  the  rest  “Mokala  a Mama,”  his  “mamma’s  home.” 
It  was  interesting  to  hear  this  tall  gray-headed  man  recall  the 
memories  of  boyhood.  All  the  Makalaka  children  cleave  to  the 
mother  in  cases  of  separation,  or  removal  from  one  part  of  the 
country  to  another.  This  love  for  mothers  does  not  argue  supe- 
rior morality  in  other  respects,  or  else  Intemese  has  forgotten  any 
injunctions  his  mamma  may  have  given  him  not  to  tell  lies.  The 
respect,  however,  with  which  he  spoke  of  her  was  quite  charac- 
teristic of  his  race.  The  Bechuanas,  on  the  contrary,  care  noth- 
ing for  their  mothers,  but  cling  to  their  fathers,  especially  if  they 
have  any  expectation  of  becoming  heirs  to  their  cattle.  Our 
Bakwain  guide  to  the  lake,  Rachosi,  told  me  that  his  mother 
lived  in  the  country  of  Sebituane,  but,  though  a good  specimen 
of  the  Bechuanas,  he  laughed  at  the  idea  of  going  so  far  as  from 
the  Lake  Ngami  to  the  Chobe  merely  for  the  purpose  of  seeing 
her.  Had  he  been  one  of  the  Makalaka,  he  never  would  have 
parted  from  her. 

We  made  our  beds  on  one  of  the  islands,  and  were  wretchedly 
supplied  with  firewood.  The  booths  constructed  by  the  men  were 
but  sorry  shelter,  for  the  rain  poured  down  without  intermission 
till  midday.  There  is  no  drainage  for  the  prodigious  masses  of 
water  on  these  plains,  except  slow  percolation  into  the  different 
feeders  of  the  Leeba,  and  into  that  river  itself.  The  quantity  of 


334 


GRASS  OF  THE  PLAINS. 


vegetation  has  prevented  the  country  from  becoming  furrowed  by 
many  rivulets  or  “nullahs.”  Were  it  not  so  remarkably  flat,  the 
drainage  must  have  been  effected  by  torrents,  even  in  spite  of  the 
matted  vegetation. 

That  these  extensive  plains  are  covered  with  grasses  only,  and 
the  little  islands  with  but  scraggy  trees,  may  be  accounted  for 
by  the  fact,  observable  every  where  in  this  country,  that,  where 
water  stands  for  any  length  of  time,  trees  can  not  live.  The 
want  of  speedy  drainage  destroys  them,  and  injures  the  growth 
of  those  that  are  planted  on  the  islands,  for  they  have  no  depth 
of  earth  not  subjected  to  the  souring  influence  of  the  stagnant 
water.  The  plains  of  Lobale,  to  the  west  of  these,  are  said  to 
be  much  more  extensive  than  any  we  saw,  and  their  vegetation 
possesses  similar  peculiarities.  When  the  stagnant  rain-water 
has  all  soaked  in,  as  must  happen  during  the  months  in  which 
there  is  no  rain,  travelers  are  even  put  to  straits  for  want  of 
water.  This  is  stated  on  native  testimony ; but  I can  very  well 
believe  that  level  plains,  in  which  neither  wells  nor  gullies  are 
met  with,  may,  after  the  dry  season,  present  the  opposite  extreme 
to  what  we  witnessed.  Water,  however,  could  always  be  got  by 
digging,  a proof  of  which  we  had  on  our  return  when  brought 
to  a stand  on  this  very  plain  by  severe  fever:  about  twelve 
miles  from  the  Kasai  my  men  dug  down  a few  feet,  and  found  an 
abundant  supply ; and  we  saw  on  one  of  the  islands  the  garden 
of  a man  who,  in  the  dry  season,  had  drunk  water  from  a well 
in  like  manner.  Plains  like  these  can  not  be  inhabited  while 
the  present  system  of  cultivation  lasts.  The  population  is  not 
yet  so  very  large  as  to  need  them.  They  find  garden-ground 
enough  on  the  gentle  slopes  at  the  sides  of  the'  rivulets,  and 
possess  no  cattle  to  eat  off  the  millions  of  acres  of  fine  hay  we 
were  now  wading  through.  Any  one  who  has  visited  the  Cape 
Colony  will  understand  me  when  I say  that  these  immense  crops 
resemble  sown  grasses  more  than  the  tufty  vegetation  of  the 
south. 

I would  here  request  the  particular  attention  of  the  reader  to 
the  phenomena  these  periodically  deluged  plains  present,  be- 
cause they  have  a most  important  bearing  on  the  physical  geog- 
raphy of  a very  large  portion  of  this  country.  The  plains  of 
Lobale,  to  the  west  of  this,  give  rise  to  a great  many  streams, 


LOAN  OF  ROOFS.— A HALT. 


335 


which  unite,  and  form  the  deep,  never-failing  Chobe.  Similar  ex- 
tensive flats  give  birth  to  the  Loeti  and  Kasai,  and,  as  we  shall 
see  further  on,  all  the  rivers  of  an  extensive  region  owe  their  origin 
to  oozing  bogs,  and  not  to  fountains. 

When  released  from  our  island  by  the  rain  ceasing,  we  march- 
ed on  till  we  came  to  a ridge  of  dry  inhabited  land  in  the  N.W. 
The  inhabitants,  according  to  custom,  lent  us  the  roofs  of  some 
huts  to  save  the  men  the  trouble  of  booth-making.  I suspect 
that  the  story  in  Park’s  “ Travels,”  of  the  men  lifting  up  the 
hut  to  place  it  on  the  lion,  referred  to  the  roof  only.  We  leave 
them  for  the  villagers  to  replace  at  their  leisure.  No  payment 
is  expected  for  the  use  of  them.  By  night  it  rained  so  copious- 
ly that  all  our  beds  were  flooded  from  below ; and  from  this 
time  forth  we  always  made  a furrow  round  each  booth,  and  used 
the  earth  to  raise  our  sleeping-places.  My  men  turned  out  to 
work  in  the  wet  most  willingly  ; indeed,  they  always  did.  I 
could  not  but  contrast  their  conduct  with  that  of  Intemese.  He 
was  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  slave  spirit,  and  lied  on  all 
occasions  without  compunction.  Untruthfulness  is  a sort  of 
refuge  for  the  weak  and  oppressed.  We  expected  to  move  on 
the  4th,  but  he  declared  that  we  were  so  near  Katema’s,  if  we 
did  not  send  forward  to  apprise  that  chief  of  our  approach,  he 
would  certainly  impose  a fine.  It  rained  the  whole  day,  so  we 
were  reconciled  to  the  delay ; but  on  Sunday,  the  5th,  he  let  us 
know  that  we  were  still  two  days  distant  from  Katema.  We 
unfortunately  could  not  manage  without  him,  for  the  country 
was  so  deluged,  we  should  have  been  brought  to  a halt  before 
wTe  went  many  miles  by  some  deep  valley,  every  one  of  which 
was  full  of  water.  Intemese  continued  to  plait  his  basket  with 
all  his  might,  and  would  not  come  to  our  religious  service.  He 
seemed  to  be  afraid  of  our  incantations,  but  was  always  merry 
and  jocular. 

Qth.  Soon  after  starting  we  crossed  a branch  of  the  Lokalueje 
by  means  of  a canoe,  and  in  the  afternoon  passed  over  the  main 
stream  by  a like  conveyance.  The  former,  as  is  the  case  with  all 
branches  of  rivers  in  this  country,  is  called  nuana  Kalueje  (child 
of  the  Kalueje).  Hippopotami  exist  in  the  Lokalueje,  so  it  may 
be  inferred  to  be  perennial,  as  the  inhabitants  asserted.  We  can 
not  judge  of  the  size  of  the  stream  from  what  we  now  saw.  It 


336  FERTILE  COUNTRY. — OMNIVOROUS  FISH. 

had  about  forty  yards  of  deep,  fast-flowing  water,  but  probably 
not  more  than  half  that  amount  in  the  dry  season.  Besides  these, 
we  crossed  numerous  feeders  in  our  N.N.W.  course,  and,  there 
being  no  canoes,  got  frequently  wet  in  the  course  of  the  day. 
The  oxen  in  some  places  had  their  heads  only  above  water,  and 
the  stream,  flowing  over  their  backs,  wetted  our  blankets,  which 
we  used  as  saddles.  The  arm-pit  was  the  only  safe  spot  for  car- 
rying the  watch,  for  there  it  was  preserved  from  rains  above  and 
waters  below.  The  men  on  foot  crossed  these  gullies  holding  up 
their  burdens  at  arms’  length. 

The  Lokalueje  winds  from  northeast  to  southwest  into  the 
Leeba.  The  country  adjacent  to  its  banks  is  extremely  fine  and 
fertile,  with  here  and  there  patches  of  forest  or  clumps  of  magnifi- 
cent trees.  The  villagers  through  whose  gardens  we  passed  con- 
tinue to  sow  and  reap  all  the  year  round.  The  grains,  as  maize, 
lotsa  ( Pennisetum  ti/phoideum),  lokesh  or  millet,  are  to  be  seen 
at  all  stages  of  their  growth — some  just  ripe,  while  at  this  time 
the  Makololo  crops  are  not  half  grown.  My  companions,  who 
have  a good  idea  of  the  different  qualities  of  soils,  expressed  the 
greatest  admiration  of  the  agricultural  capabilities  of  the  whole 
of  Londa,  and  here  they  were  loud  in  their  praises  of  the  pastur- 
age. They  have  an  accurate  idea  of  the  varieties  of  grasses  best 
adapted  for  different  kinds  of  stock,  and  lament  because  here  there 
are  no  cows  to  feed  off  the  rich  green  crop,  which  at  this  time  im- 
parts special  beauty  to  the  landscape. 

Great  numbers  of  the  omnivorous  feeding  fish,  Glanis  siluris, 
or  mosala,  spread  themselves  over  the  flooded  plains,  and,  as  the 
waters  retire,  try  to  find  their  way  back  again  to  the  rivers. 
The  Balonda  make  earthen  dikes  and  hedges  across  the  outlets 
of  the  retreating  waters,  leaving  only  small  spaces  through 
which  the  chief  part  of  the  water  flows.  In  these  open  spaces 
they  plant  creels,  similar  in  shape  to  our  own,  into  which  the 
fish  can  enter,  but  can  not  return.  They  secure  large  quantities 
of  fish  in  this  way,  which,  when  smoke-dried,  make  a good  relish 
for  their  otherwise  insipid  food.  They  use  also  a weir  of  mats 
made  of  reeds  sewed  together,  with  but  half  an  inch  between 
each.  Open  spaces  are  left  for  the  insertion  of  the  creels  as 
before. 

In  still  water,  a fish-trap  is  employed  of  the  same  shape  and 


THE  GUIDE’S  PERVERSITY. 


337 


plan  as  the  common  round  wire  mouse-trap,  which  has  an  open- 
ing surrounded  with  wires  pointing  inward.  This  is  made  of 
reeds  and  supple  wands,  and  food  is  placed  inside  to  attract  the 
tish. 

Besides  these  means  of  catching  fish,  they  use  a hook  of  iron 
without  a barb ; the  point  is  bent  inward  instead,  so  as  not  to 
allow  the  fish  to  escape.  Nets  are  not  so  common  as  in  the 
Zouga  and  Leeambye,  but  they  kill  large  quantities  of  fishes  by 
means  of  the  bruised  leaves  of  a shrub,  which  may  be  seen 
planted  beside  every  village  in  the  country. 

On  the  7th  we  came  to  the  village  of  Soana  Molopo,  a half- 
brother  of  Katema,  a few  miles  beyond  the  Lokaluejc.  When 
we  went  to  visit  him,  we  found  him  sitting  with  about  one  hund- 
red men.  He  called  on  Intemese  to  give  some  account  of  us, 
though  no  doubt  it  had  been  done  in  private  before.  He  then 
pronounced  the  following  sentences  : “ The  journey  of  the  white 
man  is  very  proper,  but  Shinte  has  disturbed  us  by  showing  the 
path  to  the  Makololo  who  accompany  him.  He  ought  to  have 
taken  them  through  the  country  without  showing  them  the 
towns.  We  arc  afraid  of  the  Makololo.”  He  then  gave  us  a 
handsome  present  of  food,  and  seemed  perplexed  by  my  silting 
down  familiarly,  and  giving  him  a few  of  our  ideas.  When  we 
left,  Intemese  continued  busily  imparting  an  account  of  all  we 
had  given  to  Shinte  and  Masiko,  and  instilling  the  hope  that 
Soana  Molopo  might  obtain  as  much  as  they  had  received.  Ac- 
cordingly, when  we  expected  to  move  on  the  morning  of  the 
8th,  we  got  some  hints  about  the  ox  which  Soana  Molopo  ex- 
pected to  eat,  but  we  recommended  him  to  get  the  breed  of 
cattle  for  himself,  seeing  his  country  was  so  well  adapted  for 
rearing  stock.  Intemese  also  refused  to  move ; he,  moreover, 
tried  to  frighten  us  into  parting  with  an  ox  by  saying  that 
Soana  Molopo  would  send  forward  a message  that  we  were  a 
marauding  party ; but  we  packed  up  and  went  on  without  him. 
We  did  not  absolutely  need  him,  but  he  was  useful  in  preventing 
the  inhabitants  of  secluded  villages  from  betaking  themselves  to 
flight.  We  wished  to  be  on  good  terms  with  all,  and  therefore 
put  up  with  our  guide’s  peccadilloes.  His  good  word  respecting 
us  had  considerable  influence,  and  he  was  always  asked  if  we 
had  behaved  ourselves  like  men  on  the  way.  The  Makololo  are 

Y 


338 


MOZINKWA  AND  HIS  FAMILY. 


viewed  as  great  savages,  but  Intemese  could  not  justly  look  with 
scorn  on  them,  for  he  has  the  mark  of  a large  gash  on  his  arm, 
got  in  fighting ; and  he  would  never  tell  the  cause  of  battle,  but 
boasted  of  his  powers  as  the  Makololo  do,  till  asked  about  a scar 
on  his  back,  betokening  any  thing  but  bravery. 

Intemese  was  useful  in  cases  like  that  of  Monday,  when  we 
came  upon  a whole  village  in  a forest  enjoying  their  iioonday  nap. 
Our  sudden  appearance  in  their  midst  so  terrified  them  that  one 
woman  nearly  went  into  convulsions  from  fear.  When  they  saw 
and  heard  Intemese,  their  terror  subsided. 

As  usual,  we  were  caught  by  rains  after  leaving  Soana  Molo- 
po’s,  and  made  our  booths  at  the  house  of  Mozinkwa,  a most  in- 
telligent and  friendly  man  belonging  to  Katema.  He  had  a fine 
large  garden  in  cultivation,  and  well  hedged  round.  He  had  made 
the  walls  of  his  compound,  or  court-yard,  of  branches  of  the  ban- 
ian, which,  taking  root,  had  grown  to  be  a live  hedge  of  that  tree. 
Mozinkwa’s  wife  had  cotton  growing  all  round  her  premises,  and 
several  plants  used  as  relishes  to  the  insipid  porridge  of  the  coun- 
try. She  cultivated  also  the  common  castor-oil  plant,  and  a larger 
shrub  ( Jatropha  curcas),  which  also  yields  a purgative  oil.  Here, 
however,  the  oil  is  used  for  anointing  the  heads  and  bodies  alone. 
We  saw  in  her  garden  likewise  the  Indian  bringalls,  yams,  and 
sweet  potatoes.  Several  trees  were  planted  in  the  middle  of  the 
yard,  and  in  the  deep  shade  they  gave  stood  the  huts  of  his  fine 
family.  His  children,  all  by  one  mother,  very  black,  but  come- 
ly to  view,  were  the  finest  negro  family  I ever  saw.  We  were 
much  pleased  with  the  frank  friendship  and  liberality  of  this 
man  and  his  wife.  She  asked  me  to  bring  her  a cloth  from 
the  white  man’s  country ; but,  when  we  returned,  poor  Mozink- 
wa’s wife  was  in  her  grave,  and  he,  as  is  the  custom,  had  aban- 
doned trees,  garden,  and  huts  to  ruin.  They  can  not  live  on  a 
spot  where  a favorite  wife  has  died,  probably  because  unable  to 
bear  the  remembrance  of  the  happy  times  they  have  spent  there, 
or  afraid  to  remain  in  a spot  where  death  has  once  visited  the  es- 
tablishment. If  ever  the  place  is  revisited,  it  is  to  pray  to  her,  or 
make  some  offering.  This  feeling  renders  any  permanent  village 
in  the  country  impossible. 

We  learned  from  Mozinkwa  that  Soana  Molopo  was  the  elder 
brother  of  Katema,  but  that  he  was  wanting  in  wisdom ; and 


QUENDENDE’S  POLITENESS. 


339 


Katema,  by  purchasing  cattle  and  receiving  in  a kind  manner  all 
the  fugitives  who  came  to  him,  had  secured  the  birthright  to  him- 
self, so  far  as  influence  in  the  country  is  concerned.  Soana’s  first 
address  to  us  did  not  savor  much  of  African  wisdom. 

Friday , 10th.  On  leaving  Mozinkwa’s  hospitable  mansion  we 
crossed  another  stream,  about  forty  yards  wide,  in  canoes.  While 
this  tedious  process  was  going  on,  I was  informed  that  it  is  called 
the  Mona-Kalueje,  or  brother  of  Kalueje,  as  it  flows  into  that  riv- 
er ; that  both  the  Kalueje  and  Livoa  flow  into  the  Leeba ; and 
that  the  Chifumadze,  swollen  by  the  Lotembwa,  is  a feeder  of  that 
river  also,  below  the  point  where  we  lately  crossed  it.  It  may  be 
remarked  here  that  these  rivers  were  now  in  flood,  and  that  the 
water  was  all  perfectly  clear.  The  vegetation  on  the  banks  is  so 
thickly  planted  that  the  surface  of  the  earth  is  not  abraded  by  the 
torrents.  The  grass  is  laid  flat,  and  forms  a protection  to  the 
banks,  which  are  generally  a stiff  black  loam.  The  fact  of  ca- 
noes being  upon  them  shows  that,  though  not  large,  they  are  not 
like  the  southern  rivulets,  which  dry  up  during  most  of  the  year, 
and  render  canoes  unnecessary. 

As  we  were  crossing  the  river  we  were  joined  by  a messenger 
from  Katema,  called  Shakatwala.  This  person  was  a sort  of  stew- 
ard or  factotum  to  his  chief.  Every  chief  has  one  attached  to 
his  person,  and,  though  generally  poor,  they  are  invariably  men 
of  great  shrewdness  and  ability.  They  act  the  part  of  mes- 
sengers on  all  important  occasions,  and  possess  considerable  au- 
thority in  the  chief’s  household.  Shakatwala  informed  us  that 
Katema  had  not  received  precise  information  about  us,  but  if  we 
were  peaceably  disposed,  as  he  loved  strangers,  we  were  to  come 
to  his  town.  We  proceeded  forthwith,  but  were  turned  aside,  by 
the  strategy  of  our  friend  Intemese,  to  the  village  of  Quendende, 
the  father-in-law  of  Katema.  This  fine  old  man  was  so  very 
polite  that  we  did  not  regret  being  obliged  to  spend  Sunday  at 
his  village.  He  expressed  his  pleasure  at  having  a share  in  the 
honor  of  a visit  as  well  as  Katema,  though  it  seemed  to  me 
that  the  conferring  that  pleasure  required  something  like  a pretty 
good  stock  of  impudence,  in  leading  twenty-seven  men  through 
the  country  without  the  means  of  purchasing  food.  My  men  did 
a little  business  for  themselves  in  the  begging  line ; they  gen- 
erally commenced  every  interview  with  new  villagers  by  saying 


340 


CROP  OF  WOOL. 


“I  have  come  from  afar;  give  me  something  to  eat.”  I for- 
bade this  at  first,  believing  that,  as  the  Makololo  had  a bad 
name,  the  villagers  gave  food  from  fear.  But,  after  some  time, 
it  was  evident  that  in  many  cases  maize  and  manioc  were  given 
from  pure  generosity.  The  first  time  I came  to  this  conclusion 
was  at  the  house  of  Mozinkwa ; scarcely  any  one  of  my  men 
returned  from  it  without  something  in  his  hand ; and  as  they 
protested  they  had  not  begged,  I asked  himself,  and  found  that 
it  was  the  case,  and  that  he  had  given  spontaneously.  In  other 
parts  the  chiefs  attended  to  my  wants,  and  the  common  people 
gave  liberally  to  my  men.  I presented  some  of  my  razors  and 
iron  spoons  to  different  head  men,  but  my  men  had  nothing  to 
give ; yet  every  one  tried  to  appropriate  an  individual  in  each 
village  as  “ Molekane,”  or  comrade,  and  the  villagers  often 
assented;  so,  if  the  reader  remembers  the  molekane  system  of 
the  Mopato,  he  may  perceive  that  those  who  presented  food 
freely  would  expect  the  Makololo  to  treat  them  in  like  manner, 
should  they  ever  be  placed  in  similar  circumstances.  Their 
country  is  so  fertile  that  they  are  in  no  want  of  food  them- 
selves ; however,  their  generosity  was  remarkable ; only  one 
woman  refused  to  give  some  of  my  men  food,  but  her  husband 
calling  out  to  her  to  be  more  liberal,  she  obeyed,  scolding  all 
the  while. 

In  this  part  of  the  country,  buffaloes,  elands,  koodoos,  and  va- 
rious antelopes  are  to  be  found,  but  we  did  not  get  any,  as  they 
are  exceedingly  wary  from  being  much  hunted.  We  had  the 
same  woodland  and  meadow  as  before,  with  here  and  there  pleas- 
ant negro  villages ; and  being  all  in  good  health,  could  enjoy  the 
fine  green  scenery. 

Quendende’s  head  was  a good  specimen  of  the  greater  crop  of 
wool  with  which  the  negroes  of  Lon  da  are  furnished.  The  front 
was  parted  in  the  middle,  and  plaited  into  two  thick  rolls,  which, 
falling  down  behind  the  ears,  reached  the  shoulders ; the  rest 
was  collected  into  a large  knot,  which  lay  on  the  nape  of  the 
neck.  As  he  was  an  intelligent  man,  we  had  much  conversation 
together:  he  had  just  come  from  attending  the  funeral  of  one  of 
his  people,  and  I found  that  the  great  amount  of  drum-beating 
which  takes  place  on  these  occasions  was  with  the  idea  that  the 
Barimo,  or  spirits,  could  be  drummed  to  sleep.  There  is  a drum 


MATIAMVO’S  CONDUCT. 


341 


in  every  village,  and  we  often  hear  it  going  from  sunset  to  sun- 
rise. They  seem  to  look  upon  the  departed  as  virdictive  beings, 
and,  I suspect,  are  more  influenced  by  fear  than  by  love.  In  be- 
ginning to  speak  on  religious  subjects  with  those  who  have  never 
heard  of  Christianity,  the  great  fact  of  the  Son  of  God  having 
come  down  from  heaven  to  die  for  us  is  the  prominent  theme. 
No  fact  more  striking  can  be  mentioned.  “ He  actually  came 
to  men.  He  himself  told  us  about  his  Father,  and  the  dwelling- 
place  whither  he  has  gone.  We  have  his  words  in  this  book, 
and  he  really  endured  punishment  in  our  stead  from  pure  love,” 
etc.  If  this  fails  to  interest  them,  nothing  else  will  succeed. 

We  here  met  with  some  people  just  arrived  from  the  town  of 
Matiamvo  (Muata  yanvo),  who  had  been  sent  to  announce  the 
death  of  the  late  chieftain  of  that  name.  Matiamvo  is  the  he- 
reditary title,  muata  meaning  lord  or  chief.  The  late  Matiamvo 
seems,  from  the  report  of  these  men,  to  have  become  insane,  for 
he  is  said  to  have  sometimes  indulged  the  whim  of  running  a 
muck  in  the  town  and  beheading  whomsoever  he  met,  until  he  had 
quite  a heap  of  human  heads.  Matiamvo  explained  this  conduct 
by  saying  that  his  people  were  too  many,  and  he  wanted  to  di- 
minish them.  lie  had  absolute  power  of  life  and  death.  On  in- 
quiring whether  human  sacrifices  were  still  made,  as  in  the  time 
of  Pereira,  at  Cazembe’s,  we  were  informed  that  these  had  never 
been  so  common  as  was  represented  to  Pereira,  but  that  it  occa- 
sionally happened,  when  certain  charms  were  needed  by  the  chief, 
that  a man  was  slaughtered  for  the  sake  of  some  part  of  liis 
body.  He  added  that  he  hoped  the  present  chief  would  not  act 
like  his  (mad)  predecessor,  but  kill  only  those  who  were  guilty 
of  witchcraft  or  theft.  These  men  were  very  much  astonished 
at  the  liberty  enjoyed  by  the  Makololo ; and  when  they  found 
that  all  my  people  held  cattle,  we  were  told  that  Matiamvo  alone 
had  a herd.  One  very  intelligent  man  among  them  asked,  “ If 
he  should  make  a canoe,  and  take  it  down  the  river  to  the  Mako- 
lolo, would  he  get  a cow  for  it  ?”  This  question,  which  my  men 
answered  in  the  affirmative,  was  important,  as  showing  the  knowl- 
edge of  a water  communication  from  the  country  of  Matiamvo  to 
the  Makololo ; and  the  river  runs  through  a fertile  country 
abounding  in  large  timber.  If  the  tribes  have  intercourse  with 
each  other,  it  exerts  a good  influence  on  their  chiefs  to  hear  what 


342 


SU PEE STITIOTJ S CUSTOMS. 


other  tribes  think  of  their  deeds.  The  Makololo  have  such  a bad 
name,  on  account  of  their  perpetual  forays,  that  they  have  not  been 
known  in  Londa  except  as  ruthless  destroyers.  The  people  in 
Matiamvo’s  country  submit  to  much  wrong  from  their  chiefs,  and 
no  voice  can  be  raised  against  cruelty,  because  they  are  afraid  to 
flee  elsewhere. 

We  left  Quendende’s  village  in  company  with  Quendende  him- 
self, and  the  principal  man  of  the  embassadors  of  Matiamvo,  and 
after  two  or  three  miles’  march  to  the  N.W.,  came  to  the  ford  of 
the  Lotembwa,  which  flows  southward.  A canoe  was  waiting  to 
ferry  us  over,  but  it  was  very  tedious  work ; for,  though  the  river 
itself  was  only  eighty  yards  wide,  the  whole  valley  was  flooded, 
and  we  were  obliged  to  paddle  more  than  half  a mile  to  get  free 
of  the  water.  A fire  was  lit  to  warm  old  Quendende,  and  enable 
him  to  dry  his  tobacco-leaves.  The  leaves  are  taken  from  the 
plant,  and  spread  close  to  the  fire  until  they  are  quite  dry  and 
crisp  ; they  are  then  put  into  a snuff-box,  which,  with  a little  pes- 
tle, serves  the  purpose  of  a mill  to  grind  them  into  powder ; it  is 
then  used  as  snuff.  As  we  sat  by  the  fire,  the  embassadors  com- 
municated their  thoughts  freely  respecting  the  customs  of  their 
race.  When  a chief  dies,  a number  of  servants  are  slaughtered 
with  him  to  form  his  company  in  the  other  world.  The  Barotse 
followed  the  same  custom,  and  this  and  other  usages  show  them 
to  be  genuine  negroes,  though  neither  they  nor  the  Balonda  resem- 
ble closely  the  typical  form  of  that  people.  Quendende  said  if  he 
were  present  on  these  occasions  he  would  hide  his  people,  so  that 
they  might  not  be  slaughtered.  As  we  go  north,  the  people  be- 
come more  bloodily  superstitious. 

We  were  assured  that  if  the  late  Matiamvo  took  a fancy  to 
any  thing,  such,  for  instance,  as  my  watch-chain,  which  was  of 
silver  wire,  and  was  a great  curiosity,  as  they  had  never  seen 
metal  plaited  before,  he  would  order  a whole  village  to  be 
brought  up  to  buy  it  from,  a stranger.  When  a slave-trader 
visited  him,  he  took  possession  of  all  his  goods ; then,  after  ten 
days  or  a fortnight,  he  would  send  out  a party  of  men  to  pounce 
upon  some  considerable  village,  and,  having  killed  the  head  man, 
would  pay  for  all  the  goods  by  selling  the  inhabitants.  This  has 
frequently  been  the  case,  and  nearly  all  the  visitants  he  ever  had 
were  men  of  color.  On  asking  if  Matiamvo  did  not  know  he 


PRESENTATION  TO  KATEMA. 


343 


was  a man,  and  would  be  judged,  in  company  with  those  he  de- 
stroyed, by  a Lord  who  is  no  respecter  of  persons  ? the  embassa- 
dor replied,  “We  do  not  go  up  to  God,  as  you  do;  we  are  put 
into  the  ground.”  I could  not  ascertain  that  even  those  who  have 
such  a distinct  perception  of  the  continued  existence  of  departed 
spirits  had  any  notion  of  heaven ; they  appear  to  imagine  the 
souls  to  be  always  near  the  place  of  sepulture. 

After  crossing  the  River  Lotembwa  we  traveled  about  eight 
miles,  and  came  to  Katema’s  straggling  town  (lat.  11°  35"  49"  S., 
long.  22°  27'  E.).  It  is  more  a collection  of  villages  than  a town. 
We  were  led  out  about  half  a mile  from  the  houses,  that  we  might 
make  for  ourselves  the  best  lodging  we  could  of  the  trees  and 
grass,  while  Intemese  was  taken  to  Katema  to  undergo  the  usual 
process  of  pumping  as  to  our  past  conduct  and  professions.  Ka- 
tema soon  afterward  sent  a handsome  present  of  food. 

Next  morning  we  had  a formal  presentation,  and  found  Katema 
seated  on  a sort  of  throne,  with  about  three  hundred  men  on  the 
ground  around,  and  thirty  women,  who  were  said  to  be  his  wives, 
close  behind  him.  The  main  body  of  the  people  were  seated  in  a 
semicircle,  at  a distance  of  fifty  yards.  Each  party  had  its  own 
head  man  stationed  at  a little  distance  in  front,  and,  when  beckoned 
by  the  chief,  came  near  him  as  councilors.  Intemese  gave  our  his- 
tory, and  Katema  placed  sixteen  large  baskets  of  meal  before  us, 
half  a dozen  fowls,  and  a dozen  eggs,  and  expressed  regret  that 
we  had  slept  hungry : he  did  not  like  any  stranger  to  suffer  want 
in  his  town ; and  added,  “ Go  home,  and  cook  and  eat,  and  you 
will  then  be  in  a fit  state  to  speak  to  me  at  an  audience  I will 
give  you  to-morrow.”  He  was  busily  engaged  in  hearing  the 
statements  of  a large  body  of  fine  young  men  who  had  fled  from 
Kangenke,  chief  of  Lobale,  on  account  of  his  selling  their  rela- 
tives to  the  native  Portuguese  who  frequent  his  country.  Kate- 
ma is  a tall  man,  about  forty  years  of  age,  and  his  head  was  or- 
namented with  a helmet  of  beads  and  feathers.  He  had  on  a 
snuff-brown  coat,  with  a broad  band  of  tinsel  down  the  arms,  and 
carried  in  his  hand  a large  tail  made  of  the  caudal  extremities  of 
a number  of  gnus.  This  has  charms  attached  to  it,  and  he  con- 
tinued waving  it  in  front  of  himself  all  the  time  we  were  there. 
He  seemed  in  good  spirits,  laughing  heartily  several  times.  This 
is  a good  sign,  for  a man  who  shakes  his  sides  with  mirth  is  sel- 


344 


INTERVIEW  WITH  KATEMA. 


dom  difficult  to  deal  with.  When  we  rose  to  take  leave,  all  rose 
with  us,  as  at  Shinte’s. 

Returning  next  morning,  Katema  addressed  me  thus : “I  am 
the  great  Moene  (lord)  Katema,  the  fellow  of  Matiamvo.  There 
is  no  one  in  the  country  equal  to  Matiamvo  and  me.  I have 
always  lived  here,  and  my  forefathers  too.  There  is  the  house 
in  which  my  father  lived.  You  found  no  human  skulls  near 
the  place  where  you  are  encamped.  I never  killed  any  of  the 
traders ; they  all  come  to  me.  I am  the  great  Moene  Katema, 
of  whom  you  have  heard.”  He  looked  as  if  he  had  fallen  asleep 
tipsy,  and  dreamed  of  his  greatness.  On  explaining  my  ob- 
jects to  him,  he  promptly  pointed  out  three  men  who  would 
be  our  guides,  and  explained  that  the  northwest  path  was  the 
most  direct,  and  that  by  which  all  traders  came,  hut  that  the 
water  at  present  standing  on  the  plains  would  reach  up  to  the 
loins ; he  would  therefore  send  us  by  a more  northerly  route, 
which  no  trader  had  yet  traversed.  This  was  more  suited  to  our 
wishes,  for  we  never  found  a path  safe  that  had  been  trodden  by 
slave-traders. 

We  presented  a few  articles,  which  pleased  him  highly : a 
small  shawl,  a razor,  three  bunches  of  beads,  some  buttons,  and 
a powder-horn.  Apologizing  for  the  insignificance  of  the  gift, 
I wished  to  know  what  I could  bring  him  from  Loanda,  saying, 
not  a large  thing,  but  something  small.  He  laughed  heartily 
at  the  limitation,  and  replied,  “Every  thing  of  the  white  people 
would  be  acceptable,  and  he  would  receive  any  thing  thankfully ; 
but  the  coat  he  then  had  on  was  old,  and  he  would  like  an- 
other.” I introduced  the  subject  of  the  Bible,  but  one  of 
the  old  councilors  broke  in,  told  all  he  had  picked  up  from 
the  Mambari,  and  glided  off  into  several  other  subjects.  It 
is  a misery  to  speak  through  an  interpreter,  as  I was  now 
forced  to  do.  With  a body  of  men  like  mine,  composed  as 
they  were  of  six  different  tribes,  and  all  speaking  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Bechuanas,  there  was  no  difficulty  in  communi- 
cating on  common  subjects  with  any  tribe  we  came  to ; but 
doling  out  a story  in  which  they  felt  no  interest,  and  which  I 
understood  only  sufficiently  well  to  perceive  that  a mere  abridg- 
ment was  given,  was  uncommonly  slow  work.  Neither  could 
Katema’s  attention  be  arrested,  except  by  compliments,  of  which 


CATTLE.— A FEAST. 


347 


they  have  always  plenty  to  bestow  as  well  as  receive.  We  were 
strangers,  and  knew  that,  as  Makololo,  we  had  not  the  best  of 
characters,  yet  his  treatment  of  us  was  wonderfully  good  and 
liberal. 

I complimented  him  on  the  possession  of  cattle,  and  pleased 
him  by  telling  him  how  he  might  milk  the  cows.  He  has  a herd 
of  about  thirty,  really  splendid  animals,  all  reared  from  two  which 
he  bought  from  the  Balobale  when  he  was  young.  They  are 
generally  of  a white  color,  and  are  quite  wild,  running  off  with 
graceful  ease  like  a herd  of  elands  on  the  approach  of  a stranger. 
They  excited  the  unbounded  admiration  of  the  Makololo,  and 
clearly  proved  that  the  country  was  well  adapted  for  them. 
When  Katema  wishes  to  slaughter  one,  he  is  obliged  to  shoot 
it  as  if  it  were  a buffalo.  Matiamvo  is  said  to  possess  a herd  of 
cattle  in  a similar  state.  I never  could  feel  certain  as  to  the 
reason  why  they  do  not  all  possess  cattle  in  a country  containing 
such  splendid  pasturage. 

As  Katema  did  not  offer  an  ox,  as  would  have  been  done  by 
a Makololo  or  Caffre  chief,  we  slaughtered  one  of  our  own,  and 
all  of  us  were  delighted  to  get  a meal  of  meat,  after  subsisting 
so  long  on  the  light  porridge  and  green  maize  of  Londa.  On 
occasions  of  slaughtering  an  animal,  some  pieces  of  it  are  in  the 
fire  before  the  skin  is  all  removed  from  the  body.  A frying-pan 
full  of  these  pieces  having  been  got  quickly  ready,  my  men 
crowded  about  their  father,  and  I handed  some  all  round.  It 
was  a strange  sight  to  the  Balonda,  who  were  looking  on,  won- 
dering. I offered  portions  to  them  too,  but  these  were  declined, 
though  they  are  excessively  fond  of  a little  animal  food  to  eat 
with  their  vegetable  diet.  They  would  not  eat  with  us,  but 
they  would  take  the  meat  and  cook  it  in  their  own  way,  and 
then  use  it.  I thought  at  one  time  that  they  had  imported 
something  from  the  Mohammedans,  and  the  more  especially  as  an 
exclamation  of  surprise,  “Allah,”  sounds  like  the  Mali  of  the 
Arabs ; but  we  found,  a little  farther  on,  another  form  of  saluta- 
tion, of  Christian  (?)  origin,  “Ave-rie”  (Ave  Marie).  The  saluta- 
tions probably  travel  farther  than  the  faith.  My  people,  when 
satisfied  with  a meal  like  that  which  they  enjoy  so  often  at 
home,  amused  themselves  by  an  uproarious  danoe.  Katema 
sent  to  ask  what  I had  given  them  to  produce  so  much  excite- 


348 


A DIGNIFIED  ANCIENT. 


ment.  Intemese  replied  it  was  their  custom,  and  they  meant 
no  harm.  The  companion  of  the  ox  we  slaughtered  refused 
food  for  two  days,  and  went  lowing  about  for  him  continually. 
He  seemed  inconsolable  for  his  loss,  and  tried  again  and  again 
to  escape  back  to  the  Makololo  country.  My  men  remarked, 
“ He  thinks  they  will  kill  me  as  well  as  my  friend.”  Katema 
thought  it  the  result  of  art,  and  had  fears  of  my  skill  in  medi- 
cine, and  of  course  witchcraft.  He  refused  to  see  the  magic 
lantern. 

One  of  the  affairs  which  had  been  intrusted  by  Sliinte  to 
Intemese  was  the  rescue  of  a wife  who  had  eloped  with  a young 
man  belonging  to  Katema.  As  this  was  the  only  case  I have 
met  with  in  the  interior  in  which  a fugitive  was  sent  back  to  a 
chief  against  his  own  will,  I am  anxious  to  mention  it.  On 
Intemese  claiming  her  as  his  master’s  wife,  she  protested  loudly 
against  it,  saying  “ she  knew  she  was  not  going  back  to  be  a 
wife  again  ; she  was  going  back  to  be  sold  to  the  Mambari.” 
My  men  formed  many  friendships  with  the  people  of  Katema, 
and  some  of  the  poorer  classes  said  in  confidence,  “We  wish  our 
children  could  go  back  with  you  to  the  Makololo  country ; here 
we  are  all  in  danger  of  being  sold.”  My  men  were  of  opinion 
that  it  was  only  the  want  of  knowledge  of  the  southern  country 
which  prevented  an  exodus  of  all  the  lower  portions  of  Londa 
population  thither. 

It  is  remarkable  how  little  people  living  in  a flat  forest 
country  like  this  know  of  distant  tribes.  An  old  man,  who  said 
he  had  been  born  about  the  same  time  as  the  late  Matiamvo, 
and  had  been  his  constant  companion  through  life,  visited  us ; 
and  as  I was  sitting  on  some  grass  in  front  of  the  little  gipsy 
tent  mending  my  camp  stool,  I invited  him  to  take  a seat  on 
the  grass  beside  me.  This  was  peremptorily  refused:  “he  had 
never  sat  on  the  ground  during  the  late  chief’s  reign,  and  he 
was  not  going  to  degrade  himself  now.”  One  of  my  men  handed 
him  a log  of  wood  taken  from  the  fire,  and  helped  him  out  of 
the  difficulty.  When  I offered  him  some  cooked  meat  on  a 
plate,  he  would  not  touch  that  either,  but  would  take  it  home. 
So  I humored  him  by  sending  a servant  to  bear  a few  ounces 
of  meat  to  the  town  behind  him.  He  mentioned  the  Lolo 
(Lulua)  as  the  branch  of  the  Leeambye  which  flows  southward 


LAX  GOVERNMENT. 


349 


or  S.S.E. ; but  the  people  of  Matiamvo  had  never  gone  far  down 
it,  as  their  chief  had  always  been  afraid  of  encountering  a tribe 
whom,  from  the  description  given,  I could  recognize  as  the  Ma- 
kololo.  He  described  five  rivers  as  falling  into  the  Lolo,  viz., 
the  Lislnsh,  Liss  or  Lise,  Kalileme,  Ishidish,  and  Molong.  None 
of  these  are  large,  but  when  they  are  united  in  the  Lolo  they 
form  a considerable  stream.  The  country  through  which  the 
Lolo  flows  is  said  to  be  flat,  fertile,  well  peopled,  and  there  are 
large  patches  of  forest.  In  this  report  he  agreed  perfectly  with 
the  people  of  Matiamvo,  whom  we  had  met  at  Quendende’s  vil- 
lage. But  we  never  could  get  him,  or  any  one  in  this  quarter, 
to  draw  a map  on  the  ground,  as  people  may  readily  be  got  to  do 
in  the  south. 

Katema  promised  us  the  aid  of  some  of  his  people  as  carriers, 
but  his  rule  is  not  very  stringent  or  efficient,  for  they  refused  to 
turn  out  for  the  work.  They  were  Balobale ; and  he  remarked 
on  their  disobedience  that,  though  he  received  them  as  fugitives, 
they  did  not  feel  grateful  enough  to  obey,  and  if  they  continued 
rebellious  he  must  drive  them  back  whence  they  came ; but  there 
is  little  fear  of  that,  as  all  the  chiefs  are  excessively  anxious  to 
collect  men  in  great  numbers  around  them.  These  Balobalo 
would  not  go,  though  our  guide  Shakatwala  ran  after  some  of 
them  with  a drawn  sword.  This  degree  of  liberty  to  rebel  was 
very  striking  to  us,  as  it  occurred  in  a country  -where  people 
may  be  sold,  and  often  are  so  disposed  of  when  guilty  of  any 
crime ; and  we  well  knew  that  open  disobedience  like  this  among 
the  Makololo  would  be  punished  with  death  without  much  cere- 
mony. 

On  Sunday,  the  19th,  both  I and  several  of  our  party  were 
seized  with  fever,  and  I could  do  nothing  but  toss  about  in  my 
little  tent,  with  the  thermometer  above  90°,  though  this  was  the 
beginning  of  winter,  and  my  men  made  as  much  shade  as  pos- 
sible by  planting  branches  of  trees  all  round  and  over  it.  We 
have,  for  the  first  time  in  my  experience  in  Africa,  had  a cold 
wind  from  the  north.  All  the  winds  from  that  quarter  are  hot, 
and  those  from  the  south  are  cold,  but  they  seldom  blow  from 
either  direction. 

20th.  We  were  glad  to  get  away,  though  not  on  account  of 
any  scarcity  of  food ; for  my  men,  by  giving  small  presents  of 


350 


SINGING-BIRDS. 


meat  as  an  earnest  of  their  sincerity,  formed  many  friendships 
with  the  people  of  Katema.  We  went  about  four  or  five  miles 
in  a N.N.W.  direction,  then  two  in  a westerly  one,  and  came 
round  the  small  end  of  Lake  Dilolo.  It  seemed,  as  far  as  we 
could  at  this  time  discern,  to  be  like  a river  a quarter  of  a mile 
wide.  It  is  abundantly  supplied  with  fish  and  hippopotami ; the 
broad  part,  which  we  did  not  this  time  see,  is  about  three  miles 
wide,  and  the  lake  is  almost  seven  or  eight  long.  If  it  be  thought 
strange  that  I did  not  go  a few  miles  to  see  the  broad  part, 
which,  according  to  Katema,  had  never  been  visited  by  any  of 
the  traders,  it  must  be  remembered  that  in  consequence  of  fever 
I had  eaten  nothing  for  two  entire  days,  and,  instead  of  sleep, 
the  whole  of  the  nights  were  employed  in  incessant  drinking  of 
water,  and  I was  now  so  glad  to  get  on  in  the  journey  and  see 
some  of  my  fellow  fever-patients  crawling  along,  that  I could  not 
brook  the  delay,  which  astronomical  observations  for  accurately 
determining  the  geographical  position  of  this  most  interesting  spot 
would  have  occasioned. 

We  observed  among  the  people  of  Katema  a love  for  singing- 
birds.  One  pretty  little  songster,  named  “cabazo,”  a species  of 
canary,  is  kept  in  very  neatly  made  cages,  having  traps  on  the 
top  to  entice  its  still  free  companions.  On  asking  why  they  kept 
them  in  confinement,  “Because  they  sing  sweetly,”  was  the  an- 
swer. They  feed  them  on  the  lotsa  (Pennisetum  tyjphoxdeum ), 
of  which  great  quantities  are  cultivated  as  food  for  man,  and  these 
canaries  plague  the  gardeners  here,  very  much  in  the  same  way 
as  our  sparrows  do  at  home. 

I was  pleased  to  hear  the  long-forgotten  cry  of  alarm  of  the 
canaries  in  the  woods,  and  observed  one  warbling  forth  its  song, 
and  keeping  in  motion  from  side  to  side,  as  these  birds  do  in  the 
cage.  We  saw  also  tame  pigeons  ; and  the  Barotse,  who  always 
take  care  to  exalt  Santuru,  reminded  us  that  this  chief  had  many 
doves,  and  kept  canaries  which  had  reddish  heads  when  the  birds 
attained  maturity.  Those  we  now  see  have  the  real  canary  color 
on  the  breast,  with  a tinge  of  green ; the  back,  yellowish  green, 
with  darker  longitudinal  bands  meeting  in  the  centre ; a narrow 
dark  band  passes  from  the  bill  over  the  eye  and  back  to  the  bill 
again. 

The  birds  of  song  here  set  up  quite  a merry  chorus  in  the 


SPIDERS. 


351 


mornings,  and  abound  most  near  the  villages.  Some  sing  as 
loudly  as  our  thrushes,  and  the  king-hunter  ( Halcyon  Senegal- 
ensis)  makes  a clear  whirring  sound  like  that  of  a whistle  with  a 
pea  in  it.  During  the  heat  of  the  day  all  remain  silent,  and 
take  their  siesta  in  the  shadiest  parts  of  the  trees,  but  in  the 
cool  of  the  evening  they  again  exert  themselves  in  the  produc- 
tion of  pleasant  melody.  It  is  remarkable  that  so  many  song- 
birds abound  where  there  is  a general  paucity  of  other  animal 
life.  As  we  went  forward  we  were  struck  by  the  comparative 
absence  of  game  and  the  larger  kind  of  fowls.  The  rivers  con- 
tain very  few  fish.  Common  flies  are  not  troublesome,  as  they 
are  wherever  milk  is  abundant ; they  are  seen  in  company  with 
others  of  the  same  size  and  shape,  but  whose  tiny  feet  do  not 
tickle  the  skin,  as  is  the  case  with  their  companions.  Musquitoes 
are  seldom  so  numerous  as  to  disturb  the  slumbers  of  a weary 
man. 

But,  though  this  region  is  free  from  common  insect  plagues, 
and  from  tsetse,  it  has  others.  Feeling  something  running 
across  my  forehead  as  I was  falling  asleep,  I put  up  the  hand  to 
wipe  it  off,  and  was  sharply  stung  both  on  the  hand  and  head ; 
the  pain  was  very  acute.  On  obtaining  a light,  we  found  that  it 
had  been  inflicted  by  a light-colored  spider,  about  half  an  inch 
in  length,  and,  one  of  the  men  having  crushed  it  with  his  fingers, 
I had  no  opportunity  of  examining  whether  the  pain  had  been 
produced  by  poison  from  a sting  or  from  its  mandibles.  No 
remedy  was  applied,  and  the  pain  ceased  in  about  two  hours. 
The  Bechuanas  believe  that  there  is  a small  black  spider  in  the 
country  whose  bite  is  fatal.  I have  not  met  with  an  instance  in 
which  death  could  be  traced  to  this  insect,  though  a very  large 
black,  hairy  spider,  an  inch  and  a quarter  long  and  three  quarters 
of  an  inch  broad,  is  frequently  seen,  having  a process  at  the  end 
of  its  front  claws  similar  to  that  at  the  end  of  the  scorpion’s  tail, 
and  when  the  bulbous  portion  of  it  is  pressed,  the  poison  may  be 
seen  oozing  out  from  the  point. 

We  have  also  spiders  in  the  south  which  seize  their  prey  by 
leaping  upon  it  from  a distance  of  several  inches.  When  alarmed, 
they  can  spring  about  a foot  away  from  the  object  of  their  own 
fear.  Of  this  kind  there  are  several  varieties. 

A large  reddish  spider  (J fygale)  obtains  its  food  in  a different 


352 


SPIDERS. 


manner  than  either  patiently  waiting  in  ambush  or  by  catching 
it  with  a bound.  It  runs  about  with  great  velocity  in  and  out, 
behind  and  around  every  object,  searching  for  what  it  may  de- 
vour, and,  from  its  size  and  rapid  motions,  excites  the  horror  of 
every  stranger.  I never  knew  it  to  do  any  harm  except  frighten- 
ing the  nervous,  and  I believe  few  could  look  upon  it  for  the  first 
time  without  feeling  himself  in  danger.  It  is  named  by  the  na- 
tives “selali,”  and  is  believed  to  be  the  maker  of  a hinged  cover 
for  its  nest.  You  see  a door,  about  the  size  of  a shilling,  lying 
beside  a deep  hole  of  nearly  similar  diameter.  The  inside  of  the 
door  lying  upward,  and  which  attracts  your  notice,  is  of  a pure 
white  silky  substance,  like  paper.  The  outer  side  is  coated  over 
with  earth,  precisely  like  that  in  which  the  hole  is  made.  If  you 
try  to  lift  it,  you  find  it  is  fastened  by  a hinge  on  one  side,  and, 
if  it  is  turned  over  upon  the  hole,  it  fits  it  exactly,  and  the  earthy 
side  being  then  uppermost,  it  is  quite  impossible  to  detect  the 
situation  of  the  nest.  Unfortunately,  this  cavity  for  breeding  is 
never  seen  except  when  the  owner  is  out,  and  has  left  the  door 
open  behind  her. 

In  some  parts  of  the  country  there  are  great  numbers  of  a large, 
beautiful  yellow-spotted  spider,  the  webs  of  which  are  about  a 
yard  in  diameter.  The  lines  on  which  these  webs  are  spun  are 
suspended  from  one  tree  to  another,  and  are  as  thick  as  coarse 
thread.  The  fibres  radiate  from  a central  point,  where  the  insect 
waits  for  its  prey.  The  webs  are  placed  perpendicularly,  and  a 
common  occurrence  in  walking  is  to  get  the  face  enveloped  in  them 
as  a lady  is  in  a veil. 

Another  kind  of  spider  lives  in  society,  and  forms  so  great  a 
collection  of  webs  placed  at  every  angle,  that  the  trunk  of  a tree 
surrounded  by  them  can  not  be  seen.  A piece  of  hedge  is  often 
so  hidden  by  this  spider  that  the  branches  are  invisible.  An- 
other is  seen  on  the  inside  of  the  walls  of  huts  among  the  Mako- 
lolo  in  great  abundance.  It  is  round  in  shape,  spotted,  brown  in 
color,  and  the  body  half,  an  inch  in  diameter;  the  spread  of  the 
legs  is  an  inch  and  a half.  It  makes  a smooth  spot  for  itself  on 
the  wall,  covered  with  the  above-mentioned  white  silky  substance. 
There  it  is  seen  standing  the  whole  day,  and  I never  could  ascer- 
tain how  it  fed.  It  has  no  web,  but  a carpet,  and  is  a harmless, 
though  an  ugly  neighbor. 


TRADITION  OF  LAKE  DILOLO. 


353 


Immediately  beyond  Dilolo  there  is  a large  flat  about  twenty 
miles  in  breadth.  Here  Shakatwala  insisted  on  our  remaining 
to  get  supplies  of  food  from  Katema’s  subjects,  before  entering  the 
uninhabited  watery  plains.  When  asked  the  meaning  of  the  name 
Dilolo,  Shakatwala  gave  the  following  account  of  the  formation  of 
the  lake.  A female  chief,  called  Moene  (lord)  Monenga,  came  one 
evening  to  the  village  of  Mosogo,  a man  who  lived  in  the  vicinity, 
but  who  had  gone  to  hunt  with  his  dogs.  She  asked  for  a supply 
of  food,  and  Mosogo’s  wife  gave  her  a sufficient  quantity.  Pro- 
ceeding to  another  village  standing  on  the  spot  now  occupied  by 
the  water,  she  preferred  the  same  demand,  and  was  not  only  re- 
fused, but,  when  she  uttered  a threat  for  their  niggardliness,  was 
taunted  with  the  question,  “ What  could  she  do  though  she  were 
thus  treated  ?”  In  order  to  show  what  she  could  do,  she  began  a 
song,  in  slow  time,  and  uttered  her  own  name,  Monenga-woo.  As 
she  prolonged  the  last  note,  the  village,  people,  fowls,  and  dogs 
sank  into  the  space  now  called  Dilolo.  When  Kasimakate,  the 
head  man  of  this  village,  came  home  and  found  out  the  catastro- 
phe, he  cast  himself  into  the  lake,  and  is  supposed  to  be  in  it  still. 
The  name  is  derived  from  “ ilolo,”  despair,  because  this  man  gave 
up  all  hope  when  his  family  was  destroyed.  Monenga  was  put  to 
death.  This  may  be  a faint  tradition  of  the  Deluge,  and  it  is  re- 
markable as  the  only  one  I have  met  with  in  this  country. 

Heavy  rains  prevented  us  from  crossing  the  plain  in  front 
(N.N.W.)  in  one  day,  and  the  constant  wading  among  the  grass 
hurt  the  feet  of  tire  men.  There  is  a footpath  all  the  way  across, . 
but  as  this  is  worn  down  beneath  the  level  of  the  rest  of  the  plain, 
it  is  necessarily  the  deepest  portion,  and  the  men,  avoiding  it, 
make  a new  walk  by  its  side.  A path,  however  narrow,  is  a great 
convenience,  as  any  one  who  has  traveled  on  foot  in  Africa  will 
admit.  The  virtual  want  of  it  here  caused  us  to  make  slow  and 
painful  progress. 

Ants  surely  are  wiser  than  some  men,  for  they  learn  by  experi- 
ence. They  have  established  themselves  even  on  these  plains, 
where  water  stands  so  long  annually  as  to  allow  the  lotus,  and 
other  aqueous  plants,  to  come  to  maturity.  When  all  the  ant 
horizon  is  submerged  a foot  deep,  they  manage  to  exist  by  as- 
cending to  little  houses  built  of  black  tenacious  loam  on  stalks 
of  grass,  and  placed  higher  than  the  line  of  inundation.  This 

Z 


354 


SAGACITY  OF  ANTS. 


must  have  been  the  result  of  experience ; for,  if  they  had  waited 
till  the  water  actually  invaded  their  terrestrial  habitations,  they 
would  not  have  been  able  to  procure  materials  for  their  aerial 
quarters,  unless  they  dived  down  to  the  bottom  for  every  mouthful 
of  clay.  Some  of  these  upper  chambers  are  about  the  size  of  a 
bean,  and  others  as  large  as  a man’s  thumb.  They  must  have 
built  in  anticipation,  and  if  so,  let  us  humbly  hope  that  the  suffer- 
ers by  the  late  inundations  in  France  may  be  possessed  of  as  much 
common  sense  as  the  little  black  ants  of  the  Dilolo  plains. 


DEEP  VALLEY. 


355 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Watershed  between  the  northern  and  southern  Rivers.  — A deep  Valley. — 
Rustic  Bridge.  — Fountains  on  the  Slopes  of  the  Valleys.  — Village  of  Ka- 
binje. — Good  Effects  of  the  Belief  in  the  Power  of  Charms. — Demand  for  Gun- 
powder and  English  Calico. — The  Kasai. — Vexatious  Trick. — Want  of  Food. — 
No  Game. — Katende’s  unreasonable  Demand. — A grave  Offense. — Toll-bridge 
Keeper. — Greedy  Guides.  — Flooded  Valleys.  — Swim  the  Nuana  Loke. — 
Prompt  Kindness  of  my  Men.  — Makololo  Remarks  on  the  rich  uncultivated 
Valleys. — Difference  in  the  Color  of  Africans. — Reach  a Village  of  the  Chi- 
boque. — The  Head  Man’s  impudent  Message. — Surrounds  our  Encampment  with 
his  Warriors. — The  Pretense. — Their  Demand. — Prospect  of  a Fight. — Way  in 
which  it  was  averted. — Change  our  Path. — Summer. — Fever. — Beehives  and  the 
Honey-guide.  — Instinct  of  Trees. — Climbers. — The  Ox  Sinbad. — Absence  of 
Thorns  in  the  Forests. — Plant  peculiar  to  a forsaken  Garden. — Bad  Guides. — 
Insubordination  suppressed.  — Beset  by  Enemies.  — A Robber  Party. — More 
Troubles.  — Detained  by  Ionga  Panza.  — His  Village.  — Annoyed  by  Bangala 
Traders. — My  Men  discouraged. — Their  Determination  and  Precaution. 

2Ath  of  February . On  reaching  unflooded  lands  beyond  the 
plain,  we  found  the  villages  there  acknowledged  the  authority  of 
the  chief  named  Katende,  and  we  discovered,  also,  to  our  surprise, 
that  the  almost  level  plain  we  had  passed  forms  the  watershed  be- 
tween the  southern  and  northern  rivers,  for  we  had  now  entered  a 
district  in  which  the  rivers  flowed  in  a northerly  direction  into  the 
Kasai  or  Loke,  near  to  which  we  now  were,  while  the  rivers  we 
had  hitherto  crossed  were  all  running  southward.  Having  met 
with  kind  treatment  and  aid  at  the  first  village,  Katema’s  guides 
returned,  and  we  were  led  to  the  N.N.W.  by  the  inhabitants,  and 
descended  into  the  very  first  really  deep  valley  we  had  seen  since 
leaving  Kolobeng.  A stream  ran  along  the  bottom  of  a slope  of 
three  or  four  hundred  yards  from  the  plains  above. 

We  crossed  this  by  a rustic  bridge  at  present  submerged 
thigh-deep  by  the  rains.  The  trees  growing  along  the  stream  of 
this  lovely  valley  were  thickly  planted  and  very  high.  Many 
had  sixty  or  eighty  feet  of  clean  straight  trunk,  and  beautiful 
flowers  adorned  the  ground  beneath  them.  Ascending  the  oppo- 
site side,  we  came,  in  two  hours’  time,  to  another  valley,  equally 


356 


FOUNTAINS.— VILLAGE  OF  KABINJE. 


beautiful,  and  with  a stream  also  in  its  centre.  It  may  seem 
mere  trifling  to  note  such  an  unimportant  thing  as  the  occur- 
rence of  a valley,  there  being  so  many  in  every  country  under  the 
sun ; but  as  these  were  branches  of  that  in  which  the  Kasai  or 
Loke  flows,  and  both  that  river  and  its  feeders  derive  their  water 
in  a singular  manner  from  the  valley  sides,  I may  be  excused  for 
calling  particular  attention  to  the  more  furrowed  nature  of  the 
country. 

At  different  points  on  the  slopes  of  these  valleys  which  we  now 
for  the  first  time  entered,  there  are  oozing  fountains,  surrounded 
by  clumps  of  the  same  evergreen,  straight,  large-leaved  trees 
we  have  noticed  along  the  streams.  These  spots  are  generally 
covered  with  a mat  of  grassy  vegetation,  and  possess  more  the 
character  of  bogs  than  of  fountains.  They  slowly  discharge  into 
the  stream  below,  and  are  so  numerous  along  both  banks  as  to 
give  a peculiar  character  to  the  landscape.  These  groups  of  syl- 
van vegetation  are  generally  of  a rounded  form,  and  the  trunks  of 
the  trees  are  tall  and  straight,  while  those  on  the  level  plains  above 
are  low  and  scraggy  in  their  growth.  There  can  be  little  doubt 
but  that  the  water,  which  stands  for  months  on  the  plains,  soaks 
in,  and  finds  its  way  into  the  rivers  and  rivulets  by  percolating 
through  the  soil,  and  out  by  these  oozing  bogs  ; and  the  difference  „ 
between  the  growth  of  these  trees,  though  they  be  of  different 
species,  may  be  a proof  that  the  stuntedness  of  those  on  the  plains 
is  owing  to  being,  in  the  course  of  each  year,  more  subjected  to 
drought  than  moisture. 

Reaching  the  village  of  Kabinje,  in  the  evening  he  sent  us  a 
present  of  tobacco,  Mutokuane  or  “bang”  ( Cannabis  sativa ),  and 
maize,  by  the  man  who  went  forward  to  announce  our  arrival, 
and  a message  expressing  satisfaction  at  the  prospect  of  having- 
trade  with  the  coast.  The  westing  we  were  making  brought  us 
among  people  who  are  frequently  visited  by  the  Mambari  as 
slave  - dealers.  This  trade  causes  bloodshed  ; for  when  a poor 
family  is  selected  as  the  victims,  it  is  necessary  to  get  rid  of  the 
older  members  of  it,  because  they  are  supposed  to  be  able  to 
give  annoyance  to  the  chief  afterward  by  means  of  enchant- 
ments. The  belief  in  the  power  of  charms  for  good  or  evil  pro- 
duces not  only  honesty,  but  a great  amount  of  gentle  dealing. 
The  powerful  are  often  restrained  in  their  despotism  from  a fear 


DEMAND  FOR  GUNPOWDER  AND  CALICO. 


357 


that  the  weak  and  helpless  may  injure  them  by  their  medical 
knowledge.  They  have  many  fears.  A man  at  one  of  the 
villages  we  came  to  showed  us  the  grave  of  his  child,  and, 
with  much  apparent  feeling,  told  us  she  had  been  burned  to 
death  in  her  hut.  He  had  come  with  all  his  family,  and  built 
huts  around  it  in  order  to  weep  for  her.  He  thought,  if  the 
grave  were  left  unwatched,  the  witches  would  come  and  bewitch 
them  by  putting  medicines  on  the  body.  They  have  a more  de- 
cided belief  in  the  continued  existence  of  departed  spirits  than 
any  of  the  more  southerly  tribes.  Even  the  Barotse  possess  it  in 
a strong  degree,  for  one  of  my  men  of  that  tribe,  on  experiencing 
headache,  said,  with  a sad  and  thoughtful  countenance,  “My  fa- 
ther is  scolding  me  because  I do  not  give  him  any  of  the  food  I 
eat.”  I asked  where  his  father  was.  “ Among  the  Barimo,”  was 
the  reply. 

When  we  wished  to  move  on,  Kabinje  refused  a guide  to  the 
next  village  because  he  was  at  war  with  it ; but,  after  much 
persuasion,  he  consented,  provided  that  the  guide  should  be  al- 
lowed to  return  as  soon  as  he  came  in  sight  of  the  enemy’s  vil- 
lage. This  we  felt  to  be  a misfortune,  as  the  people  all  suspect 
a man  who  comes  telling  his  own  tale ; but  there  being  no  help 
for  it,  we  went  on,  and  found  the  head  man  of  a village  on  the  riv- 
ulet Kalomba,  called  Kangenke,  a very  different  man  from  what 
his  enemy  represented.  We  found,  too,  that  the  idea  of  buying 
and  selling  took  the  place  of  giving  for  friendship.  As  I had 
nothing  with  which  to  purchase  food  except  a parcel  of  beads 
which  were  preserved  for  worse  times,  I began  to  fear  that  we 
should  soon  be  compelled  to  suffer  more  from  hunger  than  we  had 
done.  The  people  demanded  gunpowder  for  every  thing.  If  we 
had  possessed  any  quantity  of  that  article,  we  should  have  got  on 
well,  for  here  it  is  of  great  value.  On  our  return,  near  this  spot 
we  found  a good-sized  fowl  was  sold  for  a single  charge  of  gun- 
powder. Next  to  that,  English  calico  was  in  great  demand,  and 
so  were  beads ; but  money  was  of  no  value  whatever.  Gold  is 
quite  unknown ; it  is  thought  to  be  brass ; trade  is  carried  on  by 
barter  alone.  The  people  know  nothing  of  money.  A purse- 
proud  person  would  here  feel  the  ground  move  from  beneath  his 
feet.  Occasionally  a large  piece  of  copper,  in  the  shape  of  a St. 
Andrew’s  cross,  is  offered  for  sale. 


358 


VEXATIOUS  TRICK. 


February  21th.  Kangenke  promptly  furnished  guides  this 
morning,  so  we  went  briskly  on  a short  distance,  and  came  to  a 
part  of  the  Kasye,  Kasai,  or  Loke,  where  he  had  appointed  two 
canoes  to  convey  us  across.  This  is  a most  beautiful  river,  and 
very  much  like  the  Clyde  in  Scotland.  The  slope  of  the  valley 
down  to  the  stream  is  about  five  hundred  yards,  and  finely  wood- 
ed. It  is,  perhaps,  one  hundred  yards  broad,  and  was  winding 
slowly  from  side  to  side  in  the  beautiful  green  glen,  in  a course  to 
the  north  and  northeast.  In  both  the  directions  from  which  it 
came  and  to  which  it  went  it  seemed  to  be  alternately  embower- 
ed in  sylvan  vegetation,  or  rich  meadows  covered  with  tall 
grass.  The  men  pointed  out  its  course,  and  said,  “ Though  you 
sail  along  it  for  months,  you  will  turn  without  seeing  the  end  of 
it.” 

While  at  the  ford  of  the  Kasai  we  were  subjected  to  a trick, 
of  which  we  had  been  forewarned  by  the  people  of  Shinte.  A 
knife  had  been  dropped  by  one  of  Kangenke’s  people  in  order 
to  entrap  my  men  ; it  was  put  down  near  our  encampment,  as 
if  lost,  the  owner  in  the  mean  time  watching  till  one  of  my 
men  picked  it  up.  Nothing  was  said  until  our  party  was 
divided,  one  half  on  this,  and  the  other  on  that  bank  of  the 
river.  Then  the  charge  was  made  to  me  that  one  of  my  men 
had  stolen  a knife.  Certain  of  my  people’s  honesty,  I desired 
the  man,  who  was  making  a great  noise,  to  search  the  luggage 
for  it ; the  unlucky  lad  who  had  taken  the  bait  then  came 
forward  and  confessed  that  he  had  the  knife  in  a basket,  which 
was  already  taken  over  the  river.  When  it  was  returned,  the 
owner  would  not  receive  it  back  unless  accompanied  with  a fine. 
The  lad  offered  beads,  but  these  were  refused  with  scorn.  A 
shell  hanging  round  his  neck,  similar  to  that  which  Shinte  had 
given  me,  was  the  object  demanded,  and  the  victim  of  the  trick, 
as  we  all  knew  it  to  be,  was  obliged  to  part  with  his  costly  or- 
nament. I could  not  save  him  from  the  loss,  as  all  had  been  fore- 
warned; and  it  is  the  universal  custom  among  the  Makololo 
and  many  other  tribes  to  show  whatever  they  may  find  to  the 
chief  person  of  their  company,  and  make  a sort  of  offer  of  it  to 
him.  This  lad  ought  to  have  done  so  to  me;  the  rest  of  the 
party  always  observed  this  custom.  I felt  annoyed  at  the  impo- 
sition, but  the  order  we  invariably  followed  in  crossing  a river 


WANT  OF  FOOD. 


361 


forced  me  to  submit.  The  head  of  the  party  remained  to  be  fer- 
ried over  last ; so,  if  I had  not  come  to  terms,  I would  have  been, 
as  I always  was  in  crossing  rivers  which  we  could  not  swim,  com- 
pletely in  the  power  of  the  enemy.  It  was  but  rarely  we  could 
get  a head  man  so  witless  as  to  cross  a river  with  us,  and  remain 
on  the  opposite  bank  in  a convenient  position  to  be  seized  as  a 
hostage  in  case  of  my  being  caught. 

This  trick  is  but  one  of  a number  equally  dishonorable  which 
are  practiced  by  tribes  that  lie  adjacent  to  the  more  civilized  set- 
tlements. The  Balonda  farther  east  told  us,  by  way  of  warning, 
that  many  parties  of  the  more  central  tribes  had  at  various  periods 
set  out,  in  order  to  trade  with  the  white  men  themselves,  instead 
of  through  the  Mambari,  but  had  always  been  obliged  to  return 
without  reaching  their  destination,  in  consequence  of  so  many  pre- 
texts being  invented  by  the  tribes  encountered  in  the  way  for 
fining  them  of  their  ivory. 

This  ford  was  in  1 1 lo  4 i S.  latitude,  but  the  weather  was 
so  excessively  cloudy  we  got  no  observation  for  longitude. 

We  were  now  in  want  of  food,  for,  to  the  great  surprise  of  my 
companions,  the  people  of  Kangenke  gave  nothing  except  by 
way  of  sale,  and  charged  the  most  exorbitant  prices  for  the  little 
meal  and  manioc  they  brought.  The  only  article  of  barter  my 
men  had  was  a little  fat  saved  from  the  ox  we  slaughtered  at 
Katema’s,  so  I was  obliged  to  give  them  a portion  of  the  stock 
of  beads.  One  day  (29th)  of  westing  brought  us  from  the  Kasai 
to  near  the  village  of  Katende,  and  we  saw  that  we  were  in  a 
land  where  no  hope  could  be  entertained  of  getting  supplies  of 
animal  food,  for  one  of  our  guides  caught  a light-blue  colored 
mole  and  two  mice  for  his  supper.  The  care  with  which  he 
wrapped  them  up  in  a leaf  and  slung  them  on  his  spear  told  that 
we  could  not  hope  to  enjoy  any  larger  game.  We  saw  no  evi- 
dence of  any  animals  besides ; and,  on  coming  to  the  villages 
beyond  this,  we  often  saw  boys  and  girls  engaged  in  digging  up 
these  tiny  quadrupeds. 

Katende  sent  for  me  on  the  day  following  our  arrival,  and, 
being  quite  willing  to  visit  him,  I walked,  for  this  purpose, 
about  three  miles  from  our  encampment.  When  we  approached 
the  village  we  were  desired  to  enter  a hut,  and,  as  it  was  raining 
at  the  time,  we  did  so.  After  a long  time  spent  in  giving  and 


362 


A GRAVE  OFFENSE. 


receiving  messages  from  the  great  man,  we  were  told  that  he 
wanted  either  a man,  a tusk,  beads,  copper  rings,  or  a shell,  as 
payment  for  leave  to  pass  through  his  country.  No  one,  we 
were  assured,  was  allowed  that  liberty,  or  even  to  behold  him, 
without  something  of  the  sort  being  presented.  Having  humbly 
explained  our  circumstances,  and  that  he  could  not  expect  to 
“ catch  a humble  cow  by  the  horns” — a proverb  similar  to  ours 
that  “you  can’t  draw  milk  out  of  a stone” — we  were  told  to  go 
home,  and  he  would  speak  again  to  us  next  day.  I could  not 
avoid  a hearty  laugh  at  the  cool  impudence  of  the  savage,  and 
made  the  best  of  my  way  home  in  the  still  pouring  rain.  My 
men  were  rather  nettled  at  this  want  of  hospitality,  but,  after 
talking  over  the  matter  with  one  of  Katende’s  servants,  he  pro- 
posed that  some  small  article  should  be  given,  and  an  attempt 
made  to  please  Katende.  I turned  out  my  shirts,  and  selected 
the  worst  one  as  a sop  for  him,  and  invited  Katende  to  come  and 
choose  any  thing  else  I had,  but  added  that,  when  I should  reach 
my  own  chief  naked,  and  was  asked  what  I had  done  with  my 
clothes,  I should  be  obliged  to  confess  that  I had  left  them  with 
Katende.  The  shirt  was  dispatched  to  him,  and  some  of  my 
people  went  along  with  the  servant ; they  soon  returned,  saying 
that  the  shirt  had  been  accepted,  and  guides  and  food  too  would 
be  sent  to  us  next  day.  The  chief  had,  moreover,  expressed  a 
hope  to  see  me  on  my  return.  He  is  reported  to  be  very  cor- 
pulent. The  traders  who  have  come  here  seem  to  have  been 
very  timid,  yielding  to  every  demand  made  on  the  most  frivolous 
pretenses.  One  of  my  men,  seeing  another  much  like  an  ac- 
quaintance at  home,  addressed  him  by  the  name  of  the  latter  in 
sport,  telling  him,  at  the  same  time,  why  he  did  so ; this  was 
pronounced  to  be  a grave  offense,  and  a large  fine  demanded  ; 
when  the  case  came  before  me  I could  see  no  harm  in  what  had 
been  done,  and  told  my  people  not  to  answer  the  young  fellow. 
The  latter  felt  himself  disarmed,  for  it  is  chiefly  in  a brawl  they 
have  power;  then  words  are  spoken  in  anger  which  rouse  the 
passions  of  the  complainant’s  friends.  In  this  case,  after  vocif- 
erating some  time,  the  would-be  offended  party  came  and  said 
to  my  man  that,  if  they  exchanged  some  small  gift,  all  would  be 
right,  but,  my  man  taking  no  notice  of  him,  he  went  off  rather 
crestfallen. 


GREEDY  GUIDES. 


363 


My  men  were  as  much  astonished  as  myself  at  the  demand  for 
payment  for  leave  to  pass,  and  the  almost  entire  neglect  of  the 
rules  of  hospitality.  Katende  gave  us  only  a little  meal  and  ma- 
nioc, and  a fowl.  Being  detained  two  days  by  heavy  rains,  we  felt 
that  a good  stock  of  patience  was  necessary  in  traveling  through 
this  country  in  the  rainy  season. 

Passing  onward  without  seeing  Katende,  we  crossed  a small 
rivulet,  the  Sengko,  by  which  we  had  encamped,  and  after  two 
hours  came  to  another,  the  Totelo,  which  was  somewhat  larger, 
and  had  a bridge  over  it.  At  the  farther  end  of  this  structure 
stood  a negro,  who  demanded  fees.  He  said  the  bridge  was  his ; 
the  path  his ; the  guides  were  his  children ; and  if  we  did  not 
pay  him  he  would  prevent  farther  progress.  This  piece  of  civil- 
ization I was  not  prepared  to  meet,  and  stood  a few  seconds  look- 
ing at  our  bold  toll-keeper,  when  one  of  my  men  took  off  three 
copper  bracelets,  which  paid  for  the  whole  party.  The  negro 
was  a better  man  than  he  at  first  seemed,  for  he  immediately 
went  to  his  garden  and  brought  us  some  leaves  of  tobacco  as 
a present. 

When  we  had  got  fairly  away  from  the  villages,  the  guides  from 
Kangenke  sat  down  and  told  us  that  there  were  three  paths  in 
front,  and,  if  we  did  not  at  once  present  them  with  a cloth,  they 
would  leave  us  to  take  whichever  we  might  like  best.  As  I 
had  pointed  out  the  direction  in  which  Loanda  lay,  and  had  only 
employed  them  for  the  sake  of  knowing  the  paths  between  vil- 
lages which  lay  along  our  route,  and  always  objected  when  they 
led  us  in  any  other  than  the  Loanda  direction,  I wished  my  men 
now  to  go  on  without  the  guides,  trusting  to  ourselves  to  choose 
the  path  which  would  seem  to  lead  us  in  the  direction  we  had  al- 
ways followed.  But  Mashauana,  fearing  lest  we  might  wander, 
asked  leave  to  give  his  own  cloth,  and  when  the  guides  saw  that, 
they  came  forward  shouting  “ Averie,  Averie 

In  the  afternoon  of  this  day  we  came  to  a valley  about  a mile 
wide,  filled  with  clear,  fast -flowing  water.  The  men  on  foot 
were  chin  deep  in  crossing,  and  we  three  on  ox-back  got  wet  to 
the  middle,  the  weight  of  the  animals  preventing  them  from 
swimming.  A thunder-shower  descending  completed  the  partial 
drenching  of  the  plain,  and  gave  a cold,  uncomfortable  “ packing 
in  a wet  blanket”  that  night.  Next  day  we  found  another  flood- 


364 


FLOODED  VALLEYS. 


ed  valley  about  half  a mile  wide,  with  a small  and  now  deep 
rivulet  in  its  middle,  flowing  rapidly  to  the  S.S.E.,  or  toward 
the  Kasai.  The  middle  part  of  this  flood,  being  the  bed  of  what 
at  other  times  is  the  rivulet,  was  so  rapid  that  we  crossed  by 
holding  on  to  the  oxen,  and  the  current  soon  dashed  them  to  the 
opposite  bank ; we  then  jumped  off,  and,  the  oxen  being  relieved 
of  their  burdens,  we  could  pull  them  on  to  the  shallower  part. 
The  rest  of  the  valley  was  thigh  deep  and  boggy,  but  holding  on 
by  the  belt  which  fastened  the  blanket  to  the  ox,  we  each  floun- 
dered through  the  nasty  slough  as  well  as  we  could.  These  bog- 
gy parts,  lying  parallel  to  the  stream,  were  the  most  extensive 
we  had  come  to : those  mentioned  already  were  mere  circum- 
scribed patches ; these  extended  for  miles  along  each  bank ; but 
even  here,  though  the  rapidity  of  the  current  was  very  consid- 
erable, the  thick  sward  of  grass  was  “ laid”  flat  along  the  sides 
of  the  stream,  and  the  soil  was  not  abraded  so  much  as  to  dis- 
color the  flood.  When  we  came  to  the  opposite  side  of  this 
valley,  some  pieces  of  the  ferruginous  conglomerate,  which  forms 
the  capping  to  all  other  rocks  in  a large  district  around  and  north 
of  this,  cropped  out,  and  the  oxen  bit  at  them  as  if  surprised 
by  the  appearance  of  stone  as  much  as  we  were ; or  it  may 
have  contained  some  mineral  of  which  they  stood  in  need.  We 
had  not  met  with  a stone  since  leaving  Shinte’s.  The  country 
is  covered  with  deep  alluvial  soil  of  a dark  color  and  very  fer- 
tile. 

In  the  afternoon  we  came  to  another  stream,  nuana  Loke  (or 
child  of  Loke),  with  a bridge  over  it.  The  men  had  to  swim  off 
to  each  end  of  the  bridge,  and  when  on  it  were  breast  deep ; 
some  preferred  holding  on  by  the  tails  of  the  oxen  the  whole 
way  across.  I intended  to  do  this  too ; but,  riding  to  the  deep 
part,  before  I could  dismount  and  seize  the  helm  the  ox  dashed 
off  with  his  companions,  and  his  body  sank  so  deep  that  I failed 
in  my  attempt  even  to  catch  the  blanket  belt,  and  if  I pulled 
the  bridle  the  ox  seemed  as  if  he  would  come  backward  upon 
me,  so  I struck  out  for  the  opposite  bank  alone.  My  poor  fel- 
lows were  dreadfully  alarmed  when  they  saw  me  parted  from  the 
cattle,  and  about  twenty  of  them  made  a simultaneous  rush  into 
the  water  for  my  rescue,  and  just  as  I reached  the  opposite  bank 
one  seized  my  arm,  and  another  threw  his  around  my  body. 


UNCULTIVATED  VALLEYS. 


365 


When  I stood  up,  it  was  most  gratifying  to  see  them  all  strug- 
gling toward  me.  Some  had  leaped  off  the  bridge,  and  al- 
lowed their  cloaks  to  float  down  the  stream.  Part  of  my  goods, 
abandoned  in  the  hurry,  were  brought  up  from  the  bottom  after 
I was  safe.  Great  was  the  pleasure  expressed  when  they  found 
that  I could  swim,  like  themselves,  without  the  aid  of  a tail,  and 
I did  and  do  feel  grateful  to  these  poor  heathens  for  the  prompti- 
tude with  which  they  dashed  in  to  save,  as  they  thought,  my  life. 
I found  my  clothes  cumbersome  in  the  water ; they  could  swim 
quicker  from  being  naked.  They  swim  like  dogs,  not  frog-fash- 
ion,  as  we  do. 

In  the  evening  we  crossed  the  small  rivulet  Lozeze,  and  came 
to  some  villages  of  the  Kasabi,  from  whom  we  got  some  manioc 
in  exchange  for  beads.  They  tried  to  frighten  us  by  telling  of 
the  deep  rivers  we  should  have  to  cross  in  our  way.  I was  dry- 
ing my  clothes  by  turning  myself  round  and  round  before  the  fire. 
My  men  laughed  at  the  idea  of  being  frightened  by  rivers.  “ We 
can  all  swim  : who  carried  the  white  man  across  the  river  but  him- 
self?” I felt  proud  of  their  praise. 

Saturday,  4th  March.  Came  to  the  outskirts  of  the  territory 
of  the  Chiboque.  We  crossed  the  Konde  and  Kaluze  rivulets. 
The  former  is  a deep,  small  stream  with  a bridge,  the  latter  in- 
significant ; the  valleys  in  which  these  rivulets  run  are  beautiful- 
ly fertile.  My  companions  are  continually  lamenting  over  the 
uncultivated  vales  in  such  words  as  these : “ What  a fine  coun- 
try for  cattle ! My  heart  is  sore  to  see  such  fruitful  valleys  for 
corn  lying  waste.”  At  the  time  these  words  were  put  down  I 
had  come  to  the  belief  that  the  reason  why  the  inhabitants  of  this 
fine  country  possess  no  herds  of  cattle  was  owing  to  the  despotic 
sway  of  their  chiefs,  and  that  the  common  people  would  not  be 
allowed  to  keep  any  domestic  animals,  even  supposing  they 
could  acquire  them ; but  on  musing  on  the  subject  since,  I have 
been  led  to  the  conjecture  that  the  rich,  fertile  country  of  Londa 
must  formerly  have  been  infested  by  the  tsetse,  but  that,  as  the 
people  killed  off  the  game  on  which,  in  the  absence  of  man,  the 
tsetse  must  subsist,  the  insect  was  starved  out  of  the  country. 
It  is  now  found  only  where  wild  animals  abound,  and  the  Ba- 
londa,  by  the  possession  of  guns,  having  cleared  most  of  the 
country  of  all  the  large  game,  we  may  have  happened  to  come 


3G6 


DIFFERENCE  IN  COLOR  OF  AFRICANS. 


just  when  it  was  possible  to  admit  of  cattle.  Hence  the  success 
of  Katema,  Shinte,  and  Matiamvo  with  their  herds.  It  would 
not  be  surprising,  though  they  know  nothing  of  the  circum- 
stance ; a tribe  on  the  Zambesi,  which  I encountered,  whose 
country  was  swarming  with  tsetse,  believed  that  they  could  not 
keep  any  cattle,  because  “no  one  loved  them  well  enough  to 
give  them  the  medicine  of  oxen and  even  the  Portuguese  at 
Loanda  accounted  for  the  death  of  the  cattle  brought  from  the 
interior  to  the  sea-coast  by  the  prejudicial  influence  of  the  sea 
air!  One  ox,  which  I took  down  to  the  sea  from  the  interior, 
died  at  Loanda,  with  all  the  symptoms  of  the  poison  injected  by 
tsetse,  which  I saw  myself  in  a district  a hundred  miles  from  the 
coast. 

While  at  the  villages  of  the  Kasabi  we  saw  no  evidences  of 
want  of  food  among  the  people.  Our  beads  were  very  valuable, 
but  cotton  cloth  would  have  been  still  more  so ; as  we  trav- 
eled along,  men,  women,  and  children  came  running  after  us, 
with  meal  and  fowls  for  sale,  which  we  would  gladly  have  pur- 
chased had  we  possessed  any  English  manufactures.  When 
they  heard  that  we  had  no  cloth,  they  turned  back  much  disap- 
pointed. 

The  amount  of  population  in  the  central  parts  of  the  country 
may  be  called  large  only  as  compared  with  the  Cape  Colony  or 
the  Bechuana  country.  The  cultivated  land  is  as  nothing  com- 
pared with  what  might  be  brought  under  the  plow.  There 
are  flowing  streams  in  abundance,  which,  were  it  necessary, 
could  be  turned  to  the  purpose  of  irrigation  with  but  little 
labor.  Miles  of  fruitful  country  are  now  lying  absolutely  waste, 
for  there  is  not  even  game  to  eat  off  the  fine  pasturage,  and  to 
recline  under  the  evergreen,  shady  groves  which  we  are  ever 
passing  in  our  progress.  The  people  who  inhabit  the  central 
region  are  not  all  quite  black  in  color.  Many  incline  to  that 
of  bronze,  and  others  are  as  light  in  hue  as  the  Bushmen,  who. 
it  may  be  remembered,  afford  a proof  that  heat  alone  does  not 
cause  blackness,  but  that  heat  and  moisture  combined  do  very 
materially  deepen  the  color.  Wherever  we  find  people  who 
have  continued  for  ages  in  a hot,  humid  district,  they  are  deep 
black,  but  to  this  apparent  law  there  are  exceptions,  caused  by 
the  migrations  of  both  tribes  and  individuals ; the  Makololo,  for 


AFRICAN  DIALECTS. 


367 


instance,  among  the  tribes  of  the  humid  central  basin,  appear  of 
a sickly  sallow  hue  when  compared  with  the  aboriginal  inhabit- 
ants ; the  Batoka  also,  who  lived  in  an  elevated  region,  are,  when 
seen  in  company  with  the  Batoka  of  the  rivers,  so  much  lighter  in 
color,  they  might  be  taken  for  another  tribe  ; but  their  language, 
and  the  very  marked  custom  of  knocking  out  the  upper  front  teeth, 
leave  no  room  for  doubt  that  they  are  one  people. 

Apart  from  the  influences  of  elevation,  heat,  humidity,  and 
degradation,  I have  imagined  that  the  lighter  and  darker  colors 
observed  in  the  native  population  run  in  five  longitudinal  bands 
along  the  southern  portion  of  the  continent.  Those  on  the  sea- 
board of  both  the  east  and  west  are  very  dark ; then  two  bands 
of  lighter  color  lie  about  three  hundred  miles  from  each  coast, 
of  which  the  westerly  one,  bending  round,  embraces  the  Kala- 
hari Desert  and  Bechuana  countries ; and  then  the  central  basin 
is  very  dark  again.  This  opinion  is  not  given  with  any  de- 
gree of  positiveness.  It  is  stated  just  as  it  struck  my  mind  in 
passing  across  the  country,  and  if  incorrect,  it  is  singular  that 
the  dialects  spoken  by  the  different  tribes  have  arranged  them- 
selves in  a fashion  which  seems  to  indicate  migration  along  the 
lines  of  color.  The  dialects  spoken  in  the  extreme  south, 
whether  Hottentot  or  Caffre,  bear  a close  affinity  to  those  of 
the  tribes  living  immediately  on  their  northern  borders  ; one 
glides  into  the  other,  and  their  affinities  are  so  easily  detected 
that  they  are  at  once  recognized  to  be  cognate.  If  the  dialects 
of  extreme  points  are  compared,  as  that  of  the  Caffres  and  the 
tribes  near  the  equator,  it  is  more  difficult  to  recognize  the  fact, 
which  is  really  the  case,  that  all  the  dialects  belong  to  but  two 
families  of  languages.  Examination  of  the  roots  of  the  words 
of  the  dialects,  arranged  in  geographical  order,  shows  that  they 
merge  into  each  other,  and  there  is  not  nearly  so  much  differ- 
ence between  the  extremes  of  east  and  west  as  between  those  of 
north  and  south,  the  dialect  spoken  at  Tete  resembling  closely 
that  in  Angola. 

Having,  on  the  afore-mentioned  date,  reached  the  village  of 
Njambi,  one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Chiboque,  we  intended  to  pass  a 
quiet  Sunday ; and  our  provisions  being  quite  spent,  I ordered  a 
tired  riding-ox  to  be  slaughtered.  As  we  wished  to  be  on  good 
terms  with  all,  we  sent  the  hump  and  ribs  to  Njambi,  with  the 


368 


OUR  ENCAMPMENT  SURROUNDED. 


explanation  that  this  was  the  customary  tribute  to  chiefs  in  the 
part  from  which  we  had  come,  and  that  we  always  honored  men 
in  his  position.  He  returned  thanks,  and  promised  to  send  food. 
Next  morning  he  sent  an  impudent  message,  with  a very  small 
present  of  meal ; scorning  the  meat  he  had  accepted,  he  demand- 
ed either  a man,  an  ox,  a gun,  powder,  cloth,  or  a shell ; and  in 
the  event  of  refusal  to  comply  with  his  demand,  he  intimated 
his  intention  to  prevent  our  further  progress.  We  replied,  we 
should  have  thought  ourselves  fools  if  we  had  scorned  his  small 
present,  and  demanded  other  food  instead  ; and  even  suppos- 
ing we  had  possessed  the  articles  named,  no  black  man  ought  to 
impose  a tribute  on  a party  that  did  not  trade  in  slaves.  The 
servants  who  brought  the  message  said  that,  when  sent  to  the 
Mambari,  they  had  always  got  a quantity  of  cloth  from  them  for 
their  master,  and  now  expected  the  same,  or  something  else  as  an 
equivalent,  from  me. 

We  heard  some  of  the  Chiboque  remark,  “ They  have  only  five 
guns and  about  midday,  Njambi  collected  all  his  people,  and 
surrounded  our  encampment.  Their  object  was  evidently  to 
plunder  us  of  every  thing.  My  men  seized  their  javelins,  and 
stood  on  the  defensive,  while  the  young  Chiboque  had  drawn 
their  swords  and  brandished  them  with  great  fury.  Some  even 
pointed  their  guns  at  me,  and  nodded  to  each  other,  as  much  as 
to  say,  “This  is  the  way  we  shall  do  with  him.”  I sat  on  my 
camp-stool,  with  my  double-barreled  gun  across  my  knees,  and 
invited  the  chief  to  be  seated  also.  When  he  and  his  counselors 
had  sat  down  on  the  ground  in  front  of  me,  I asked  what  crime 
we  had  committed  that  he  had  come  armed  in  that  way.  He 
replied  that  one  of  my  men,  Pitsane,  while  sitting  at  the  fire 
that  morning,  had,  in  spitting,  allowed  a small  quantity  of  the 
saliva  to  fall  on  the  leg  of  one  of  his  men,  and  this  “guilt”  he 
wanted  to  be  settled  by  the  fine  of  a man,  ox,  or  gun.  Pitsane 
admitted  the  fact  of  a little  saliva  having  fallen  on  the  Chiboque, 
and  in  proof  of  its  being  a pure  accident,  mentioned  that  he  had 
given  the  man  a piece  of  meat,  by  way  of  making  friends,  just 
before  it  happened,  and  wiped  it  off  with  his  hand  as  soon  as  it 
fell.  In  reference  to  a man  being  given,  I declared  that  we  were 
all  ready  to  die  rather  than  give  up  one  of  our  number  to  be  a 
slave ; that  my  men  might  as  well  give  me  as  I give  one  of  them, 


PROSPECTS  OF  A FIGHT. 


369 

for  we  were  all  free  men.  “ Then  you  can  give  the  gun  with  which 
the  ox  was  shot.”  As  we  heard  some  of  his  people  remarking  even 
now  that  we  had  only  “ five  guns,”  we  declined,  on  the  ground 
. that,  as  they  were  intent  on  plundering  us,  giving  a gun  would  be 
helping  them  to  do  so. 

This  they  denied,  saying  they  wanted  the  customary  tribute 
only.  I asked  what  right  they  had  to  demand  payment  for  leave 
to  tread  on  the  ground  of  God,  our  common  Father.  If  we  trod 
on  their  gardens,  we  would  pay,  but  not  for  marching  on  land 
which  was  still  God’s,  and  not  theirs.  They  did  not  attempt  to 
controvert  this,  because  it  is  in  accordance  with  their  own  ideas, 
but  reverted  again  to  the  pretended  crime  of  the  saliva. 

My  men  now  entreated  me  to  give  something ; and  after  asking 
the  chief  if  he  really  thought  the  affair  of  the  spitting  a matter  of 
guilt,  and  receiving  an  answer  in  the  affirmative,  I gave  him  one 
of  my  shirts.  The  young  Chiboque  were  dissatisfied,  and  began 
shouting  and  brandishing  their  swords  for  a greater  fine. 

As  Pitsane  felt  that  he  had  been  the  cause  of  this  disagreeable 
affair,  he  asked  me  to  add  something  else.  I gave  a bunch  of 
beads,  but  the  counselors  objected  this  time,  so  I added  a large 
handkerchief.  The  more  I yielded,  the  more  unreasonable  their 
demands  became,  and  at  every  fresh  demand  a shout  was  raised 
by  the  armed  party,  and  a rush  made  around  us  with  brandishing 
of  arms.  One  young  man  made  a charge  at  my  head  from  be- 
hind, but  I quickly  brought  round  the  muzzle  of  my  gun  to  his 
mouth,  and  he  retreated.  I pointed  him  out  to  the  chief,  and  he 
ordered  him  to  retire  a little.  I felt  anxious  to  avoid  the  effusion 
of  blood  ; and  though  sure  of  being  able,  with  my  Makololo,  who 
had  been  drilled  by  Sebituane,  to  drive  off  twice  the  number  of  our 
assailants,  though  now  a large  body,  and  well  armed  with  spears, 
swords,  arrows,  and  guns,  I strove  to  avoid  actual  collision.  My 
men  were  quite  unprepared  for  this  exhibition,  but  behaved  with 
admirable  coolness.  The  chief  and  counselors,  by  accepting  my 
invitation  to  be  seated,  had  placed  themselves  in  a trap,  for  my  men 
very  quietly  surrounded  them,  and  made  them  feel  that  there  was 
no  chance  of  escaping  their  spears.  I then  said  that,  as  one  thing 
after  another  had  failed  to  satisfy  them,  it  was  evident  that  they 
wanted  to  fight,  while  we  only  wanted  to  pass  peaceably  through 
the  country ; that  they  must  begin  first,  and  bear  the  guilt  before 

A A 


I 


370  the  fight  averted. 

God : we  would  not  fight  till  they  had  struck  the  first  blow.  I 
then  sat  silent  for  some  time.  It  was  rather  trying  for  me,  be- 
cause I knew  that  the  Chiboque  would  aim  at  the  white  man 
first ; but  I was  careful  not  to  appear  flurried,  and,  having  four 
barrels  ready  for  instant  action,  looked  quietly  at  the  savage  scene 
around.  The  Chiboque  countenance,  by  no  means  handsome,  is 
not  improved  by  the  practice  which  they  have  adopted  of  filing 
the  teeth  to  a point.  The  chief  and  counselors,  seeing  that  they 
were  in  more  danger  than  I,  did  not  choose  to  follow  our  decision 
that  they  should  begin  by  striking  the  first  blow,  and  then  see 
what  we  could  do,  and  were  perhaps  influenced  by  seeing  the  air 
of  cool  preparation  which  some  of  my  men  displayed  at  the  pros- 
pect of  a work  of  blood. 

The  Chiboque  at  last  put  the  matter  before  us  in  this  way: 
“ You  come  among  us  in  a new  way,  and  say  you  are  quite 
friendly : how  can  we  know  it  unless  you  give  us  some  of  your 
food,  and  you  take  some  of  ours?  If  you  give  us  an  ox,  we 
will  give  you  whatever  you  may  wish,  and  then  we  shall  be 
friends.”  In  accordance  with  the  entreaties  of  my  men,  I gave 
an  ox ; and  when  asked  what  I should  like  in  return,  mentioned 
food  as  the  thing  which  we  most  needed.  In  the  evening  Njam- 
bi  sent  us  a very  small  basket  of  meal,  and  two  or  three  pounds 
of  the  flesh  of  our  own  ox!  with  the  apology  that  he  had  no 
fowls,  and  very  little  of  any  other  food.  It  was  impossible  to 
avoid  a laugh  at  the  coolness  of  the  generous  creatures.  I was 
truly  thankful,  nevertheless,  that,  though  resolved  to  die  rather 
than  deliver  up  one  of  our  number  to  be  a slave,  we  had  so  far 
gained  our  point  as  to  be  allowed  to  pass  on  without  having  shed 
human  blood. 

In  the  midst  of  the  commotion,  several  Chiboque  stole  pieces 
of  meat  out  of  the  sheds  of  my  people,  and  Mohorisi,  one  of  the 
Makololo,  went  boldly  into  the  crowd  and  took  back  a marrow- 
bone from  one  of  them.  A few  of  my  Batoka  seemed  afraid, 
and  would  perhaps  have  fled  had  the  aflray  actually  begun, 
but,  upon  the  whole,  I thought  my  men  behaved  admirably. 
They  lamented  having  left  their  shields  at  home  by  command 
of  Sekeletu,  who  feared  that,  if  they  carried  these,  they  might 
be  more  disposed  to  be  overbearing  in  their  demeanor  to  the 
tribes  we  should  meet.  We  had  proceeded  on  the  principles 


CHANGE  OF  PATH. 


371 


of  peace  and  conciliation,  and  the  foregoing  treatment  shows  in 
what  light  our  conduct  was  viewed ; in  fact,  we  were  taken  for 
interlopers  trying  to  cheat  the  revenue  of  the  tribe.  They  had 
been  accustomed  to  get  a slave  or  two  from  every  slave-trader 
who  passed  them,  and  now  that  we  disputed  the  right,  they  view- 
ed the  infringement  on  what  they  considered  lawfully  due  with 
most  virtuous  indignation. 

March  Qth.  We  were  informed  that  the  people  on  the  west 
of  the  Chiboque  of  Njambi  were  familiar  with  the  visits  of  slave- 
traders  ; and  it  was  the  opinion  of  our  guides  from  Kangenke 
that  so  many  of  my  companions  would  be  demanded  from  me, 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  people  of  Njambi  had  done,  that  I 
should  reach  the  coast  without  a single  attendant ; I therefore 
resolved  to  alter  our  course  and  strike  away  to  the  N.N.E.,  in 
the  hope  that  at  some  point  farther  north  I might  find  an  exit  to 
the  Portuguese  settlement  of  Cassange.  We  proceeded  at  first 
due  north,  with  the  Ivasabi  villages  on  our  right,  and  the  Kasau 
on  our  left.  During  the  first  twenty  miles  we  crossed  many 
small,  but  now  swollen  streams,  having  the  usual  boggy  banks, 
and  wherever  the  water  had  stood  for  any  length  of  time  it  was 
discolored  with  rust  of  iron.  We  saw  a “ nakong”  antelope 
one  day,  a rare  sight  in  this  quarter ; and  many  new  and  pretty 
flowers  adorned  the  valleys.  We  could  observe  the  difference 
in  the  seasons  in  our  northing  in  company  with  the  sun.  Sum- 
mer was  now  nearly  over  at  Kuruman,  and  far  advanced  at  Lin- 
yanti,  but  here  we  were  in  the  middle  of  it ; fruits,  which  we  had 
eaten  ripe  on  the  Leeambye,  were  here  quite  green ; but  we  were 
coming  into  the  region  where  the  inhabitants  are  favored  with  two 
rainy  seasons  and  two  crops,  i.  e.,  when  the  sun  is  going  south, 
and  when  he  comes  back  on  his  way  to  the  north,  as  was  the  case 
at  present. 

On  the  8th,  one  of  the  men  had  left  an  ounce  or  two  of 
powder  at  our  sleeping-place,  and  went  back  several  miles  for 
it.  My  clothing  being  wet  from  crossing  a stream,  I was  com- 
pelled to  wait  for  him ; had  I been  moving  in  the  sun  I should 
have  felt  no  harm,  but  the  inaction  led  to  a violent  fit  of  fever. 
The  continuance  of  this  attack  was  a source  of  much  regret,  for 
we  went  on  next  day  to  a small  rivulet  called  Chihune,  in  a 
lovely  valley,  and  had,  for  a wonder,  a clear  sky  and  a clear 


372 


INSTINCT  OF  TREES. 


moon ; but  such  was  the  confusion  produced  in  my  mind  by 
the  state  of  my  body,  that  I could  scarcely  manage,  after  some 
hours’  trial,  to  get  a lunar  observation  in  which  I could  repose 
confidence.  The  Chihune  flows  into  the  Longe,  and  that  into 
the  Chihombo,  a feeder  of  the  Kasai.  Those  who  know  the 
difficulties  of  taking  altitudes,  times,  and  distances,  and  com- 
mitting all  of  them  to  paper,  will  sympathize  with  me  in  this 
and  many  similar  instances.  While  at  Chihune,  the  men  of  a 
village  brought  wax  for  sale,  and,  on  finding  that  we  wished 
honey,  went  off  and  soon  brought  a hive.  All  the  bees  in  the 
country  are  in  possession  of  the  natives,  for  they  place  hives  suf- 
ficient for  them  all.  After  having  ascertained  this,  we  never  at- 
tended the  call  of  the  honey-guide,  for  we  were  sure  it  would  only 
lead  us  to  a hive  which  we  had  no  right  to  touch.  The  bird  con- 
tinues its  habit  of  inviting  attention  to  the  honey,  though  its  serv- 
ices in  this  district  are  never  actually  needed.  My  Makololo  la- 
mented that  they  never  knew  before  that  wax  could  be  sold  for 
any  thing  of  value. 

As  we  traverse  a succession  of  open  lawns  and  deep  forests, 
it  is  interesting  to  observe  something  like  instinct  developed 
even  in  trees.  One  which,  when  cut,  emits  a milky  juice,  if 
met  with  on  the  open  lawns,  grows  as  an  ordinary  umbrageous 
tree,  and  shows  no  disposition  to  be  a climber ; when  planted 
in  a forest  it  still  takes  the  same  form,  then  sends  out  a 
climbing:  branch,  which  twines  round  another  tree  until  it  rises 
thirty  or  forty  feet,  or  to  the  level  of  the  other  trees,  and  there 
spreads  out  a second  crown  where  it  can  enjoy  a fair  share  of 
the  sun’s  rays.  In  parts  of  the  forest  still  more  dense  than  this, 
it  assumes  the  form  of  a climber  only,  and  at  once  avails  itself 
of  the  assistance  of  a tall  neighbor  by  winding  vigorously 
round  it,  without  attempting  to  form  a lower  head.  It  does 
not  succeed  so  well  as  parasites  proper,  but  where  forced  to 
contend  for  space  it  may  be  mistaken  for  one  which  is  inva- 
riably a climber.  The  paths  here  were  very  narrow  and  very 
much  encumbered  with  gigantic  creepers,  often  as  thick  as  a 
man’s  leg.  There  must  be  some  reason,  why  they  prefer,  in 
some  districts,  to  go  up  trees  in  the  common  form  of  the  thread 
of  a screw  rather  than  in  any  other.  On  the  one  bank  of  the 
Chihune  they  appeared  to  a person  standing  opposite  them  to 


ABSENCE  OF  THORNS  IN  FOREST. 


373 


wind  up  from  left  to  right,  on  the  other  hank  from  right  to  left. 
I imagined  this  was  owing  to  the  sun  being  at  one  season  of 
the  year  on  their  north  and  at  another  on  their  south.  But 
on  the  Leeambye  I observed  creepers  winding  up  on  opposite 
sides  of  the  same  reed,  and  making  a figure  like  the  lacings  of  a 
sandal. 

In  passing  through  these  narrow  paths  I had  an  opportunity  of 
observing  the  peculiarities  of  my  ox  “ Sinbad.”  He  had  a softer 
back  than  the  others,  but  a much  more  intractable  temper.  His 
horns  were  bent  downward  and  hung  loosely,  so  he  could  do  no 
harm  with  them ; but  as  we  wended  our  way  slowly  along  the 
narrow  path,  he  would  suddenly  dart  aside.  A string  tied  to  a 
stick  put  through  the  cartilage  of  the  nose  serves  instead  of  a bri- 
dle: if  you  jerk  this  back,  it  makes  him  run  faster  on;  if  you 
pull  it  to  one  side,  he  allows  the  nose  and  head  to  go,  but  keeps 
the  opposite  eye  directed  to  the  forbidden  spot,  and  goes  in  spite 
of  you.  The  only  way  he  can  be  brought  to  a stand  is  by  a 
stroke  with  a wand  across  the  nose.  When  Sinbad  ran  in  below 
a climber  stretched  over  the  path  so  low  that  I could  not  stoop 
under  it,  I was  dragged  off  and  came  down  on  the  crown  of  my 
head ; and  he  never  allowed  an  opportunity  of  the  kind  to  pass 
without  trying  to  inflict  a kick,  as  if  I neither  had  nor  deserved 
his  love. 

A remarkable  peculiarity  in  the  forests  of  this  country  is  the 
absence  of  thorns : there  are  but  two  exceptions ; one  a tree 
bearing  a species  of  nux  vomica , and  a small  shrub  very  like  the 
plant  of  the  sarsaparilla,  bearing,  in  addition  to  its  hooked  thorns, 
bunches  of  yellow  berries.  The  thornlessness  of  the  vegetation 
is  especially  noticeable  to  those  who  have  been  in  the  south, 
where  there  is  so  great  a variety  of  thorn-bearing  plants  and  trees. 
We  have  thorns  of  every  size  and  shape;  thorns  straight,  thin 
and  long,  short  and  thick,  or  hooked,  and  so  strong  as  to  be  able 
to  cut  even  leather  like  a knife.  Seed-vessels  are  scattered  every 
where  by  these  appendages.  One  lies  flat  as  a shilling  with  two 
thorns  in  its  centre,  ready  to  run  into  the  foot  of  any  animal  that 
treads  upon  it,  and  stick  there  for  days  together.  Another  (the 
Uncaria  jrrocumbens,  or  Grapple- plant)  has  so  many  hooked 
thorns  as  to  cling  most  tenaciously  to  any  animal  to  which  it  may 
become  attached ; when  it  happens  to  lay  hold  of  the  mouth  of 


374 


PLANT  OF  FORSAKEN  GARDENS. 


an  ox,  the  animal  stands  and  roars  with  pain  and  a sense  of  help- 
lessness. ' 


Seed-vessel  of  the  “ Grapple-plant. 


Whenever  a part  of  the  forest  has  "been  cleared  for  a garden, 
and  afterward  abandoned,  a species  of  plant,  with  leaves  like  those 
of  ginger,  springs  up,  and  contends  for  the  possession  of  the  soil 
with  a great  crop  of  ferns.  This  is  the  case  all  the  way  down  to 
Angola,  and  shows  the  great  difference  of  climate  between  this 
and  the  Bechuana  country,  where  a fern,  except  one  or  two  hardy 
species,  is  never  seen.  The  plants  above  mentioned  bear  a pret- 
ty pink  flower  close  to  the  ground,  which  is  succeeded  by  a scar- 
let fruit  full  of  seeds,  yielding,  as  so  many  fruits  in  this  coun- 
try do,  a pleasant  acid  juice,  which,  like  the  rest,  is  probably 
intended  as  a corrective  to  the  fluids  of  the  system  in  the  hot 
climate. 

On  leaving  the  Chihune  we  crossed  the  Longe,  and,  as  the 
day  was  cloudy,  our  guides  wandered  in  a forest  away  to  the 
west  till  we  came  to  the  River  Chihombo,  flowing  to  the  E.N.E. 
My  men  depended  so  much  on  the  sun  for  guidance  that,  having 
seen  nothing  of  the  luminary  all  day,  they  thought  we  had  wan- 
dered back  to  the  Chiboque,  and,  as  often  happens  when  be- 
wildered, they  disputed  as  to  the  point  where  the  sun  should 
rise  next  morning.  As  soon  as  the  rains  would  allow  next  day, 
we  went  off  to  the  N.E.  It  would  have  been  better  to  have 
traveled  by  compass  alone,  for  the  guides  took  advantage  of  any 


IN  SUBORDINATION  SUPPRESSED. 


375 


fears  expressed  by  my  people,  and  threatened  to  return  if  presents 
were  not  made  at  once.  But  my  men  had  never  left  their  own 
country  before  except  for  rapine  and  murder.  "When  they  for- 
merly came  to  a village  they  were  in  the  habit  of  killing  numbers 
of  the  inhabitants,  and  then  taking  a few  young  men  to  serve  as 
guides  to  the  next  place.  As  this  was  their  first  attempt  at  an 
opposite  line  of  conduct,  and  as  they  were  without  their  shields, 
they  felt  defenseless  among  the  greedy  Chiboque,  and  some  allow- 
ance must  be  made  for  them  on  that  account. 

Saturdaij,  11th.  Reached  a small  village  on  the  banks  of  a 
naiTow  stream.  I was  too  ill  to  go  out  of  my  little  covering  ex- 
cept to  quell  a mutiny  which  began  to  show  itself  among  some 
of  the  Batoka  and  Ambonda  of  our  party.  They  grumbled,  as 
they  often  do  against  their  chiefs,  when  they  think  them  partial 
in  their  gifts,  because  they  supposed  that  I had  shown  a prefer- 
ence in  the  distribution  of  the  beads  ; but  the  beads  I had  given 
to  my  principal  men  were  only  sufficient  to  purchase  a scanty 
meal,  and  I had  hastened  on  to  this  village  in  order  to  slaughter 
a tired  ox,  and  give  them  all  a feast  as  well  as  a rest  on  Sunday, 
as  preparation  for  the  journey  before  us.  I explained  this  to 
them,  and  thought  their  grumbling  was  allayed.  I soon  sank 
into  a state  of  stupor,  which  the  fever  sometimes  produced,  and 
was  oblivious  to  all  their  noise  in  slaughtering.  On  Sunday  the 
mutineers  were  making  a terrible  din  in  preparing  a skin  they 
had  procured.  I requested  them  twice,  by  the  man  who  attend- 
ed me,  to  be  more  quiet,  as  the  noise  pained  me  ; but  as  they  paid 
no  attention  to  this  civil  request,  I put  out  my  head,  and,  repeat- 
ing it  myself,  was  answered  by  an  impudent  laugh.  Knowing 
that  discipline  would  be  at  an  end  if  this  mutiny  were  not  quelled, 
and  that  our  lives  depended  on  vigorously  upholding  authority, 
I seized  a double-barreled  pistol,  and  darted  forth  from  the  dom- 
icile, looking,  I suppose,  so  savage  as  to  put  them  to  a precipitate 
flight.  As  some  remained  within  hearing,  I told  them  that  I 
must  maintain  discipline,  though  at  the  expense  of  some  of  their 
limbs  ; so  long  as  we  traveled  together  they  must  remember  that 
I was  master,  and  not  they.  There  being  but  little  room  to  doubt 
my  determination,  they  immediately  became  very  obedient,  and 
never  afterward  gave  me  any  trouble,  or  imagined  that  they  had 
any  right  to  my  property.  * 


376 


DEMANDS  OF  THE  CHIBOQUE. 


l?Ah.  We  went  forward  some  miles,  but  were  brought  to  a 
stand  by  the  severity  of  my  fever  on  the  banks  of  a branch  of 
the  Loajima,  another  tributary  of  the  Kasai.  I was  in  a state  of 
partial  coma  until  late  at  night,  when  it  became  necessary  for 
me  to  go  out ; and  I was  surprised  to  find  that  my  men  had 
built  a little  stockade,  and  some  of  them  took  their  spears  and 
acted  as  a guard.  I found  that  we  were  surrounded  by  enemies, 
and  a party  of  Chiboque  lay  near  the  gateway,  after  having  pre- 
ferred the  demand  of  “a  man,  an  ox,  a gun,  or  a tusk.”  My 
men  had  prepared  for  defense  in  case  of  a night  attack,  and 
when  the  Chiboque  wished  to  be  shown  where  I lay  sick,  they 
very  properly  refused  to  point  me  out.  In  the  morning  I went 
out  to  the  Chiboque,  and  found  that  they  answered  me  civilly 
regarding  my  intentions  in  opening  the  country,  teaching  them, 
etc.,  etc.  They  admitted  that  their  chiefs  would  be  pleased  with 
the  prospect  of  friendship,  and  now  only  wished  to  exchange 
tokens  of  good-will  with  me,  and  offered  three  pigs,  which  they 
hoped  I would  accept.  The  people  here  are  in  the  habit  of 
making  a present,  and  then  demanding  whatever  they  choose  in 
return.  We  had  been  forewarned  of  this  by  our  guides,  so  I tried 
to  decline,  by  asking  if  they  would  eat  one  of  the  pigs  in  com- 
pany with  us.  To  this  proposition  they  said  that  they  durst  not 
accede.  I then  accepted  the  present  in  the  hope  that  the  blame 
of  deficient  friendly  feeling  might  not  rest  with  me,  and  pre- 
sented a razor,  two  bunches  of  beads,  and  twelve  copper  rings, 
contributed  by  my  meq  from  their  arms.  They  went  off  to  report 
to  their  chief ; and  as  I was  quite  unable  to  move  from  excessive 
giddiness,  we  continued  in  the  same  spot  on  Tuesday  evening, 
when  they  returned  with  a message  couched  in  very  plain  terms, 
that  a man,  tusk,  gun,  or  even  an  ox,  alone  would  be  accept- 
able ; that  he  had  every  thing  else  in  his  possession  but  oxen, 
and  that,  whatever  I should  please  to  demand  from  him,  he 
would  gladly  give  it.  As  this  was  all  said  civilly,  and  there  was 
no  help  for  it  if  we  refused  but  bloodshed,  I gave  a tired  riding- 
ox.  My  late  chief  mutineer,  an  Ambonda  man,  was  now  over- 
loyal,  for  he  armed  himself  and  stood  at  the  gateway.  He  would 
rather  die  than  see  his  father  imposed  on ; but  I ordered  Mo- 
santu  to  take  him  out  of  the  way,  which  he  did  promptly,  and 
allowed  the  Chiboque  to  march  off  well  pleased  with  their  booty. 


A ROBBER  PARTY. 


377 


I told  my  men  that  I esteemed  one  of  their  lives  of  more  value 
than  all  the  oxen  we  had,  and  that  the  only  cause  which  could 
induce  me  to  tight  would  be  to  save  the  lives  and  liberties  of 
the  majority.  In  the  propriety  of  this  they  all  agreed,  and  said 
that,  if  the  Chiboque  molested  us  who  behaved  so  peaceably, 
the  guilt  would  be  on  their  heads.  This  is  a favorite  mode  of 
expression  throughout  the  whole  country.  All  are  anxious  to 
give  explanation  of  any  acts  they  have  performed,  and  conclude 
the  narration  with,  “I  have  no  guilt  or  blame”  (“  molatu”). 
“They  have  the  guilt.”  I never  could  be  positive  whether  the 
idea  in  their  minds  is  guilt  in  the  sight  of  the  Deity,  or  of  man- 
kind only. 

Next  morning  the  robber  party  came  with  about  thirty  yards 
of  strong  striped  English  calico,  an  axe,  and  two  hoes  for  our 
acceptance,  and  returned  the  copper  rings,  as  the  chief  was  a 
great  man,  and  did  not  need  the  ornaments  of  my  men,  but  we 
noticed  that  they  were  taken  back  again.  I divided  the  cloth 
among  my  men,  and  pleased  them  a little  by  thus  compensating 
for  the  loss  of  the  ox.  I advised  the  chief,  whose  name  we  did 
not  learn,  as  he  did  not  deign  to  appear  except  under  the  alias 
Matiamvo,  to  get  cattle  for  his  own  use,  and  expressed  sorrow 
that  I had  none  wherewith  to  enable  him  to  make  a commence- 
ment. Rains  prevented  our  proceeding  till  Thursday  morning, 
and  then  messengers  appeared  to  tell  us  that  their  chief  had 
learned  that  all  the  cloth  sent  by  him  had  not  been  presented ; 
that  the  copper  rings  had  been  secreted  by  the  persons  order- 
ed to  restore  them  to  us,  and  that  he  had  stripped  the  thiev- 
ish emissaries  of  their  property  as  a punishment.  Our  guides 
thought  these  were  only  spies  of  a larger  party,  concealed  in  the 
forest  through  which  we  were  now  about  to  pass.  We  prepared 
for  defense  by  marching  in  a compact  body,  and  allowing  no  one 
to  straggle  far  behind  the  others.  We  marched  through  many 
miles  of  gloomy  forest  in  gloomier  silence,  but  nothing  disturbed 
us.  We  came  to  a village,  and  found  all  the  men  absent,  the 
guides  thought,  in  the  forest,  with  their  countrymen.  I was  too 
ill  to  care  much  whether  we  were  attacked  or  not.  Though  a 
pouring  rain  came  on,  as  we  were  all  anxious  to  get  away  out  of 
a bad  neighborhood,  we  proceeded.  The  thick  atmosphere  pre- 
vented my  seeing  the  creeping  plants  in  time  to  avoid  them ; so 


378 


MORE  TROUBLES. 


Pitsane,  Mohorisi,  and  I,  who  alone  were  mounted,  were  often 
caught ; and  as  there  is  no  stopping  the  oxen  when  they  have 
the  prospect  of  giving  the  rider  a tumble,  we  came  frequently 
to  the  ground.  In  addition  to  these  mishaps,  Sinbad  went  off 
at  a plunging  gallop,  the  bridle  broke,  and  I came  down  back- 
ward on  the  crown  of  my  head.  He  gave  me  a kick  on  the 
thigh  at  the  same  time.  I felt  none  the  worse  for  this  rough 
treatment,  but  would  not  recommend  it  to  others  as  a palliative 
in  cases  of  fever!  This  last  attack  of  fever  was  so  obstinate 
that  it  reduced  me  almost  to  a skeleton.  The  blanket  which  I 
used  as  a saddle  on  the  back  of  the  ox,  being  frequently  wet, 
remained  so  beneath  me  even  in  the  hot  sun,  and,  aided  by  the 
heat  of  the  ox,  caused  extensive  abrasion  of  the  skin,  which  was 
continually  healing  and  getting  sore  again.  To  this  inconven- 
ience was  now  added  the  chafing  of  my  projecting  bones  on  the 
hard  bed. 

On  Friday  we  came  to  a village  of  civil  people  on  the  banks 
of  the  Loajima  itself,  and  we  were  wet  all  day  in  consequence  of 
crossing  it.  The  bridges  over  it,  and  another  stream  which  we 
crossed  at  midday,  were  submerged,  as  we  have  hitherto  inva- 
riably found,  by  a flood  of  perfectly  clear  water.  At  the  second 
ford  we  were  met  by  a hostile  party  who  refused  us  further 
passage.  I ordered  my  men  to  proceed  in  the  same  direction  we 
had  been  pursuing,  but  our  enemies  spread  themselves  out  in 
front  of  us  with  loud  cries.  Our  numbers  were  about  equal  to 
theirs  this  time,  so  I moved  on  at  the  head  of  my  men.  Some  ran 
off  to  other  villages,  or  back  to  their  own  village,  on  pretense  of 
getting  ammunition ; others  called  out  that  all  traders  came  to 
them,  and  that  we  must  do  the  same.  As  these  people  had  plenty 
of  iron-headed  arrows  and  some  guns,  when  we  came  to  the  edge 
of  the  forest  I ordered  my  men  to  put  the  luggage  in  our  centre ; 
and,  if  our  enemies  did  not  fire,  to  cut  down  some  young  trees 
and  make  a screen  as  quickly  as  possible,  but  do  nothing  to  them 
except  in  case  of  actual  attack.  I then  dismounted,  and,  advanc- 
ing a little  toward  our  principal  opponent,  showed  him  how  easily 
I could  kill  him,  but  pointed  upward,  saying,  “I  fear  God.” 
He  did  the  same,  placing  his  hand  on  his  heart,  pointing  up- 
ward, and  saying,  “ I fear  to  kill ; but  come  to  our  village ; come 
— do  come.”  At  this  juncture,  the  old  head  man,  Ionga  Panza,  a 


CONTINUED  DEMANDS. 


379 


venerable  negro,  came  up,  and  I invited  him  and  all  to  be  seated, 
that  we  might  talk  the  matter  over.  Ionga  Panza  soon  let  us 
know  that  he  thought  himself  very  ill  treated  in  being  passed 
by.  As  most  skirmishes  arise  from  misunderstanding,  this  might 
have  been  a serious  one ; for,  like  all  the  tribes  near  the  Portu- 
guese settlements,  people  here  imagine  that  they  have  a right  to 
demand  payment  from  every  one  who  passes  through  the  coun- 
try ; and  now,  though  Ionga  Panza  was  certainly  no  match  for 
my  men,  yet  they  were  determined  not  to  forego  their  right  with- 
out a struggle.  I removed  with  my  men  to  the  vicinity  of  the 
village,  thankful  that  no  accident  had  as  yet  brought  us  into  actu- 
al collision. 

The  reason  why  the  people  have  imbibed  the  idea  so  strongly 
that  they  have  a right  to  demand  payment  for  leave  to  pass 
through  the  country  is  probably  this.  They  have  seen  no  tra- 
ders except  those  either  engaged  in  purchasing  slaves,  or  who 
have  slaves  in  their  employment.  These  slave-traders  have  al- 
ways been  very  much  at  the  mercy  of  the  chiefs  through  whose 
country  they  have  passed  ; for  if  they  afforded  a ready  asylum  for 
runaway  slaves,  the  traders  might  be  deserted  at  any  moment, 
and  stripped  of  their  £>roperty  altogether.  They  are  thus  obliged 
to  curry  favor  with  the  chiefs,  so  as  to  get  a safe  conduct  from 
them.  The  same  system  is  adopted  to  induce  the  chiefs  to  part 
with  their  people,  whom  all  feel  to  be  the  real  source  of  their 
importance  in  the  country.  On  the  return  of  the  traders  from 
the  interior  with  chains  of  slaves,  it  is  so  easy  for  a chief  who 
may  be  so  disposed  to  take  away  a chain  of  eight  or  ten  unre- 
sisting slaves,  that  the  merchant  is  fain  to  give  any  amount  of 
presents  in  order  to  secure  the  good-will  of  the  rulers.  The  inde- 
pendent chiefs,  not  knowing  why  their  favor  is  so  eagerly  sought, 
become  excessively  proud  and  supercilious  in  their  demands,  and 
look  upon  white  men  with  the  greatest  contempt.  To  such 
lengths  did  the  Bangala,  a tribe  near  to  which  we  had  now  ap- 
proached, proceed  a few  years  ago,  that  they  compelled  the  Portu- 
guese traders  to  pay  for  water,  wood,  and  even  grass,  and  every 
possible  pretext  was  invented  for  levying  fines ; and  these  were 
patiently  submitted  to  so  long  as  the  slave-trade  continued  to 
flourish.  "We  had  unconsciously  come  in  contact  with  a system 
which  was  quite  unknown  in  the  countiy  from  which  my  men  had 


380 


VILLAGE  OF  IONGA  PANZA. 


set  out.  An  English  trader  may  there  hear  a demand  for  pay- 
ment of  guides,  but  never,  so  far  as  I am  aware,  is  he  asked  to  pay 
for  leave  to  traverse  a country.  The  idea  does  not  seem  to  have 
entered  the  native  mind,  except  through  slave-traders,  for  the  ab- 
origines all  acknowledge  that  the  untilled  land,  not  needed  for  pas- 
turage, belongs  to  God  alone,  and  that  no  harm  is  done  by  people 
passing  through  it.  I rather  believe  that,  wherever  the  slave-trade 
has  not  penetrated,  the  visits  of  strangers  are  esteemed  a real 
privilege. 

The  village  of  old  Ionga  Panza  (lat.  10°  25/  S.,  long.  20°  15' 
E.)  is  small,  and  embowered  in  lofty  evergreen  trees,  which  were 
hung  around  with  fine  festoons  of  creepers.  He  sent  us  food  im- 
mediately, and  soon  afterward  a goat,  which  was  considered  a 
handsome  gift,  there  being  but  few  domestic  animals,  though  the 
country  is  well  adapted  for  them.  I suspect  this,  like  the  country 
of  Shinte  and  Katema,  must  have  been  a tsetse  district,  and  only 
recently  rendered  capable  of  supporting  other  domestic  animals  be- 
sides the  goat,  by  the  destruction  of  the  game  through  the  exten- 
sive introduction  of  fire-arms.  We  might  all  have  been  as  igno- 
rant of  the  existence  of  this  insect  plague  as  the  Portuguese,  had 
it  not  been  for  the  numerous  migrations  of  pastoral  tribes  which 
took  place  in  the  south  in  consequence  of  Zulu  irruptions. 

During  these  exciting  scenes  I always  forgot  my  fever,  but 
a terrible  sense  of  sinking  came  back  with  the  feeling  of  safety. 
The  same  demand  of  payment  for  leave  to  pass  was  made  on 
the  20th  by  old  Ionga  Panza  as  by  the  other  Cliiboque.  I 
offered  the  shell  presented  by  Shinte,  but  Ionga  Panza  said 
he  was  too  old  for  ornaments.  We  might  have  succeeded  very 
well  with  him,  for  he  was  by  no  means  unreasonable,  and  had 
but  a very  small  village  of  supporters  ; but  our  two  guides  from 
Kangenke  complicated  our  difficulties  by  sending  for  a body  of 
Bangala  traders,  with  a view  to  force  us  to  sell  the  tusks  of 
Sekeletu,  and  pay  them  with  the  price.  We  offered  to  pay 
them  handsomely  if  they  would  perform  their  promise  of  guid- 
ing us  to  Cassange,  but  they  knew  no  more  of  the  paths  than 
we  did;  and  my  men  had  paid  them  repeatedly,  and  tried  to 
get  rid  of  them,  but  could  not.  They  now  joined  with  our 

enemies,  and  so  did  the  traders.  Two  guns  and  some  beads 

belonging  to  the  latter  were  standing  in  our  encampment,  and 


DISCOURAGEMENTS. 


381 


the  guides  seized  them  and  ran  off.  As  my  men  knew  that  we 
should  be  called  upon  to  replace  them,  they  gave  chase,  and  when 
the  guides  saw  that  they  would  be  caught,  they  threw  down  the 
guns,  directed  their  flight  to  the  village,  and  rushed  into  a hut. 
The  doorway  is  not  much  higher  than  that  of  a dog’s  kennel. 
One  of  the  guides  was  reached  by  one  of  my  men  as  he  was  in 
the  act  of  stooping  to  get  in,  and  a cut  was  inflicted  on  a project- 
ing part  of  the  body  which  would  have  made  any  one  in  that 
posture  wince.  The  guns  were  restored,  but  the  beads  were  lost 
in  the  flight.  All  I had  remaining  of  my  stock  of  beads  could 
not  replace  those  lost ; and  though  we  explained  that  we  had  no 
part  in  the  guilt  of  the  act,  the  traders  replied  that  we  had  brought 
the  thieves  into  the  country  ; these  were  of  the  Bangala,  who  had 
been  accustomed  to  plague  the  Portuguese  in  the  most  vexatious 
way.  We  were  striving  to  get  a passage  through  the  country, 
and,  feeling  anxious  that  no  crime  whatever  should  be  laid  to  our 
charge,  tried  the  conciliatory  plan  here,  though  we  were  not,  as 
in  the  other  instances,  likely  to  be  overpowered  by  numbers. 

My  men  offered  all  their  ornaments,  and  I offered  all  my  beads 
and  shirts ; but,  though  we  had  come  to  the  village  against  our 
will,  and  the  guides  had  also  followed  us  contrary  to  our  desire, 
and  had  even  sent  for  the  Bangala  traders  without  our  knowledge 
or  consent,  yet  matters  could  not  be  arranged  without  our  giving 
an  ox  and  one  of  the  tusks.  We  were  all  becoming  dishearten- 
ed, and  could  not  wonder  that  native  expeditions  from  the  interior 
to  the  coast  had  generally  failed  to  reach  their  destinations.  My 
people  were  now  so  much  discouraged  that  some  proposed  to  re- 
turn home ; the  prospect  of  being  obliged  to  return  when  just  on 
the  threshold  of  the  Portuguese  settlements  distressed  me  exceed- 
ingly.  After  using  all  my  powers  of  persuasion,  I declared  to 
them  that  if  they  returned  I would  go  on  alone,  and  went  into 
my  little  tent  with  the  mind  directed  to  Him  who  hears  the  sigh- 
ing of  the  soul,  and  was  soon  followed  by  the  head  of  Mohorisi, 
saying,  “We  will  never  leave  you.  Do  not  be  disheartened. 
Wherever  you  lead  we  will  follow.  Our  remarks  were  made  only 
on  account  of  the  injustice  of  these  people.”  Others  followed, 
and  with  the  most  artless  simplicity  of  manner  told  me  to  be 
comforted — “they  were  all  my  children;  they  knew  no  one  but 
Sekeletu  and  me,  and  they  would  die  for  me ; they  had  not  fought 


382 


CURTAILING  THE  OXEN. 


because  I did  not  wish  it ; they  had  just  spoken  in  the  bitterness 
of  their  spirit,  and  when  feeling  that  they  could  do  nothing ; but 
if  these  enemies  begin  you  will  see  what  we  can  do.”  One  of  the 
oxen  we  offered  to  the  Chiboque  had  been  rejected  because  he 
had  lost  part  of  his  tail,  as  they  thought  that  it  had  been  cut  off 
and  witchcraft  medicine  inserted ; and  some  mirth  was  excited 
by  my  proposing  to  raise  a similar  objection  to  all  the  oxen  we 
still  had  in  our  possession.  The  remaining  four  soon  presented 
a singular  shortness  of  their  caudal  extremities,  and  though  no 
one  ever  asked  whether  they  had  medicine  in  the  stumps  or  no, 
we  were  no  more  troubled  by  the  demand  for  an  ox ! We  now 
slaughtered  another  ox,  that  the  spectacle  might  not  be  seen  of 
the  owners  of  the  cattle  fasting  while  the  Chiboque  were  feasting. 


GUIDES  PREPAID. 


383 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Guides  prepaid. — Bark  Canoes. — Deserted  by  Guides. — Mistakes  respecting  the 
Coanza. — Feelings  of  freed  Slaves. — Gardens  and  Villages. — Native  Traders. — 
A Grave. — Valley  of  the  Quango. — Bamboo. — White  Larva  used  as  Food. — 
Bashinje  Insolence. — A posing  Question. — The  Chief  Sansawe. — His  Hostility. 
— Pass  him  safely. — The  River  Quango. — Chiefs  mode  of  dressing  his  Hair. — 
Opposition. — Opportune  Aid  by  Cypriano. — His  generous  Hospitality. — Ability  of 
Half-castes  to  read  and  write. — Books  and  Images. — Marauding  Party  burned 
in  the  Grass. — Arrive  at  Cassange.  — A good  Supper.  — Kindness  of  Captain 
Neves. — Portuguese  Curiosity  and  Questions. — Anniversary  of  the  Resurrection. 
— No  Prejudice  against  Color. — Country  around  Cassange. — Sell  Sekeletu’s  Ivory. 
— Makololo’s  Surprise  at  the  high  Price  obtained. — Proposal  to  return  Home,  and 
Reasons. — Soldier-guide. — Hill  Kasala. — Tala  Mungongo,  Village  of. — Civility  of 
Basongo. — True  Negroes. — A Field  of  Wheat. — Carriers. — Sleeping-places. — 
Fever. — Enter  District  of  Ambaca. — Good  Fruits  of  Jesuit  Teaching. — The  Tam- 
pan ; its  Bite. — Universal  Hospitality  of  the  Portuguese. — A Tale  of  the  Mam- 
bari. — Exhilarating  Effects  of  Highland  Scenery. — District  of  Golungo  Alto. — 
Want  of  good  Roads. — Fertility. — Forests  of  gigantic  Timber. — Native  Carpen- 
ters.— Coffee  Estate. — Sterility  of  Country  near  the  Coast. — Musquitoes. — Fears 
of  the  Makololo. — Welcome  by  Mr.  Gabriel  to  Loanda. 

24th.  Ionga  Panza’s  sons  agreed  to  act  as  guides  into  the 
territory  of  the  Portuguese  if  I would  give  them  the  shell  given 
by  Shinte.  I was  strongly  averse  to  this,  and  especially  to  give 
it  beforehand,  but  yielded  to  the  entreaty  of  my  people  to  ap- 
pear as  if  showing  confidence  in  these  hopeful  youths.  They 
urged  that  they  wished  to  leave  the  shell  with  their  wives,  as  a 
sort  of  payment  to  them  for  enduring  their  husbands’  absence 
so  long.  Having  delivered  the  precious  shell,  we  went  west- 
by -north  to  the  River  Chikapa,  which  here  (lat.  10°  22'  S.)  is 
forty  or  fifty  yards  wide,  and  at  present  was  deep ; it  was  seen 
flowing  over  a rocky,  broken  cataract  with  great  noise  about 
half  a mile  above  our  ford.  We  were  ferried  over  in  a canoe, 
made  out  of  a single  piece  of  bark  sewed  together  at  the  ends, 
and  having  sticks  placed  in  it  at  different  parts  to  act  as  ribs. 
The  word  Chikapa  means  bark  or  skin ; and  as  this  is  the  only 
river  in  which  we  saw  this  kind  of  canoe  used,  and  we  heard 


384 


DESERTED  BY  GUIDES. 


that  this  stream  is  so  low  during  most  of  the  year  as  to  he  easily 
fordable,  it  probably  derives  its  name  from  the  use  made  of  the 
bark  canoes  when  it  is  in  flood.  We  now  felt  the  loss  of  our  pon- 
toon, for  the  people  to  whom  the  canoe  belonged  made  us  pay 
once  when  we  began  to  cross,  then  a second  time  when  half  of  us 
were  over,  and  a third  time  when  all  were  over  but  my  principal 
man  Pitsane  and  myself.  Loyanke  took  off  his  cloth  and  paid 
my  passage  with  it.  The  Makololo  always  ferried  their  visitors 
over  rivers  without  pay,  and  now  began  to  remark  that  they  must 
in  future  fleece  the  Mambari  as  these  Chiboque  had  done  to  us ; 
they  had  all  been  loud  in  condemnation  of  the  meanness,  and  when 
I asked  if  they  could  descend  to  be  equally  mean,  I was  answer- 
ed that  they  would  only  do  it  in  revenge.  They  like  to  have  a 
plausible  excuse  for  meanness. 

Next  morning  our  guides  went  only  about  a mile,  and  then  told 
us  they  would  return  home.  I expected  this  when  paying  them 
beforehand,  in  accordance  with  the  entreaties  of  the  Makololo, 
who  are  rather  ignorant  of  the  world.  Very  energetic  remon- 
strances were  addressed  to  the  guides,  but  they  slipped  off  one  by 
one  in  the  thick  forest  through  which  we  were  passing,  and  I 
was  glad  to  hear  my  companions  coming  to  the  conclusion  that, 
as  we  were  now  in  parts  visited  by  traders,  we  did  not  require  the 
guides,  whose  chief  use  had  been  to  prevent  misapprehension  of 
our  objects  in  the  minds  of  the  villagers.  The  country  was  some- 
what more  undulating  now  than  it  had  been,  and  several  fine 
small  streams  flowed  in  deep  woody  dells.  The  trees  are  very 
tall  and  straight,  and  the  forests  gloomy  and  damp  ; the  ground  in 
these  solitudes  is  quite  covered  with  yellow  and  brown  mosses,  and 
light-colored  lichens  clothe  all  the  trees.  The  soil  is  extremely 
fertile,  being  generally  a black  loam  covered  with  a thick  crop  of 
tall  grasses.  We  passed  several  villages  too.  The  head  man  of 
a large  one  scolded  us  well  for  passing,  when  he  intended  to  give 
us  food.  Where  slave-traders  have  been  in  the  habit  of  coming, 
they  present  food,  then  demand  three  or  four  times  its  value  as  a 
custom.  We  were  now  rather  glad  to  get  past  villages  without 
intercourse  with  the  inhabitants. 

We  were  traveling  W.N.W.,  and  all  the  rivulets  we  here 
crossed  had  a northerly  course,  and  were  reported  to  fall  into  the 
Kasai  or  Loke;  most  of  them  had  the  peculiar  boggy  banks  of 


FEELINGS  OF  FREED  SLAVES. 


385 


the  country.  As  we  were  now  in  the  alleged  latitude  of  the 
Coanza,  I was  much  astonished  at  the  entire  absence  of  any 
knowledge  of  that  river  among  the  natives  of  this  quarter.  But 
I was  then  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  the  Coanza  rises  considerably 
to  the  west  of  this,  and  has  a comparatively  short  course  from  its 
source  to  the  sea. 

The  famous  Dr.  Lacerda  seems  to  have  labored  under  the 
same  mistake  as  myself,  for  he  recommended  the  government 
of  Angola  to  establish  a chain  of  forts  along  the  banks  of  that 
river,  with  a view  to  communication  with  the  opposite  coast. 
As  a chain  of  forts  along  its  course  would  lead  southward  instead 
of  eastward,  we  may  infer  that  the  geographical  data  within 
reach  of  that  eminent  man  were  no  better  than  those  according 
to  whicli  I had  directed  my  course  to  the  Coanza  where  it  does 
not  exist. 

2 GtA.  We  spent  Sunday  on  the  banks  of  the  Quilo  or  Kweelo, 
here  a stream  of  about  ten  yards  wide.  It  runs  in  a deep  glen, 
the  sides  of  which  are  almost  five  hundred  yards  of  slope,  and 
rocky,  the  rocks  being  hardened  calcareous  tufa  lying  on  clay  shale 
and  sandstone  below,  with  a capping  of  ferruginous  conglomerate. 
The  scenery  would  have  been  very  pleasing,  but  fever  took  away 
much  of  the  joy  of  life,  and  severe  daily  intermittents  rendered  me 
very  weak  and  always  glad  to  recline. 

As  we  were  now  in  the  slave-market,  it  struck  me  that  the 
sense  of  insecurity  felt  by  the  natives  might  account  for  the 
circumstance  that  those  who  have  been  sold  as  slaves  and  freed 
again,  when  questioned,  profess  to  like  the  new  state  better  than 
their  primitive  one.  They  lived  on  rich,  fertile  plains,  which 
seldom  inspire  that  love  of  country  whicli  the  mountains  do.  If 
they  had  been  mountaineers,  they  would  have  pined  for  home.  To 
one  who  has  observed  the  hard  toil  of  the  poor  in  old  civilized 
countries,  the  state  in  which  the  inhabitants  here  live  is  one  of 
glorious  ease.  The  country  is  full  of  little  villages.  Food 
abounds,  and  very  little  labor  is  required  for  its  cultivation ; the 
soil  is  so  rich  that  no  manure  is  required  ; when  a garden  becomes 
too  poor  for  good  crops  of  maize,  millet,  etc.,  the  owner  removes 
a little  farther  into  the  forest,  applies  fire  round  the  roots  of  the 
larger  trees  to  kill  them,  cuts  down  the  smaller,  and  a new,  rich 
garden  is  ready  for  the  seed.  The  gardens  usually  present  the  ap- 

B b 


386 


GARDENS  AND  VILLAGES. 


pearance  of  a large  number  of  tall,  dead  trees  standing  without 
bark,  and  maize  growing  between  them.  The  old  gardens  con- 
tinue to  yield  manioc  for  years  after  the  owners  have  removed  to 
other  spots  for  the  sake  of  millet  and  maize.  But,  while  vegeta- 
ble aliment  is  abundant,  there  is  a want  of  salt  and  animal  food, 
so  that  numberless  traps  are  seen,  set  for  mice,  in  all  the  forests 
of  Londa.  The  vegetable  diet  leaves  great  craving  for  flesh,  and 
I have  no  doubt  but  that,  when  an  ordinary  quantity  of  mixed 
food  is  supplied  to  freed  slaves,  they  actually  do  feel  more  com- 
fortable than  they  did  at  home.  Their  assertions,  however,  mean 
but  little,  for  they  always  try  to  give  an  answer  to  please,  and  if 
one  showed  them  a nugget  of  gold,  they  would  generally  say  that 
these  abounded  in  their  country. 

One  could  detect,  in  passing,  the  variety  of  character  found 
among  the  owners  of  gardens  and  villages.  Some  villages  were 
the  pictures  of  neatness.  We  entered  others  enveloped  in  a 
wilderness  of  weeds,  so  high  that,  when  sitting  on  ox-back  in  the 
middle  of  the  village,  we  could  only  see  the  tops  of  the  huts. 
If  we  entered  at  midday,  the  owners  would  come  lazily  forth,  pipe 
in  hand,  and  leisurely  puff  away  in  dreamy  indifference.  In  some 
villages  weeds  are  not  allowed  to  grow ; cotton,  tobacco,  and  dif- 
ferent plants  used  as  relishes  are  planted  round  the  huts ; fowls 
are  kept  in  cages,  and  the  gardens  present  the  pleasant  spectacle 
of  different  kinds  of  grain  and  pulse  at  various  periods  of  their 
growth.  I sometimes  admired  the  one  class,  and  at  times  wished 
I could  have  taken  the  world  easy  for  a time  like  the  other.  Ev- 
ery village  swarms  with  children,  who  turn  out  to  see  the  white 
man  pass,  and  run  along  with  strange  cries  and  antics  ; some  run 
up  trees  to  get  a good  view:  all  are  agile  climbers  throughout 
Londa.  At  friendly  villages  they  have  scampered  alongside  our 
party  for  miles  at  a time.  We  usually  made  a little  hedge  around 
our  sheds  ; crowds  of  women  came  to  the  entrance  of  it,  with  chil- 
dren on  their  backs,  and  long  pipes  in  their  mouths,  gazing  at  us 
for  hours.  The  men,  rather  than  disturb  them,  crawled  through 
a hole  in  the  hedge,  and  it  was  common  to  hear  a man  in  running 
off  say  to  them,  “ I am  going  to  tell  my  mamma  to  come  and  see 
the  white  man’s  oxen.” 

In  continuing  our  W.N.W.  course,  we  met  many  parties  of 
native  traders,  each  carrying  some  pieces  of  cloth  and  salt,  with 


TRADERS. — A GRAVE. 


387 


a few  beads  to  barter  for  bees’-wax.  They  are  all  armed  with 
Portuguese  guns,  and  have  cartridges  with  iron  balls.  "When 
we  meet  we  usually  stand  a few  minutes.  They  present  a little 
salt,  and  we  give  a bit  of  ox-hide,  or  some  other  trifle,  and  then 
part  with  mutual  good  wishes.  The  hide  of  the  oxen  we  slaugh- 
tered had  been  a valuable  addition  to  our  resources,  for  we  found 
it  in  so  great  repute  for  girdles  all  through  Loanda  that  we  cut 
up  every  skin  into  strips  about  two  inches  broad,  and  sold  them 
for  meal  and  manioc  as  we  went  along.  As  we  came  nearer  An- 
gola we  found  them  of  less  value,  as  the  people  there  possess  cat- 
tle themselves. 

The  village  on  the  Ivweelo,  at  which  we  spent  Sunday,  was 
that  of  a civil,  lively  old  man,  called  Sakandala,  who  offered  no 
objections  to  our  progress.  We  found  we  should  soon  enter  on 
the  territory  of  the  Bashinje  (Chinge  of  the  Portuguese),  who 
are  mixed  with  another  tribe,  named  Bangala,  which  have  been 
at  war  with  the  Babindele  or  Portuguese.  Rains  and  fever,  as 
usual,  helped  to  impede  our  progress  until  we  were  put  on  the 
path  which  leads  from  Cassange  and  Bihe  to  Matiamvo,  by  a 
head  man  named  Kamboela.  This  was  a well-beaten  footpath, 
and  soon  after  entering  upon  it  we  met  a party  of  half-caste 
traders  from  Bihe,  who  confirmed  the  information  we  had  al- 
ready got  of  this  path  leading  straight  to  Cassange,  through 
which  they  had  come  on  their  way  from  Bihe  to  Cabango.  They 
kindly  presented  my  men  with  some  tobacco,  and  marveled 
greatly  when  they  found  that  I had  never  been  able  to  teach 
myself  to  smoke.  On  parting  with  them  we  came  to  a trader’s 
grave.  This  was  marked  by  a huge  cone  of  sticks  placed  in  the 
form  of  the  roof  of  a hut,  with  a palisade  around  it.  At  an 
opening  on  the  western  side  an  ugly  idol  was  placed : several 
strings  of  beads  and  bits  of  cloth  were  hung  around.  We  learn- 
ed that  he  had  been  a half-caste,  who  had  died  on  his  way  back 
from  Matiamvo. 

As  we  were  now  alone,  and  sure  of  being  on  the  way  to  the 
abodes  of  civilization,  we  went  on  briskly. 

On  the  30th  we  came  to  a sudden  descent  from  the  high  land, 
indented  by  deep,  narrow  valleys,  over  which  we  had  lately  been 
traveling.  It  is  generally  so  steep  that  it  can  only  be  descended 
at  particular  points,  and  even  there  I was  obliged  to  dismount, 


388 


VALLEY  OF  THE  QUANGO. 


though  so  weak  that  I had  to  he  led  by  my  companions  to  pre- 
vent my  toppling  over  in  walking  down.  It  was  annoying  to 
feel  myself  so  helpless,  for  I never  liked  to  see  a man,  either  sick 
or  well,  giving  in  effeminately.  Below  us  lay  the  valley  of  the 
Quango.  If  you  sit  on  the  spot  where  Mary  Queen  of  Scots 
viewed  the  battle  of  Langside,  and  look  down  on  the  vale  of 
Clyde,  you  may  see  in  miniature  the  glorious  sight  which  a much 
greater  and  richer  valley  presented  to  our  view.  It  is  about  a 
hundred  miles  broad,  clothed  with  dark  forest,  except  where 
the  light  green  grass  covers  meadow-lands  on  the  Quango,  which 
here  and  there  glances  out  in  the  sun  as  it  wends  its  way  to 
the  north.  The  opposite  side  of  this  great  valley  appears  like 
a range  of  lofty  mountains,  and  the  descent  into  it  about  a mile, 
which,  measured  perpendicularly,  may  be  from  a thousand  to 
twelve  hundred  feet.  Emerging  from  the  gloomy  forests  of  Lon- 
da,  this  magnificent  prospect  made  us  all  feel  as  if  a weight  had 
been  lifted  off  our  eyelids.  A cloud  was  passing  across  the 
middle  of  the  valley,  from  which  rolling  thunder  pealed,  while 
above  all  was  glorious  sunlight ; and  when  we  went  down  to  the 
part  where  we  saw  it  passing,  we  found  that  a very  heavy  thun- 
der-shower had  fallen  under  the  path  of  the  cloud  ; and  the  bot- 
tom of  the  valley,  which  from  above  seemed  quite  smooth,  we  dis- 
covered to  be  intersected  and  furrowed  by  great  numbers  of  deep- 
cut  streams.  Looking  back  from  below,  the  descent  appears  as 
the  edge  of  a table-land,  with  numerous  indented  dells  and  spurs 
jutting  out  all  along,  giving  it  a serrated  appearance.  Both  the 
top  and  sides  of  the  sierra  are  covered  with  trees,  but  large  patches 
of  the  more  perpendicular  parts  are  bare,  and  exhibit  the  red  soil, 
which  is  general  over  the  region  we  have  now  entered. 

The  hollow  affords  a section  of  this  part  of  the  country ; and 
we  find  that  the  uppermost  stratum  is  the  ferruginous  con- 
glomerate already  mentioned.  The  matrix  is  rust  of  iron  (or 
hydrous  peroxide  of  iron  and  hematite),  and  in  it  are  imbedded 
water-worn  pebbles  of  sandstone  and  quartz.  As  this  is  the  rock 
underlying  the  soil  of  a large  part  of  Londa,  its  formation  must 
have  preceded  the  work  of  denudation  by  an  arm  of  the  sea, 
which  washed  away  the  enormous  mass  of  matter  required  before 
the  valley  of  Cassange  could  assume  its  present  form.  The  stra- 
ta under  the  conglomerate  are  all  of  red  clay  shale  of  different 


THE  BAMBOO. 


3S9 


degrees  of  hardness,  the  most  indurated  being  at  the  bottom. 
This  red  clay  shale  is  named  “ keele”  in  Scotland,  and  has  always 
been  considered  as  an  indication  of  gold ; but  the  only  thing  we 
discovered  was  that  it  had  given  rise  to  a very  slippery  clay  soil, 
so  different  from  that  which  we  had  just  left  that  Mashauana, 
who  always  prided  himself  on  being  an  adept  at  balancing  himself 
in  the  canoe  on  water,  and  so  sure  of  foot  on  land  that  he  could 
afford  to  express  contempt  for'  any  one  less  gifted,  came  down  in 
a very  sudden  and  undignified  manner,  to  the  delight  of  all  whom 
he  had  previously  scolded  for  falling. 

Here  we  met  with  the  bamboo  as  thick  as  a man’s  arm,  and 
many  new  trees.  Others,  which  we  had  lost  sight  of  since  leav- 
ing Shinte,  now  reappeared  ; but  nothing  struck  us  more  than  the 
comparative  scragginess  of  the  trees  in  this  hollow.  Those  on  the 
high  lands  we  had  left  were  tall  and  straight ; here  they  were 
stunted,  and  not  by  any  means  so  closely  planted  together.  The 
only  way  I could  account  for  this  was  by  supposing,  as  the  trees 
were  of  different  species,  that  the  greater  altitude  suited  the  nature 
of  those  above  better  than  the  lower  altitude  did  the  other  species 
below. 

Sunday , April  2 d.  We  rested  beside  a small  stream,  and  our 
hunger  being  now  very  severe,  from  having  lived  on  manioc  alone 
since  leaving  Ionza  Panza’s,  we  slaughtered  one  of  our  four  re- 
maining oxen.  The  people  of  this  district  seem  to  feel  the  crav- 
ing for  animal  food  as  much  as  we  did,  for  they  spend  much  en- 
ergy in  digging  large  white  larvm  out  of  the  damp  soil  adjacent  to 
their  streams,  and  use  them  as  a relish  to  their  vegetable  diet. 
The  Bashinje  refused  to  sell  any  food  for  the  poor  old  ornaments 
my  men  had  now  to  offer.  We  could  get  neither  meal  nor  manioc, 
but  should  have  been  comfortable  had  not  the  Bashinje  chief  San- 
sawe  pestered  us  for  the  customary  present.  The  native  traders 
informed  us  that  a display  of  force  was  often  necessary  before  they 
could  pass  this  man. 

Sansawe,  the  chief  of  a portion  of  the  Bashinje,  having  sent  the 
usual  formal  demand  for  a man,  an  ox,  or  a tusk,  spoke  very  con- 
temptuously of  the  poor  things  we  offered  him  instead.  We  told 
his  messengers  that  the  tusks  were  Sekeletu’s : every  thing  was 
gone  except  my  instruments,  which  could  be  of  no  use  to  them 
whatever.  One  of  them  begged  some  meat,  and,  when  it  was  re- 


390 


THE  CHIEF  SANSAWE. 


fused,  said  to  my  men,  “You  may  as  well  give  it,  for  we  shall 
take  all  after  we  have  killed  you  to-morrow.”  The  more  humbly 
we  spoke,  the  more  insolent  the  Bashinje  became,  till  at  last  we 
were  all  feeling  savage  and  sulky,  but  continued  to  speak  as  civ- 
illy as  we  could.  They  are  fond  of  argument,  and  when  I denied 
their  right  to  demand  tribute  from  a white  man,  who  did  not  trade 
in  slaves,  an  old  white-headed  negro  put  rather  a posing  question : 
“ You  know  that  God  has  placed  chiefs  among  us  whom  we  ought 
to  support.  How  is  it  that  you,  who  have  a book  that  tells  you 
about  him,  do  not  come  forward  at  once  to  pay  this  chief  tribute 
like  every  one  else  ?”  I replied  by  asking,  “ How  could  I know 
that  this  was  a chief,  who  had  allowed  me  to  remain  a day  and  a 
half  near  him  without  giving  me  any  thing  to  eat  ?”  This,  which 
to  the  uninitiated  may  seem  sophistry,  was  to  the  Central  Africans 
quite  a rational  question,  for  he  at  once  admitted  that  food  ought 
to  have  been  sent,  and  added  that  probably  his  chief  was  only 
making  it  ready  for  me,  and  that  it  would  come  soon. 

After  being  wearied  by  talking  all  day  to  different  parties  sent 
by  Sansawe,  we  were  honored  by  a visit  from  himself : he  is 
quite  a young  man,  and  of  rather  a pleasing  countenance.  There 
can  not  have  been  much  intercourse  between  real  Portuguese  and 
these  people  even  here,  so  close  to  the  Quango,  for  Sansawe  asked 
me  to  show  him  my  hair,  on  the  ground  that,  though  he  had 
heard  of  it,  and  some  white  men  had  even  passed  through  his 
country,  he  had  never  seen  straight  hair  before.  This  is  quite 
possible,  as  most  of  the  slave-traders  are  not  Portuguese,  but  half- 
castes.  The  difference  between  their  wool  and  our  hair  caused 
him  to  burst  into  a laugh,  and  the  contrast  between  the  exposed 
and  unexposed  parts  of  my  skin,  when  exhibited  in  evidence  of 
our  all  being  made  of  one  stock  originally,  and  the  children  of 
one  Maker,  seemed  to  strike  him  with  wonder.  I then  showed 
him  my  watch,  and  wished  to  win  my  way  into  his  confidence  by 
conversation ; but,  when  about  to  exhibit  my  pocket  compass, 
he  desired  me  to  desist,  as  he  was  afraid  of  my  wonderful  things. 
I told  him,  if  he  knew  my  aims  as  the  tribes  in  the  interior 
did,  and  as  I hoped  he  would  yet  know  them  and  me,  he 
would  be  glad  to  stay,  and  see  also  the  pictures  of  the  magic 
lantern ; but,  as  it  was  now  getting  dark,  he  had  evidently  got 
enough  of  my  witchery,  and  began  to  use  some  charms  to  dispel 


HOSTILITY  OF  THE  BASHINJE. 


391 


any  kindly  feelings  lie  might  have  found  stealing  round  his  heart. 
He  asked  leave  to  go,  and  when  his  party  moved  off  a little  way, 
he  sent  for  my  spokesman,  and  told  him  that,  “if  we  did  not  add 
a red  jacket  and  a man  to  our  gift  of  a few  copper  rings  and  a few 
pounds  of  meat,  we  must  return  by  the  way  we  had  come.”  I 
said  in  reply  “ that  we  should  certainly  go  forward  next  day,  and 
if  he  commenced  hostilities,  the  blame  before  God  would  be  that 
of  Sansawe  and  my  man  added  of  his  own  accord,  “ How  many 
white  men  have  you  killed  in  this  path  ?”  which  might  be  inter- 
preted into,  “You  have  never  killed  any  white  man,  and  you  will 
find  ours  more  difficult  to  manage  than  you  imagine.”  It  ex- 
pressed a determination,  which  we  had  often  repeated  to  each  other, 
to  die  rather  than  yield  one  of  our  party  to  be  a slave. 

Hunger  has  a powerful  effect  on  the  temper.  When  we  had  got 
a good  meal  of  meat,  we  could  all  bear  the  petty  annoyances  of 
these  borderers  on  the  more  civilized  region  in  front  with  equanim- 
ity ; but  having  suffered  considerably  of  late,  we  w’ere  all  rather 
soured  in  our  feelings,  and  not  unfrequently  I overheard  my 
companions  remark  in  their  own  tongue,  in  answer  to  threats 
of  attack,  “ That’s  what  we  want : only  begin  then or  with 
clenched  teeth  they  would  exclaim  to  each  other,  “ These  things 
have  never  traveled,  and  do  not  know’  what  men  are.”  The 
worrying,  of  which  I give  only  a slight  sketch,  had  considerable 
influence  on  my  own  mind,  and  more  especially  as  it  was  impos- 
sible to  make  any  allowance  for  the  Bashinje,  such  as  I was  will- 
ing to  award  to  the  Chiboque.  They  saw  that  we  had  nothing 
to  give,  nor  would  they  be  benefited  in  the  least  by  enforcing  the 
impudent  order  to  return  whence  we  had  come.  They  were  add- 
ing insult  to  injury,  and  this  put  us  all  into  a fighting  spirit,  and, 
as  nearly  as  we  could  judge,  we  expected  to  be  obliged  to  cut  our 
way  through  the  Bashinje  next  morning. 

3 d April.  As  soon  as  day  dawned  we  were  astir,  and,  set- 
ting off  in  a drizzling  rain,  passed  close  to  the  village.  This 
rain  probably  damped  the  ardor  of  the  robbers.  We,  how- 
ever, expected  to  be  fired  upon  from  every  clump  of  trees,  or 
from  some  of  the  rocky  hillocks  among  which  we  were  passing ; 
and  it  was  only  after  two  hours’  march  that  we  began  to  breathe 
freely,  and  my  men  remarked,  in  thankfulness,  “We  are  children 
of  Jesus.”  We  continued  our  course,  notwithstanding  the  rain, 


392 


» 


THE  QUANGO. 


across  the  bottom  of  the  Quango  Valley,  which  we  found  broken 
by  clay  shale  rocks  jutting  out,  though  lying  nearly  horizontally. 
The  grass ‘in  all  the  hollows,  at  this  time  quite  green,  was  about 
two  feet  higher  than  my  head  while  sitting  on  ox-back.  This 
grass,  wetted  by  the  rain,  acted  as  a shower-bath  on  one  side  of 
our  bodies  ; and  some  deep  gullies,  full  of  discolored  water,  com- 
pleted the  cooling  process.  We  passed  many  villages  during  this 
drenching,  one  of  which  possessed  a flock  of  sheep  ; and  after  six 
hours  we  came  to  a stand  near  the  River  Quango  (lat.  9°  53/  S., 
long.  18°  37'  E.),  which  may  be  called  the  boundary  of  the  Por- 
tuguese claims  to  territory  on  the  west.  As  I had  now  no  change 
of  clothing,  I was  glad  to  cower  under  the  shelter  of  my  blanket, 
thankful  to  God  for  his  goodness  in  bringing  us  so  far  without 
losing  one  of  the  party.  > 

4 th  April.  We  were  now  on  the  banks  of  the  Quango,  a river 
one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  wide,  and  very  deep.  The  water  was 
discolored — a circumstance  which  wre  had  observed  in  no  river  in 
Londa  or  in  the  Makololo  country.  This  fine  river  flows  among 
extensive  meadows  clothed  with  gigantic  grass  and  reeds,  and  in 
a direction  nearly  north. 

The  Quango  is  said  by  the  natives  to  contain  many  venomous 
water-snakes,  which  congregate  near  the  carcass  of  any  hippo- 
potamus that  may  be  killed  in  it.  If  this  is  true,  it  may  account 
for  all  the  villages  we  saw  being  situated  far  from  its  banks.  We 
were  advised  not  to  sleep  near  it ; but,  as  we  were  anxious  to 
cross  to  the  western  side,  we  tried  to  induce  some  of  the  Bashinje 
to  lend  us  canoes  for  the  purpose.  This  brought  out  the  chief  of 
these  parts,  who  informed  us  that  all  the  canoe-men  were  his 
children,  and  nothing  could  be  done  without  his  authority.  He 
then  made  the  usual  demand  for  a man,  an  ox,  or  a gun,  adding 
that  otherwise  we  must  return  to  the  country  from  which  we  had 
come.  As  I did  not  believe  that  this  man  had  any  power  over 
the  canoes  of  the  other  side,  and  suspected  that  if  I gave  him  my 
blanket — the  only  thing  I now  had  in  reserve — he  might  leave  us 
in  the  lurch  after  all,  I tried  to  persuade  my  men  to  go  at  once 
to  the  bank,  about  two  miles  off,  and  obtain  possession  of  the 
canoes  before  we  gave  up  the  blanket ; but  they  thought  that  this 
chief  might  attack  us  in  the  act  of  crossing,  should  we  do  so. 
The  chief  came  himself  to  our  encampment  and  made  his 


OPPORTUNE  AID. 


393 


demand  again.  My  men  stripped  off  the  last  of  their  copper  rings 
and  gave  them  ; hut  he  was  still  intent  on  a man.  He  thought, 
as  others  did,  that  my  men  were  slaves.  He  was  a young  man, 
with  his  woolly  hair  elaborately  dressed : that  behind  was  made 
up  into  a cone,  about  eight  inches  in  diameter  at  the  base,  care- 
fully swathed  round  with  red  and  black  thread.  As  I resisted 


liashinje  chief's  mode  of  wearing  the  hair. 


the  proposal  to  deliver  up  my  blanket  until  they  had  placed  us 
on  the  western  bank,  this  chief  continued  to  worry  us  with  his 
demands  till  I was  tired.  My  little  tent  was  now  in  tatters,  and 
having  a wider  hole  behind  than  the  door  in  front,  I tried  in  vain 
to  lie  down  out  of  sight  of  our  persecutors.  We  were  on  a reedy 
flat,  and  could  not  follow  our  usual  plan  of  a small  stockade,  in 
which  we  had  time  to  think  over  and  concoct  our  plans.  As  I 
was  trying  to  persuade  my  men  to  move  on  to  the  bank  in  spite 
of  these  people,  a young  half-caste  Portuguese  sergeant  of  militia, 
Cypriano  di  Abreu,  made  his  appearance,  and  gave  the  same  ad- 
vice. He  had  come  across  the  Quango  in  search  of  bees’-wax. 
When  we  moved  off  from  the  chief  who  had  been  plaguing  us, 
his  people  opened  a fire  from  our  sheds,  and  continued  to  blaze 
away  some  time  in  the  direction  we  were  going,  but  none  of  the 
bullets  reached  us.  It  is  probable  that  they  expected  a demon- 


394 


CYTRIANO’S  GENEROUS  HOSPITALITY. 


stration  of  the  abundance  of  ammunition  they  possessed  would 
make  us  run  ; but  when  we  continued  to  move  quietly  to  the  ford, 
they  proceeded  no  farther  than  our  sleeping-place.  Cypriano  as- 
sisted us  in  making  a more  satisfactory  arrangement  with  the  fer- 
rymen than  parting  with  my  blanket ; and  as  soon  as  we  reached 
the  opposite  bank  we  were  in  the  territory  of  the  Bangala,  who 
are  subjects  of  the  Portuguese,  and  often  spoken  of  as  the  Cas- 
sanges  or  Cassantse  ; and  happily  all  our  difficulties  with  the  bor- 
der tribes  were  at  an  end. 

Passing  with  light  hearts  through  the  high  grass  by  a narrow 
footpath  for  about  three  miles  to  the  west  of  the  river,  we  came  to 
several  neat  square  houses,  with  many  cleanly-looking  half-caste 
Portuguese  standing  in  front  of  them  to  salute  us.  They  are  all 
enrolled  in  the  militia,  and  our  friend  Cypriano  is  the  commander 
of  a division  established  here.  The  Bangala  were  very  trouble- 
some to  the  Portuguese  traders,  and  at  last^  proceeded  so  far  as  to 
kill  one  of  them  ; the  government  of  Angola  then  sent  an  expedi- 
tion against  them,  which  being  successful,  the  Bangala  were  dis- 
persed, and  are  now  returning  to  their  former  abodes  as  vassals. 
The  militia  are  quartered  among  them,  and  engage  in  trade  and 
agriculture  for  their  support,  as  no  pay  is  given  to  this  branch  of 
the  service  by  the  government. 

We  came  to  the  dwelling  of  Cypriano  after  dark,  and  I pitched 
my  little  tent  in  front  of  it  for  the  night.  We  had  the  company 
of  musquitoes  here.  We  never  found  them  troublesome  on  the 
banks  of  the  pure  streams  of  Londa.  On  the  morning  of  the  5th 
Cypriano  generously  supplied  my  men  with  pumpkins  and  maize, 
and  then  invited  me  to  breakfast,  which  consisted  of  ground-nuts 
and  roasted  maize,  then  boiled  manioc  roots  and  ground-nuts,  with 
guavas  and  honey  as  a dessert.  I felt  sincerely  grateful  for  this 
magnificent  breakfast. 

At  dinner  Cypriano  was  equally  bountiful,  and  several  of  his 
friends  joined  us  in  doing  justice  to  his  hospitality.  Before  eat- 
ing, all  had  water  poured  on  the  hands  by  a female  slave  to  wash 
them.  One  of  the  guests  cut  up  a fowl  with  a knife  and  fork. 
Neither  forks  nor  spoons  were  used  in  eating.  The  repast  was 
partaken  of  with  decency  and  good  manners,  and  concluded  by 
washing  the  hands  as  at  first. 

All  of  them  could  read  and  write  with  ease.  I examined  the 


BOOKS  AND  IMAGES. 


395 


books  they  possessed,  and  found  a small  work  on  medicine,  a 
small  cyclopaedia,  and  a Portuguese  dictionary,  in  which  the 
definition  of  a “ priest”  seemed  strange  to  a Protestant,  namely, 
“ one  who  takes  care  of  the  conscience.”  They  had  also  a few 
tracts  containing  the  Lives  of  the  Saints,  and  Cypriano  had  three 
small  wax  images  of  saints  in  his  room.  One  of  these  was  St. 
Anthony,  who,  had  he  endured  the  privations  he  did  in  his  cell 
in  looking  after  these  lost  sheep,  would  have  lived  to  better  pur- 
pose. Neither  Cypriano  nor  his  companions  knew  what  the 
Bible  was,  but  they  had  relics  in  German-silver  cases  hung  round 
their  necks,  to  act  as  charms  and  save  them  from  danger  by  land 
or  by  water,  in  the  same  way  as  the  heathen  have  medicines.  It 
is  a pity  that  the  Church  to  which  they  belong,  when  unable  to 
attend  to  the  wants  of  her  children,  does  not  give  them  the  sacred 
writings  in  their  own  tongue ; it  would  surely  be  better  to  see 
them  good  Protestants,  if  these  would  lead  them  to  be  so,  than 
entirely  ignorant  of  God’s  message  to  man.  For  my  part,  I 
would  much  prefer  to  see  the  Africans  good  Roman  Catholics  than 
idolatrous  heathen. 

Much  of  the  civility  shown  to  us  here  was,  no  doubt,  owing  to 
the  flattering  letters  of  recommendation  I carried  from  the  Chev- 
alier Du  Prat,  of  Cape  Town ; but  I am  inclined  to  believe  that 
my  friend  Cypriano  was  influenced,  too,  by  feelings  of  genuine 
kindness,  for  he  quite  bared  his  garden  in  feeding  us  during  the 
few  days  which  I remained,  anxiously  expecting  the  clouds  to 
disperse,  so  far  as  to  allow  of  my  taking  observations  for  the  de- 
termination of  the  position  of  the  Quango.  He  slaughtered  an  ox 
for  us,  and  furnished  his  mother  and  her  maids  with  manioc  roots, 
to  prepare  farina  for  the  four  or  five  days  of  our  journey  to  Cas- 
sange,  and  never  even  hinted  at  payment.  *My  wretched  appear- 
ance must  have  excited  his  compassion.  The  farina  is  prepared 
by  washing  the  roots  well,  then  rasping  them  down  to  a pulp. 
Next,  this  is  roasted  slightly  on  a metal  plate  over  a fire,  and  is 
then  used  with  meat  as  a vegetable.  It  closely  resembles  wood- 
sawings,  and  on  that  account  is  named  “wood-meal.”  It  is  in- 
sipid, and  employed  to  lick  up  any  gravy  remaining  on  one’s  plate. 
Those  who  have  become  accustomed  to  it  relish  it  even  after  they 
have  returned  to  Europe. 

The  manioc  cultivated  here  is  of  the  sweet  variety ; the  bitter, 


396 


ARRIVAL  AT  CASSANGE. 


to  which  we  were  accustomed  in  Londa,  is  not  to  he  found  very 
extensively  in  this  fertile  valley.  May  is  the  beginning  of  win- 
ter, yet  many  of  the  inhabitants  were  busy  planting  maize ; that 
which  we  were  now  eating  was  planted  in  the  beginning  of 
February.  The  soil  is  exceedingly  fertile,  of  a dark  red  color, 
and  covered  with  such  a dense,  heavy  crop  of  coarse  grass,  that 
when  a marauding  party  of  Ambonda  once  came  for  plunder 
while  it  was  in  a dried  state,  the  Bangala  encircled  the  common 
enemy  with  a fire  which  completely  destroyed  them.  This,  which 
is  related  on  the  authority  of  Portuguese  who  were  then  in  the 
country,  I can  easily  believe  to  be  true,  for  the  stalks  of  the 
grass  are  generally  as  thick  as  goose-quills,  and  no  flight  could  be 
made  through  the  mass  of  grass  in  any  direction  where  a foot- 
path does  not  exist.  Probably,  in  the  case  mentioned,  the  direc- 
tion of  the  wind  was  such  as  to  drive  the  flames  across  the  paths, 
and  prevent  escape  along  them.  On  one  occasion  I nearly  lost 
my  wagon  by  fire,  in  a valley  where  the  grass  was  only  about 
three  feet  high.  We  were  roused  by  the  roar,  as  of  a torrent, 
made  by  the  fire  coming  from  the  windward.  I immediately  set 
fire  to  that  on  our  leeward,  and  had  just  time  to  drag  the  wagon 
on  to  the  bare  space  there  before  the  windward  flames  reached  the 
place  where  it  had  stood. 

We  were  detained  by  rains  and  a desire  to  ascertain  our 
geographical  position  till  Monday,  the  10th,  and  only  got  the 
latitude  9°  5CK  S. ; and,  after  three  days’  pretty  hard  traveling 
through  the  long  grass,  reached  Cassange,  the  farthest  inland 
station  of  the  Portuguese  in  Western  Africa.  We  crossed  several 
fine  little  streams  running  into  the  Quango ; and  as  the  grass 
continued  to  tower  about  two  feet  over  our  heads,  it  generally 
obstructed  our  view*  of  the  adjacent  country,  and  sometimes 
hung  over  the  path,  making  one  side  of  the  body  wet  with  the 
dew  every  morning,  or,  when  it  rained,  kept  me  wet  during  the 
whole  day.  I made  my  entrance  in  a somewhat  forlorn  state  as 
to  clothing  among  our  Portuguese  allies.  The  first  gentleman  I 
met  in  the  village  asked  if  I had  a passport,  and  said  it  was 
necessary  to  take  me  before  the  authorities.  As  I was  in  the 
same  state  of  mind  in  which  individuals  are  who  commit  a petty 
depredation  in  order  to  obtain  the  shelter  and  food  of  a prison, 
I gladly  accompanied  him  to  the  house  of  the  commandant  or 


VEGETABLE  PRODUCTIONS. 


397 


Chefe,  Senhor  de  Silva  Kego.  Having  shown  my  passport  to 
this  gentleman,  he  politely  asked  me  to  supper,  and,  as  we  had 
eaten  nothing  except  the  farina  of  Cypriano  from  the  Quango  to 
this,  I suspect  I appeared  particularly  ravenous  to  the  other  gen- 
tlemen around  the  table.  They  seemed,  however,  to  understand 
my  position  pretty  well,  from  having  all  traveled  extensively 
themselves  ; had  they  not  been  present,  I might  have  put  some  in 
my  pocket  to  eat  by  night ; for,  after  fever,  the  appetite  is  excess- 
ively keen,  and  manioc  is  one  of  the  most  unsatisfying  kinds  of 
food.  Captain  Antonio  Kodrigues  Neves  then  kindly  invited  me 
to  take  up  my  abode  in  his  house.  Next  morning  this  generous 
man  arrayed  me  in  decent  clothing,  and  continued  during  the 
whole  period  of  my  stay  to  treat  me  as  if  I had  been  his  brother. 
I feel  deeply  grateful  to  him  for  his  disinterested  kindness.  He 
not  only  attended  to  my  wants,  but  also  furnished  food  for  my 
famishing  party  free  of  charge. 

The  village  of  Cassange  (pronounced  Kassanje)  is  composed  of 
thirty  or  forty  traders’  houses,  scattered  about  without  any  regu- 
larity, on  an  elevated  flat  spot  in  the  great  Quango  or  Cassange 
valley.  They  are  built  of  wattle  and  daub,  and  surrounded  by 
plantations  of  manioc,  maize,  etc.  Behind  them  there  are  usual- 
ly kitchen  gardens,  in  which  the  common  European  vegetables,  as 
potatoes,  peas,  cabbages,  onions,  tomatoes,  etc.,  etc.,  grow.  Gua- 
vas and  bananas  appear,  from  the  size  and  abundance  of  the  trees, 
to  have  been  introduced  many  years  ago,  while  the  land  was  still 
in  the  possession  of  the  natives  ; but  pine-apples,  orange,  fig,  and 
cashew  trees  have  but  lately  been  tried.  There  are  about  forty 
Portuguese  traders  in  this  district,  all  of  whom  are  officers  in  the 
militia,  and  many  of  them  have  become  rich  from  adopting  the 
plan  of  sending  out  Pombeiros,  or  native  traders,  with  large  quan- 
tities of  goods,  to  trade  in  the  more  remote  parts  of  the  country. 
Some  of  the  governors  of  Loanda,  the  capital  of  this,  the  kingdom 
of  Angola,  have  insisted  on  the  observance  of  a law  which,  from 
motives  of  humanity,  forbids  the  Portuguese  themselves  from 
passing  beyond  the  boundaiy.  They  seem  to  have  taken  it  for 
granted  that,  in  cases  where  the  white  trader  was  killed,  the 
aggression  had  been  made  by  him,  and  they  wished  to  avoid  the 
necessity  of  punishing  those  who  had  been  provoked  to  shed 
Portuguese  blood.  This  indicates  a much  greater  impartiality 


398 


PORTUGUESE  CURIOSITY. 


than  has  obtained  in  our  own  dealings  with  the  Caffres,  for  we 
have  engaged  in  most  expensive  wars  with  them  without  once 
inquiring  whether  any  of  the  fault  lay  with  our  frontier  colonists. 
The  Cassange  traders  seem  inclined  to  spread  along  the  Quango, 
in  spite  of  the  desire  of  their  government  to  keep  them  on  one 
spot,  for  mutual  protection  in  case  of  war.  If  I might  judge  from 
the  week  of  feasting  I passed  among  them,  they  are  generally 
prosperous. 

As  I always  preferred  to  appear  in  my  own  proper  character, 
I was  an  object  of  curiosity  to  these  hospitable  Portuguese. 
They  evidently  looked  upon  me  as  an  agent  of  the  English 
government,  engaged  in  some  new  movement  for  the  suppression 
of  slavery.  They  could  not  divine  what  a “ missionario”  had  to 
do  with  the  latitudes  and  longitudes,  which  I was  intent  on  ob- 
serving. When  we  became  a little  familiar,  the  questions  put 
were  rather  amusing:  “Is  it  common  for  missionaries  to  be  doc- 
tors ?”  “ Are  you  a doctor  of  medicine  and  a 4 doutor  mathemat- 
ico’  too  ? You  must  be  more  than  a missionary  to  know  how  to 
calculate  the  longitude ! Come,  tell  us  at  once  what  rank  you 
hold  in  the  English  army.”  They  may  have  given  credit  to  my 
reason  for  wearing  the  mustache,  as  that  explains  why  men 
have  beards  and  women  have  none  ; but  that  which  puzzled 
many  besides  my  Cassange  friends  was  the  anomaly  of  my 
being  a “ sacerdote,”  with  a wife  and  four  children!  I usually 
got  rid  of  the  last  question  by  putting  another : “ Is  it  not  better 
to  have  children  with  a wife,  than  to  have  children  without  a 
wife  ?”  But  all  were  most  kind  and  hospitable  ; and  as  one 
of  their  festivals  was  near,  they  invited  me  to  partake  of  the 
feast. 

The  anniversary  of  the  Resurrection  of  our  Savior  was  ob- 
served on  the  16th  of  April  as  a day  of  rejoicing,  though  the  Por- 
tuguese have  no  priests  at  Cassange.  The  colored  population 
dressed  up  a figure  intended  to  represent  Judas  Iscariot,  and 
paraded  him  on  a riding-ox  about  the  village ; sneers  and  male- 
dictions were  freely  bestowed  on  the  poor  wretch  thus  represent- 
ed. The  slaves  and  free  colored  population,  dressed  in  their  gayest 
clothing,  made  visits  to  all  the  principal  merchants,  and  wishing 
them  “ a good  feast,”  expected  a present  in  return.  This,  though 
frequently  granted  in  the  shape  of  pieces  of  calico  to  make  new 


NO  FEEJUDICE  AGAINST  COLOE.  399 

dresses,  was  occasionally  refused,  but  the  rebuff  did  not  much  af- 
fect the  petitioner. 

At  ten  A.M.  we  went  to  the  residence  of  the  commandant,  and 
on  a signal  being  given,  two  of  the  four  brass  guns  belonging  to 
the  government  commenced  firing,  and  continued  some  time,  to 
the  great  admiration  of  my  men,  whose  ideas  of  the  power  of  a 
cannon  are  very  exalted.  The  Portuguese  flag  was  hoisted  and 
trumpets  sounded,  as  an  expression  of  joy  at  the  resurrection  of 
our  Lord.  Captain  Neves  invited  all  the  principal  inhabitants  of 
the  place,  and  did  what  he  could  to  feast  them  in  a princely 
style.  All  manner  of  foreign  preserved  fruits  and  wine  from  Port- 
ugal, biscuits  from  America,  butter  from  Cork,  and  beer  from  En- 
gland, were  displayed,  and  no  expense  spared  in  rendering  the  en- 
tertainment joyous.  After  the  feast  was  over  they  sat  down  to 
the  common  amusement  of  card-playing,  which  continued  till  elev- 
en o’clock  at  night.  As  far  as  a mere  traveler  could  judge,  they 
seemed  to  be  polite  and  willing  to  aid  each  other.  They  live  in  a 
febrile  district,  and  many  of  them  had  enlarged  spleens.  They 
have  neither  doctor,  apothecary,  school,  nor  priest,  and,  when  taken 
ill,  trust  to  each  other  and  to  Providence.  As  men  left  in  such 
circumstances  must  think  for  themselves,  they  have  all  a good 
idea  of  what  ought  to  be  done  in  the  common  diseases  of  the 
country,  and  what  they  have  of  either  medicine  or  skill  they  free- 
ly impart  to  each  other. 

None  of  these  gentlemen  had  Portuguese  wives.  They  usually 
come  to  Africa  in  order  to  make  a little  money,  and  return  to  Lis- 
bon. Hence  they  seldom  bring  their  wives  with  them,  and  never 
can  be  successful  colonists  in  consequence.  It  is  common  for 
them  to  have  families  by  native  women.  It  was  particularly  grat- 
ifying to  me,  who  had  been  familiar  with  the  stupid  prejudice 
against  color,  entertained  only  by  those  who  are  themselves  be- 
coming tawny,  to  view  the  liberality  with  which  people  of  color 
were  treated  by  the  Portuguese.  Instances,  so  common  in  the 
South,  in  which  half-caste  children  are  abandoned,  are  here  ex- 
tremely rare.  They  are  acknowledged  at  table,  and  provided  for 
by  their  fathers  as  if  European.  The  colored  clerks  of  the  mer- 
chants sit  at  the  same  table  with  their  employers  without  any  em- 
barrassment. The  civil  manners  of  superiors  to  inferiors  is  prob- 
ably the  result  of  the  position  they  occupy — a few  whites  among 


400 


COUNTRY  ABOUND  CASSANGE. 


thousands  of  blacks  ; but  nowhere  else  in  Africa  is  there  so  much 
good-will  between  Europeans  and  natives  as  here.  If  some  bor- 
der colonists  had  the  absolute  certainty  of  our  government  de- 
clining to  bear  them  out  in  their  arrogance,  we  should  proba- 
bly hear  less  of  Caffre  insolence.  It  is  insolence  which  begets  in- 
solence. 

From  the  village  of  Cassange  we  have  a good  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding country : it  is  a gently  undulating  plain,  covered  with 
grass  and  patches  of  forest.  The  western  edge  of  the  Quango 
valley  appears,  about  twenty  miles  off,  as  if  it  were  a range  of 
lofty  mountains,  and  passes  by  the  name  of  Tala  Mungongo,  “ Be- 
hold the  Range.”  In  the  old  Portuguese  map,  to  which  I had 
been  trusting  in  planning  my  route,  it  is  indicated  as  Talla  Mu- 
gongo,  or  “ Castle,  of  Rocks  /”  and  the  Coanza  is  put  down  as  ris- 
ing therefrom ; but  here  I was  assured  that  the  Coanza  had  its 
source  near  Bihe,  far  to  the  southwest  of  this,  and  we  should  not 
see  that  river  till  we  came  near  Pungo  Andonga.  It  is  somewhat 
remarkable  that  more  accurate  information  about  this  country  has 
not  been  published.  Captain  Neves  and  others  had  a correct  idea 
of  the  courses  of  the  rivers,  and  communicated  their  knowledge 
freely ; yet  about  this  time  maps  were  sent  to  Europe  from  An- 
gola representing  the  Quango  and  Coanza  as  the  same  river,  and 
Cassange  placed  about  one  hundred  miles  from  its  true  position. 
The  frequent  recurrence  of  the  same  name  has  probably  helped  to 
increase  the  confusion.  I have  crossed  several  Quangos,  but  all 
insignificant,  except  that  which  drains  this  valley.  The  repe- 
tition of  the  favorite  names  of  chiefs,  as  Catende,  is  also  per- 
plexing, as  one  Catende  may  be  mistaken  for  another.  To  avoid 
this  confusion  as  much  as  possible,  I have  refrained  from  intro- 
ducing many  names.  Numerous  villages  are  studded  all  over 
the  valley ; but  these  possess  no  permanence,  and  many  more 
existed  previous  to  the  Portuguese  expedition  of  1850  to  punish 
the  Bangala. 

This  valley,  as  I have  before  remarked,  is  all  fertile  in  the 
extreme.  My  men  could  never  cease  admiring  its  capability  for 
raising  their  corn  ( IIolcus  sorghum ),  and  despising  the  compar- 
atively limited  cultivation  of  the  inhabitants.  The  Portuguese 
informed  me  that  no  manure  is  ever  needed,  but  that,  the  more 
the  ground  is  tilled,  the  better  it  yields.  Virgin  soil  does  not  give 


SALE  OF  IVORY. 


401 


such  a heavy  crop  as  an  old  garden,  and,  judging  from  the  size 
of  the  maize  and  manioc  in  the  latter,  I can  readily  believe  the 
statement.  Cattle  do  well,  too.  Viewing  the  valley  as  a whole, 
it  may  be  said  that  its  agricultural  and  pastoral  riches  are  lying 
waste.  Both  the  Portuguese  and  their  descendants  turn  their  at- 
tention almost  exclusively  to  trade  in  wax  and  ivory,  and  though 
the  country  would  yield  any  amount  of  corn  and  dairy  produce, 
the  native  Portuguese  live  chiefly  on  manioc,  and  the  Europeans 
purchase  their  flour,  bread,  butter,  and  cheese  from  the  Americans. 

As  the  traders  of  Cassange  were  the  first  white  men  we  had 
come  to,  we  sold  the  tusks  belonging  to  Sekeletu,  which  had  been 
brought  to  test  the  difference  of  prices  in  the  Makololo  and  white 
men’s  country.  The  result  was  highly  satisfactory  to  my  com- 
panions, as  the  Portuguese  give  much  larger  prices  for  ivory  than 
traders  from  the  Cape  can  possibly  give,  who  labor  under  the 
disadvantage  of  considerable  overland  expenses  and  ruinous  re- 
strictions. Two  muskets,  three  small  barrels  of  gunpowder,  and 
English  calico  and  baize  sufficient  to  clothe  my  whole  party,  with 
large  bunches  of  beads,  all  for  one  tusk,  were  quite  delightful  for 
those  who  had  been  accustomed  to  give  two  tusks  for  one  gun. 
With  another  tusk  we  procured  calico,  which  here  is  the  chief 
currency,  to  pay  our  way  down  to  the  coast.  The  remaining  two 
were  sold  for  money  to  purchase  a horse  for  Sekeletu  at  Loanda. 

The  superiority  of  this  new  market  was  quite  astounding  to  the 
Makololo,  and  they  began  to  abuse  the  traders  by  whom  they 
had,  while  in  their  own  country,  been  visited,  and,  as  they  now 
declared,  “cheated.”  They  had  no  idea  of  the  value  of  time  and 
carriage,  and  it  was  somewhat  difficult  for  me  to  convince  them 
that  the  reason  of  the  difference  of  prices  lay  entirely  in  what 
they  themselves  had  done  in  coming  here,  and  that,  if  the  Portu- 
guese should  carry  goods  to  their  country,  they  would  by  no 
means  be  so  liberal  in  their  prices.  They  imagined  that,  if  the 
Cassange  traders  came  to  Linyanti,  they  would  continue  to  vend 
their  goods  at  Cassange  prices.  I believe  I gave  them  at  last  a 
clear  idea  of  the  manner  in  which  prices  were  regulated  by  the 
expenses  incurred  ; and  when  we  went  to  Loanda,  and  saw  goods 
delivered  at  a still  cheaper  rate,  they  concluded  that  it  would  be 
better  for  them  to  come  to  that  city,  than  to  turn  homeward  at 
Cassange. 

C c 


402 


DEPASTURE  FROM  CASSANGE. 


It  was  interesting  for  me  to  observe  the  effects  of  the  restrict- 
ive policy  pursued  by  the  Cape  government  toward  the  Bechu- 
anas.  Like  all  other  restrictions  on  trade,  the  law  of  preventing 
friendly  tribes  from  purchasing  arms  and  ammunition  only  in- 
jures the  men  who  enforce  it.  The  Cape  government,  as  already 
observed,  in  order  to  gratify  a company  of  independent  Boers, 
whose  well-known  predilection  for  the  practice  of  slavery  caused 
them  to  stipulate  that  a number  of  peaceable,  honest  tribes  should 
be  kept  defenseless,  agreed  to  allow  free  trade  in  arms  and  ammu- 
nition to  the  Boers,  and  prevent  the  same  trade  to  the  Bechuanas. 
The  Cape  government  thereby  unintentionally  aided,  and  contin- 
ues to  aid,  the  Boers  to  enslave  the  natives.  But  arms  and  am- 
munition flow  in  on  all  sides  by  new  channels,  and  where  former- 
ly the  price  of  a large  tusk  procured  but  one  musket,  one  tusk  of 
the  same  size  now  brings  ten.  The  profits  are  reaped  by  other 
nations,  and  the  only  persons  really  the  losers,  in  the  long  run, 
are  our  own  Cape  merchants,  and  a few  defenseless  tribes  of  Bechu- 
anas on  our  immediate  frontier. 

Mr.  Rego,  the  commandant,  very  handsomely  offered  me  a 
soldier  as  a guard  to  Ambaca.  My  men  told  me  that  they  had 
been  thinking  it  would  be  better  to  turn  back  here,  as  they  had 
been  informed  by  the  people  of  color  at  Cassange  that  I was 
leading  them  down  to  the  sea-coast  only  to  sell  them,  and  they 
would  be  taken  on  board  ship,  fattened,  and  eaten,  as  the  white 
men  were  cannibals.  I asked  if  they  had  ever  heard  of  an 
Englishman  buying  or  selling  people  ; if  I had  not  refused  to  take 
a slave  when  she  was  offered  to  me  by  Shinte ; but,  as  I had 
always  behaved  as  an  English  teacher,  if  they  now  doubted  my 
intentions,  they  had  better  not  go  to  the  coast ; I,  however,  who 
expected  to  meet  some  of  my  countrymen  there,  was  determined 
to  go  on.  They  replied  that  they  only  thought  it  right  to  tell 
me  what  had  been  told  to  them,  but  they  did  not  intend  to  leave 
me,  and  would  follow  wherever  I should  lead  the  way.  This 
affair  being  disposed  of  for  the  time,  the  commandant  gave  them 
an  ox,  and  me  a friendly  dinner  before  parting.  All  the  mer- 
chants of  Cassange  accompanied  us,  in  their  hammocks  carried  by 
slaves,  to  the  edge  of  the  plateau  on  which  their  village  stands, 
and  we  parted  with  the  feeling  in  my  mind  that  I should  never 
forget  their  disinterested  kindness.  They  not  only  did  every  thing 


rALANQUIN,  COMING  TO  REST  UNDER  A BAOBAB  AND  EUPHORBIAS. 


A SOLDIER-GUIDE. 


405 


they  could  to  make  my  men  and  me  comfortable  during  our  stay ; 
but,  there  being  no  hotels  in  Loanda,  they  furnished  me  with  let- 
ters of  recommendation  to  their  friends  in  that  city,  requesting 
them  to  receive  me  into  their  houses,  for  without  these  a stranger 
might  find  himself  a lodger  in  the  streets.  May  God  remember 
them  in  their  day  of  need ! 

The  latitude  and  longitude  of  Cassange,  the  most  easterly  sta- 
tion of  the  Portuguese  in  Western  Africa,  is  lat.  9°37/30//S.,  and 
long.  17°  49' E. ; consequently  we  had  still  about  300  miles  to 
traverse  before  we  could  reach  the  coast.  We  had  a black  militia 
corporal  as  a guide.  He  was  a native  of  Ambaca,  and,  like  nearly 
all  the  inhabitants  of  that  district,  known  by  the  name  of  Amba- 
kistas,  could  both  read  and  write.  He  had  three  slaves  with  him, 
and  was  carried  by  them  in  a “tipoia,”  or  hammock  slung  to  a 
pole.  His  slaves  were  young,  and  unable  to  convey  him  far  at  a 
time,  but  he  was  considerate  enough  to  walk  except  when  we  came 
near  to  a village.  He  then  mounted  his  tipoia  and  entered  the 
village  in  state  ; his  departure  was  made  in  the  same  manner,  and 
he  continued  in  the  hammock  till  the  village  was  out  of  sight.  It 
was  interesting  to  observe  the  manners  of  our  soldier-guide.  Two 
slaves  were  always  employed  in  carrying  his  tipoia,  and  the  third 
earned  a wooden  box,  about  three  feet  long,  containing  his  writing 
materials,  dishes,  and  clothing.  He  was  cleanly  in  all  his  ways, 
and,  though  quite  black  himself,  when  he  scolded  any  one  of  his 
own  color,  abused  him  as  a “negro.”  When  he  wanted  to  pur- 
chase any  article  from  a village,  he  would  sit  down,  mix  a little 
gunpowder  as  ink,  and  write  a note  in  a neat  hand  to  ask  the 
price,  addressing  it  to  the  shopkeeper  with  the  rather  pompous 
title,  “ Illustrissimo  Senhor”  (Most  Illustrious  Sir).  This  is  the 
invariable  mode  of  address  throughout  Angola.  The  answer  re- 
turned would  be  in  the  same  style,  and,  if  satisfactory,  another 
note  followed  to  conclude  the  bargain.  There  is  so  much  of  this 
note  correspondence  carried  on  in  Angola,  that  a very  large  quan- 
tity of  paper  is  annually  consumed.  Some  other  peculiarities  of 
our  guide  were  not  so  pleasing.  A land  of  slaves  is  a bad  school 
for  even  the  free ; and  I was  sorry  to  find  less  truthfulness  and 
honesty  in  him  than  in  my  own  people.  We  were  often  cheated 
through  his  connivance  with  the  sellers  of  food,  and  could  perceive 
that  he  got  a share  of  the  plunder  from  them.  The  food  is  very 


406 


HILL  KASALA. 


cheap,  but  it  was  generally  made  dear  enough,  until  I refused  to 
allow  him  to  come  near  the  place  where  we  were  bargaining.  But 
he  took  us  safely  down  to  Ambaca,  and  I was  glad  to  see,  on  my 
return  to  Cassange,  that  he  was  promoted  to  be  sergeant-major  of 
a company  of  militia. 

Having  left  Cassange  on  the  21st,  we  passed  across  the  remain- 
ing portion  of  this  excessively  fertile  valley  to  the  foot  of  Tala 
Mungongo.  We  crossed  a fine  little  stream  called  the  Lui  on  the 
22d,  and  another  named  the  Luare  on  the  24tli,  then  slept  at  the 
bottom  of  the  height,  which  is  from  a thousand  to  fifteen  hundred 
feet.  The  clouds  came  floating  along  the  valley,  and  broke  against 
the  sides  of  the  ascent,  and  the  dripping  rain  on  the  tall  grass 
made  the  slaps  in  the  face  it  gave,  when  the  hand  or  a stick  was 
not  held  up  before  it,  any  thing  but  agreeable.  This  edge  of  the 
valley  is  exactly  like  the  other ; jutting  spurs  and  defiles  give  the 
red  ascent  the  same  serrated  appearance  as  that  which  we  de- 
scended from  the  highlands  of  Londa.  The  whole  of  this  vast 
valley  has  been  removed  by  denudation,  for  pieces  of  the  plateau 
which  once  filled  the  now  vacant  space  stand  in  it,  and  present 
the  same  structure  of  red  horizontal  strata  of  equal  altitudes  with 
those  of  the  acclivity  which  we  are  now  about  to  ascend.  One 
of  these  insulated  masses,  named  Kasala,  bore  E.S.E.  from  the 
place  where  we  made  our  exit  from  the  valley,  and  about  ten 
miles  W.S.W.  from  the  village  of  Cassange.  It  is  remarkable 
for  its  perpendicular  sides ; even  the  natives  find  it  extremely 
difficult,  almost  impossible,  to  reach  its  summit,  though  there  is 
the  temptation  of  marabou-nests  and  feathers,  which  are  highly 
prized.  There  is  a small  lake  reported  to  exist  on  its  southern 
end,  and,  during  the  rainy  season,  a sort  of  natural  moat  is  formed 
around  the  bottom.  What  an  acquisition  this  would  have  been  in 
feudal  times  in  England ! There  is  land  sufficient  for  considera- 
ble cultivation  on  the  top,  with  almost  perpendicular  sides  more 
than  a thousand  feet  in  height. 

We  had  not  yet  got  a clear  idea  of  the  nature  of  Tala  Mun- 
gongo. A gentleman  of  Cassange  described  it  as  a range  of  very 
high  mountains,  which  it  would  take  four  hours  to  climb;  so, 
though  the  rain  and  grass  had  wetted  us  miserably,  and  I was  suf- 
fering from  an  attack  of  fever  got  while  observing  by  night  for  the 
position  of  Cassange,  I eagerly  commenced  the  ascent.  The  path 


TALA  MUNGONGO. 


407 


was  steep  and  slippery ; deep  gorges  appear  on  each  side  of  it, 
leaving  but  a narrow  path  along  certain  spurs  of  the  sierra  for  the 
traveler ; but  we  accomplished  the  ascent  in  an  hour,  and  when 
there,  found  we  had  just  got  on  to  a table-land  similar  to  that  we 
had  left  before  we  entered  the  great  Quango  valley.  We  had 
come  among  lofty  trees  again.  One  of  these,  bearing  a fruit 
about  the  size  of  a thirty-two  pounder,  is  named  Mononga-zambi. 

We  took  a glance  back  to  this  valley,  which  equals  that  of  the 
Mississippi  in  fertility,  and  thought  of  the  vast  mass  of  material 
which  had  been  scooped  out  and  carried  away  in  its  formation. 
This  naturally  led  to  reflection  on  the  countless  ages  required  for 
the  previous  formation  and  deposition  of  that  same  material  (clay 
shale),  then  of  the  rocks,  whose  abrasion  formed  that,  until  the 
mind  grew  giddy  in  attempting  to  ascend  the  steps  which  lead  up 
through  a portion  of  the  eternity  before  man.  The  different 
epochs  of  geology  are  like  landmarks  in  that  otherwise  shoreless 
sea.  Our  own  epoch,  or  creation,  is  but  another  added  to  the 
number  of  that  wonderful  series  which  presents  a grand  display 
of  the  mighty  power  of  God : every  stage  of  progress  in  the  earth 
and  its  habitants  is  such  a display.  So  far  from  this  science 
having  any  tendency  to  make  men  undervalue  the  power  or  love 
of  God,  it  leads  to  the  probability  that  the  exhibition  of  mercy  we 
have  in  the  gift  of  his  Son  may  possibly  not  be  the  only  mani- 
festation of  grace  which  has  taken  place  in  the  countless  ages  dur- 
ing which  works  of  creation  have  been  going  on. 

Situated  a few  miles  from  the  edge  of  the  descent,  we  found 
the  village  of  Tala  Mungongo,  and  were  kindly  accommodated 
with  a house  to  sleep  in,  which  was  very  welcome,  as  we  were  all 
both  wet  and  cold.  We  found  that  the  greater  altitude  and  the 
approach  of  winter  lowered  the  temperature  so  much  that  many 
of  my  men  suffered  severely  from  colds.  At  this,  as  at  several 
other  Portuguese  stations,  they  have  been  provident  enough  to 
erect  travelers’  houses  on  the  same  principle  as  khans  or  cara- 
vanserais of  the  East.  They  are  built  of  the  usual  wattle  and 
daub,  and  have  benches  of  rods  for  the  wayfarer  to  make  his  bed 
on ; also  chairs,  and  a table,  and  a large  jar  of  water.  These 
benches,  though  far  from  luxurious  couches,  were  better  than  the 
ground  under  the  rotten  fragments  of  my  gipsy-tent,  for  we  had 
still  showers  occasionally,  and  the  dews  were  very  heavy.  I con- 


408 


BASONGO.— TRUE  NEGROES. 


tinued  to  use  them  for  the  sake  of  the  shelter  they  afforded,  until 
I found  that  they  were  lodgings  also  for  certain  inconvenient  bed- 
fellows. 

21th.  Five  hours’  ride  through  a pleasant  country  of  forest  and 
meadow,  like  those  of  Londa,  brought  us  to  a village  of  Basongo,  a 
tribe  living  in  subjection  to  the  Portuguese.  We  crossed  several 
little  streams,  which  were  flowing  in  the  westerly  direction  in 
which  we  were  marching,  and  unite  to  form  the  Quize,  a feeder  of 
the  Coanza.  The  Basongo  were  very  civil,  as  indeed  all  the  tribes 
were  who  had  been  conquered  by  the  Portuguese.  The  Basongo 
and  Bangala  are  yet  only  partially  subdued.  The  farther  west 
we  go  from  this,  the  less  independent  we  find  the  black  popula- 
tion, until  we  reach  the  vicinity  of  Loanda,  where  the  free  natives 
are  nearly  identical  in  their  feelings  toward  the  government  with 
the  slaves.  But  the  governors  of  Angola  wisely  accept  the  lim- 
ited allegiance  and  tribute  rendered  by  the  more  distant  tribes 
as  better  than  none. 

All  the  inhabitants  of  this  region,  as  well  as  those  of  Londa, 
may  be  called  true  negroes,  if  the  limitations  formerly  made  be 
borne  in  mind.  The  dark  color,  thick  lips,  heads  elongated 
backward  and  upward  and  covered  with  wool,  flat  noses,  with 
other  negro  peculiarities,  are  general ; but,  while  these  charac- 
teristics place  them  in  the  true  negro  family,  the  reader  would 
imbibe  a wrong  idea  if  he  supposed  that  all  these  features  com- 
bined are  often  met  with  in  one  individual.  All  have  a certain 
thickness  and  prominence  of  lip,  but  many  are  met  with  in  every 
village  in  whom  thickness  and  projection  are  not  more  marked 
than  in  Europeans.  All  are  dark,  but  the  color  is  shaded  off 
in  different  individuals  from  deep  black  to  light  yellow.  As  we 
go  westward,  we  observe  the  light  color  predominating  over  the 
dark,  and  then  again,  when  we  come  within  the  influence  of  damp 
from  the  sea  air,  we  find  the  shade  deepen  into  the  general 
blackness  of  the  coast  population.  The  shape  of  the  head,  with 
its  woolly  crop,  though  general,  is  not  universal.  The  tribes  on 
the  eastern  side  of  the  continent,  as  the  Caffres,  have  heads  finely 
developed  and  strongly  European.  Instances  of  this  kind  are 
frequently  seen,  and  after  I became  so  familiar  with  the  dark 
color  as  to  forget  it  in  viewing  the  countenance,  I was  struck 
by  the  strong  resemblance  some  natives  bore  to  certain  of  our 


THE  QUIZE. 


409 


own  notabilities.  The  Bushmen  and  Hottentots  are  exceptions 
to  these  remarks,  for  both  the  shape  of  their  heads  and  growth 
of  wool  are  peculiar ; the  latter,  for  instance,  springs  from  the 
scalp  in  tufts  with  bare  spaces  between,  and  when  the  crop  is 
short,  resembles  a number  of  black  pepper-corns  stuck  on  the 
skin,  and  very  unlike  the  thick  frizzly  masses  which  cover  the 
heads  of  the  Balonda  and  Maravi.  With  every  disposition  to  pay 
due  deference  to  the  opinions  of  those  who  have  made  ethnology 
their  special  study,  I have  felt  myself  unable  to  believe  that  the 
exaggerated  features  usually  put  forth  as  those  of  the  typical 
negro  characterize  the  majority  of  any  nation  of  south  Central 
Africa.  The  monuments  of  the  ancient  Egyptians  seem  to  me  to 
imbody  tli£  ideal  of  the  inhabitants  of  Londa  better  than  the  fig- 
ures of  any  work  of  ethnology  I have  met  with. 

Passing  through  a fine,  fertile,  and  well-peopled  country  to  San- 
za,  we  found  the  Quize  River  again  touching  our  path,  and  here  we 
had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  a field  of  wheat  growing  luxuriantly  with- 
out irrigation.  The  ears  were  upward  of  four  inches  long,  an  ob- 
ject of  great  curiosity  to  my  companions,  because  they  had  tasted 
my  bread  at  Linyanti,  but  had  never  before  seen  wheat  growing. 
This  small  field  was  cultivated  by  Mr.  Miland,  an  agreeable  Por- 
tuguese merchant.  His  garden  was  interesting,  as  showing  what 
the  land  at  this  elevation  is  capable  of  yielding ; for,  besides  wheat, 
we  saw  European  vegetables  in  a flourishing  condition,  and  we 
afterward  discovered  that  the  coffee-plant  has  propagated  itself 
on  certain  spots  of  this  same  district.  It  may  be  seen  on  the 
heights  of  Tala  Mungongo,  or  nearly  300  miles  from  the  west 
coast,  where  it  was  first  introduced  by  the  Jesuit  missionaries. 

We  spent  Sunday,  the  30th  of  April,  at  Ngio,  close  to  the  ford 
of  the  Quize  as  it  crosses  our  path  to  fall  into  the  Coanza.  The 
country  becomes  more  open,  but  is  still  abundantly  fertile,  with 
a thick  crop  of  grass  between  two  and  three  feet  high.  It  is  also 
well  wooded  and  watered.  Villages  of  Basongo  are  dotted  over 
the  landscape,  and  frequently  a square  house  of  wattle  and  daub, 
belonging  to  native  Portuguese,  is  placed  beside  them  for  the 
purposes  of  trade.  The  people  here  possess  both  cattle  and  pigs. 
The  different  sleeping-places  on  our  path,  from  eight  to  ten  miles 
apart,  are  marked  by  a cluster  of  sheds  made  of  sticks  and  grass. 
There  is  a constant  stream  of  people  going  and  returning  to  and 


410 


CARRIERS.—  FEVER. 


from  the  coast.  The  goods  are  carried  on  the  head,  or  on  one 
shoulder,  in  a sort  of  basket  attached  to  the  extremities  of  two 
poles  between  five  and  six  feet  long,  and  called  Motete.  When 
the  basket  is  placed  on  the  head,  the  poles  project  forward  hor- 
izontally, and  when  the  carrier  wishes  to  rest  himself,  he  plants 
them  on  the  ground  and  the  burden  against  a tree,  so  he  is  not 
obliged  to  lift  it  up  from  the  ground  to  the  level  of  the  head.  It 
stands  against  the  tree  propped  up  by  the  poles  at  that  level. 
The  carrier  frequently  plants  the  poles  on  the  ground,  and  stands 
holding  the  burden  until  he  has  taken  breath,  thus  avoiding  the 
trouble  of  placing  the  burden  on  the  ground  and  lifting  it  up 
again. 

When  a company  of  these  carriers,  or  our  own  party,  arrives  at 
one  of  these  sleeping-places,  immediate  possession  is  taken  of  the 
sheds.  Those  who  come  late,  and  find  all  occupied,  must  then 
erect  others  for  themselves ; but  this  is  not  difficult,  for  there  is 
no  lack  of  long  grass.  No  sooner  do  any  strangers  appear  at  the 
spot,  than  the  women  may  be  seen  emerging  from  their  villages 
bearing  baskets  of  manioc-meal,  roots,  ground-nuts,  yams,  bird’s- 
eye  pepper,  and  garlic  for  sale.  Calico,  of  which  we  had  brought 
some  from  Cassange,  is  the  chief  medium  of  exchange.  We 
found  them  all  civil,  and  it  was  evident,  from  the  amount  of 
talking  and  laughing  in  bargaining,  that  the  ladies  enjoyed  their 
occupation.  They  must  cultivate  largely,  in  order  to  be  able  to 
supply  the  constant  succession  of  strangers.  Those,  however, 
near  to  the  great  line  of  road,  purchase  also  much  of  the  food  from 
the  more  distant  villages  for  the  sake  of  gain. 

Pitsane  and  another  of  the  men  had  violent  attacks  of  fever, 
and  it  was  no  wonder,  for  the  dampness  and  evaporation  from 
the  ground  was  excessive.  When  at  any  time  I attempted  to  get 
an  observation  of  a star,  if  the  trough  of  mercury  were  placed  on 
the  ground,  so  much  moisture  was  condensed  on  the  inside  of  the 
glass  roof  over  it  that  it  was  with  difficulty  the  reflection  of  the 
star  could  be  seen.  When  the  trough  was  placed  on  a box  to 
prevent  the  moisture  entering  from  below,  so  much  dew  was 
deposited  on  the  outside  of  the  roof  that  it  was  soon  necessary, 
for  the  sake  of  distinct  vision,  to  wipe  the  glass.  This  would 
not  have  been  of  great  consequence,  but  a short  exposure  to 
this  dew  was  so  sure  to  bring  on  a fresh  fever,  that  I was  obliged 


SCENE  AT  A 8LEEPING-PLAOE  IN  ANGOLA. — MEAT  DRYING  TN  THE  SUN.  THREE  EUPnORMAS  AND  PALM-OIL-TREE. 


. 


DISTRICT  OF  AMBACA. 


413 


to  give  up  observations  by  night  altogether.  The  inside  of  the 
only  covering  I now  had  was  not  much  better,  but  under  the 
blanket  one  is  not  so  liable  to  the  chill  which  the  dew  produces. 

It  would  have  afforded  me  pleasure  to  have  cultivated  a more 
intimate  acquaintance  with  the  inhabitants  of  this  part  of  the 
country,  but  the  vertigo  produced  by  frequent  fevers  made  it  as 
much  as  I could  do  to  stick  on  the  ox  and  crawl  along  in  misery. 
In  crossing  the  Lombe,  my  ox  Sinbad,  in  the  indulgence  of  his 
propensity  to  strike  out  a new  path  for  himself,  plunged  overhead 
into  a deep  hole,  and  so  soused  me  that  I was  obliged  to  move 
on  to  dry  my  clothing,  without  calling  on  the  Europeans  who  live 
on  the  bank.  This  I regretted,  for  all  the  Portuguese  were  very 
kind,  and,  like  the  Boers  placed  in  similar  circumstances,  feel  it  a 
slight  to  be  passed  without  a word  of  salutation.  But  we  went 
on  to  a spot  where  orange-trees  had  been  planted  by  the  natives 
themselves,  and  where  abundance  of  that  refresning  fruit  was  ex- 
posed for  sale. 

On  entering  the  district  of  Ambaca,  we  found  the  landscape  en- 
livened by  the  appearance  of  lofty  mountains  in  the  distance,  the 
grass  comparatively  short,  and  the  whole  country  at  this  time  look- 
ing gay  and  verdant.  On  our  left  we  saw  certain  rocks  of  the 
same  nature  wTith  those  of  Pungo  Andongo,  and  which  closely  re- 
semble the  Stonehenge  group  on  Salisbury  Plain,  only  the  stone 
pillars  here  are  of  gigantic  size.  This  region  is  all  wonderfully 
fertile,  famed  for  raising  cattle,  and  all  kinds  of  agricultural  prod- 
uce, at  a cheap  rate.  The  soil  contains  sufficient  ferruginous 
matter,  to  impart  a red  tinge  to  nearly  the  whole  of  it.  It  is 
supplied  with  a great  number  of  little  flowing  streams  which 
unite  in  the  Lucalla.  This  river  drains  Ambaca,  then  falls  into 
the  Coanza  to  the  southwest  at  Massangano.  We  crossed  the 
Lucalla  by  means  of  a large  canoe  kept  there  by  a man  who  farms 
the  ferry  from  the  government,  and  charges  about  a penny  per 
head.  A few  miles  beyond  the  Lucalla  we  came  to  the  village 
of  Ambaca,  an  important  place  in  former  times,  but  now  a mere 
paltry  village,  beautifully  situated  on  a little  elevation  in  a plain 
surrounded  on  all  hands  by  lofty  mountains.  It  has  a jail,  and 
a good  house  for  the  commandant,  but  neither  fort  nor  church, 
though  the  ruins  of  a place  of  worship  are  still  standing. 

We  were  most  kindly  received  by  the  commandant  of  Ambaca, 


414 


FRUITS  OF  JESUIT  TEACHING. 


Arsenio  de  Carpo,  who  spoke  a little  English.  He  recommended 
wine  for  my  debility,  and  here  I took  the  first  glass  of  that  bev- 
erage I had  taken  in  Africa.  I felt  much  refreshed,  and  could 
then  realize  and  meditate  on  the  weakening  effects  of  the  fever. 
They  were  curious  even  to  myself ; for,  though  I had  tried  several 
times  since  we  left  Ngio  to  take  lunar  observations,  I could  not 
avoid  confusion  of  time  and  distance,  neither  could  I hold  the 
instrument  steady,  nor  perform  a simple  calculation  ; hence  many 
of  the  positions  of  this  part  of  the  route  were  left  till  my  return 
from  Loanda.  Often,  on  getting  up  in  the  mornings,  I found  my 
clothing  as  wet  from  perspiration  as  if  it  had  been  dipped  in 
water.  In  vain  had  I tried  to  learn  or  collect  words  of  the 
Bunda,  or  dialect  spoken  in  Angola.  I forgot  the  days  of  the 
week  and  the  names  of  my  companions,  and,  had  I been  asked, 
I probably  could  not  have  told  my  own.  The  complaint  itself 
occupied  many  of  my  thoughts.  One  day  I supposed  that  I had 
got  the  true  theory  of  it,  and  would  certainly  cure  the  next  at- 
tack, whether  in  myself  or  companions;  but  some  new  symptoms 
would  appear,  and  scatter  all  the  fine  speculations  which  had 
sprung  up,  with  extraordinary  fertility,  in  one  department  of  my 
brain. 

This  district  is  said  to  contain  upward  of  40,000  souls.  Some 
ten  or  twelve  miles  to  the  north  of  the  village  of  Ambaca  there 
once  stood  the  missionary  station  of  Cahenda,  and  it  is  now  quite 
astonishing  to  observe  the  great  numbers  who  can  read  and  write 
in  this  district.  This  is  the  fruit  of  the  labors  of  the  Jesuit  and 
Capuchin  missionaries,  for  they  taught  the  people  of  Ambaca ; 
and  ever  since  the  expulsion  of  the  teachers  by  the  Marquis  of 
Pombal,  the  natives  have  continued  to  teach  each  other.  These 
devoted  men  are  still  held  in  high  estimation  throughout  the 
country  to  this  day.  All  speak  well  of  them  (os  padres  Jesuitas); 
and,  now  that  they  are  gone  from  this  lower  sphere,  I could  not 
help  wishing  that  these  our  Homan  Catholic  fellow-Christians  had 
felt  it  to  be  their  duty  to  give  the  people  the  Bible,  to  be  a light 
to  their  feet  when  the  good  men  themselves  were  gone. 

When  sleeping  in  the  house  of  the  commandant,  an  insect,  well 
known  in  the  southern  country  by  the  name  Tampan,  bit  my  foot. 
It  is  a kind  of  tick,  and  chooses  by  preference  the  parts  between 
the  fingers  or  toes  for  inflicting  its  bite.  It  is  seen  from  the  size 


THE  TAMPAN.— CABINDA. 


415 


of  a pin’s  head  to  that  of  a pea,  and  is  common  in  all  the  native 
huts  in  this  country.  It  sucks  the  blood  until  quite  full,  and  is 
then  of  a dark  blue  color,  and  its  skin  so  tough  and  yielding  that 
it  is  impossible  to  burst  it  by  any  amount  of  squeezing  with  the 
fingers.  I had  felt  the  effects  of  its  bite  in  former  years,  and 
eschewed  all  native  huts  ever  after;  but  as  I was  here  again 
assailed  in  a European  house,  I shall  detail  the  effects  of  the  bite.' 
These  are  a tingling  sensation  of  mingled  pain  and  itching, 
which  commences  ascending  the  limb  until  the  poison  imbibed 
reaches  the  abdomen,  where  it  soon  causes  violent  vomiting  and 
purging.  Where  these  effects  do  not  follow,  as  we  found  after- 
ward at  Tete,  fever  sets  in  ; and  I was  assured  by  intelligent  Por- 
tuguese there  that  death  has  sometimes  been  the  result  of  this  fe- 
ver. The  anxiety  my  friends  at  Tete  manifested  to  keep  my 
men  out  of  the  reach  of  the  tampans  of  the  village  made  it  evident 
that  they  had  seen  cause  to  dread  this  insignificant  insect.  The 
only  inconvenience  I afterward  suffered  from  this  bite  was  the 
continuance  of  the  tingling  sensation  in  the  point  bitten  for  about 
a week. 

May  12th.  As  we  were  about  to  start  this  morning,  the  com- 
mandant, Senhor  Arsenio,  provided  bread  and  meat  most  bounti- 
fully for  my  use  on  the  way  to  the  next  station,  and  sent  two  mi- 
litia soldiers  as  guides,  instead  of  our  Cassange  corporal,  who  left 
us  here.  About  midday  we  asked  for  shelter  from  the  sun  in  the 
house  of  Senhor  Mellot,  at  Zangu,  and,  though  I was  unable  to  sit 
and  engage  in  conversation,  I found,  on  rising  from  his  couch, 
that  he  had  at  once  proceeded  to  cook  a fowl  for  my  use ; and  at 
parting  he  gave  me  a glass  of  wine,  which  prevented  the  violent 
fit  of  shivering  I expected  that  afternoon.  The  universal  hospi- 
tality of  the  Portuguese  was  most  gratifying,  as  it  was  quite  un- 
expected ; and  even  now,  as  I copy  my  journal,  I remember  it  all 
with  a glow  of  gratitude. 

We  spent  Sunday,  the  14th  of  May,  at  Cabinda,  which  is  one 
qf  the  stations  of  the  sub-commandants,  who  are  placed  at  differ- 
ent points  in  each  district  of  Angola  as  assistants  of  the  head- 
commandant,  or  chefe.  It  is  situated  in  a beautiful  glen,  and 
surrounded  by  plantations  of  bananas  and  manioc.  The  country 
was  gradually  becoming  more  picturesque  the  farther  we  pro- 
ceeded west.  The  ranges  of  lofty  blue  mountains  of  Libollo, 


416 


DISTRICT  OF  GOLUNGO  ALTO. 


which,  in  coming  toward  Ambaca,  we  had  seen  thirty  or  forty 
miles  to  our  south,  were  now  shut  from  our  view  by  others  nearer 
at  hand,  and  the  gray  ranges  of  Cahenda  and  Kiwe,  which,  while 
we  were  in  Ambaca,  stood  clearly  defined  eight  or  ten  miles  off  to 
the  north,  were  now  close  upon  our  right.  As  we  looked  back 
toward  the  open  pastoral  country  of  Ambaca,  the  broad  green 
gently  undulating  plains  seemed  in  a hollow  surrounded  on  all 
sides  by  rugged  mountains,  and  as  we  went  westward  we  were 
entering  upon  quite  a wild-looking  mountainous  district,  called 
Golungo  Alto. 

We  met  numbers  of  Mambari  on  their  way  back  to  Bilie. 
Some  of  them  had  belonged  to  the  parties  which  had  penetrated 
as  far  as  Linyanti,  and  foolishly  showed  their  displeasure  at  the 
prospect  of  the  Makololo  preferring  to  go  to  the  coast  markets 
themselves  to  intrusting  them  with  their  ivory.  The  Mambari 
repeated  the  tale  of  the  mode  in  which  the  white  men  are  said 
to  trade.  “ The  ivory  is  left  on  the  shore  in  the  evening,  and 
next  morning  the  seller  finds  a quantity  of  goods  placed  there 
in  its  stead  by  the  white  men  who  live  in  the  sea.”  “Now,” 
added  they  to  my  men,  “how  can  you  Makolo  trade  with 
these  ‘ Mermen  V Can  you  enter  into  the  sea,  and  tell  them  to 
come  ashore?”  It  was  remarkable  to  hear  this  idea  repeated  so 
near  the  sea  as  we  now  were.  My  men  replied  that  they  only 
wanted  to  see  for  themselves ; and,  as  they  were  now  getting  some 
light  on  the  nature  of  the  trade  carried  on  by  the  Mambari,  they 
were  highly  amused  on  perceiving  the  reasons  why  the  Mambari 
would  rather  have  met  them  on  the  Zambesi  than  so  near  the 
sea-coast. 

There  is  something  so  exhilarating  to  one  of  Highland  blood 
in  being  near  or  on  high  mountains,  that  I forgot  my  fever  as  we 
wended  our  way  among  the  lofty  tree-covered  masses  of  mica 
schist  which  form  the  highlands  around  the  romantic  residence 
of  the  chefe  of  Golungo  Alto.  (Lat.  9°  8/  30"  S.,  long.  15° 
2'  E.)  The  whole  district  is  extremely  beautiful.  The  hills  are 
all  bedecked  with  trees  of  various  hues  of  foliage,  and  among 
them  towers  the  graceful  palm,  which  yields  the  oil  of  commerce 
for  making  our  soaps,  and  the  intoxicating  toddy.  Some  clus- 
ters of  hills  look  like  the  waves  of  the  sea  driven  into  a narrow 
open  bay,  and  have  assumed  the  same  form  as  if,  when  all 


CARRIERS. 


417 


were  chopping  up  perpendicularly,  they  had  suddenly  been  con- 
gealed. The  cottages  of  the  natives,  perched  on  the  tops  of 
many  of  the  hillocks,  looked  as  if  the  owners  possessed  an  eye 
for  the  romantic,  but  they  were  probably  influenced  more  by  the 
desire  to  overlook  their  gardens,  and  keep  their  families  out  of 
the  reach  of  the  malaria,  which  is  supposed  to  prevail  most  on 
the  banks  of  the  numerous  little  streams  which  run  among  the 
hills. 

We  were  most  kindly  received  by  the  commandant,  Lieutenant 
Antonio  Canto  e Castro,  a young  gentleman  whose  whole  sub- 
sequent conduct  will  ever  make  me  regard  him  with  great 
affection.  Like  every  other  person  of  intelligence  whom  I had 
met,  he  lamented  deeply  the  neglect  with  which  this  fine  country 
has  been  treated.  This  district  contained  by  the  last  census 
26,000  hearths  or  fires  ; and  if  to  each  hearth  we  reckon  four 
souls,  we  have  a population  of  104,000.  The  number  of  carre- 
gadores  (carriers)  who  may  be  ordered  out  at  the  pleasure  of 
government  to  convey  merchandise  to  the  coast  is  in  this  dis- 
trict alone  about  6000,  yet  there  is  no  good  road  in  existence. 
This  system  of  compulsory  carriage  of  merchandise  was  adopted 
in  consequence  of  the  increase  in  numbers  and  activity  of  our 
cruisers,  which  took  place  in  1845.  Each  trader  who  went,  pre- 
vious to  that  year,  into  the  interior,  in  the  pursuit  of  his  calling, 
proceeded  on  the  plan  of  purchasing  ivory  and  bees^vax,  and  a 
sufficient  number  of  slaves  to  carry  these  commodities.  The 
whole  were  intended  for  exportation  as  soon  as  the  trader  reached 
the  coast.  But  when  the  more  stringent  measures  of  1845  came 
into  operation,  and  rendered  the  exportation  of  slaves  almost 
impossible,  there  being  no  roads  proper  for  the  employment  of 
wheel  conveyances,  this  new  system  of  compulsory  carriage  of 
ivory  and  beeswax  to  the  coast  was  resorted  to  by  the  govern- 
ment of  Loanda.  A trader  who  requires  two  or  three  hundred' 
carriers  to  convey  his  merchandise  to  the  coast  now  applies  to 
the  general  government  for  aid.  An  order  is  sent  to  the  com- 
mandant of  a district  to  furnish  the  number  required.  Each 
head  man  of  the  villages  to  whom  the  order  is  transmitted  must 
furnish  from  five  to  twenty  or  thirty  men,  according  to  the 
proportion  that  his  people  bear  to  the  entire  population  of  the 
district.  For  this  accommodation  the  trader  must  pay  a tax  to 

D D 


418 


GOLUNGO  ALTO. 


the  government  of  1000  reis,  or  about  three  shillings  per  load 
carried.  The  trader  is  obliged  to  pay  the  carrier  also  the  sum 
of  50  reis,  or  about  twopence  a day,  for  his  sustenance.  And 
as  a day’s  journey  is  never  more  than  from  eight  to  ten  miles, 
the  expense  which  must  be  incurred  for  this  compulsory  labor 
is  felt  to  be  heavy  by  those  who  were  accustomed  to  employ 
slave  labor  alone.  Yet  no  effort  has  been  made  to  form  a 
great  line  of  road  for  wheel  carriages.  The  first  great  want  of  a 
country  has  not  been  attended  to,  and  no  development  of  its  vast 
resources  has  taken  place.  The  fact,  however,  of  a change  from 
one  system  of  carriage  to  another,  taken  in  connection  with  the 
great  depreciation  in  the  price  of  slaves  near  this  coast,  proves 
the  effectiveness  of  our  efforts  at  repressing  the  slave-trade  on  the 
ocean. 

The  latitude  of  Golungo  Alto,  as  observed  at  the  residence 
of  the  commandant,  was  9°  8'  30"  S.,  longitude  15°  2'  E.  A 
few  days’  rest  with  this  excellent  young  man  enabled  me  to 
regain  much  of  my  strength,  and  I could  look  with  pleasure  on 
the  luxuriant  scenery  before  his  door.  We  were  quite  shut  in 
among  green  hills,  many  of  which  were  cultivated  up  to  their 
tops  with  manioc,  coffee,  cotton,  ground-nuts,  bananas,  pine-ap- 
ples, guavas,  papaws,  custard-apples,  pitangas,  and  jambos,  fruits 
brought  from  South  America  by  the  former  missionaries.  The 
high  hills  all  around,  with  towering  palms  on  many  points,  made 
this  spot  appear  more  like  the  Bay  of  Rio  de  Janeiro  in  miniature 
than  any  scene  I ever  saw ; and  all  who  have  seen  that  confess 
it  to  be  unequaled  in  the  world  beside.  The  fertility  evident 
in  every  spot  of  this  district  was  quite  marvelous  to  behold,  but 
I shall  reserve  further  notices  of  this  region  till  our  return  from 
Loanda. 

We  left  Golungo  Alto  on  the  24th  of  May,  the  winter  in  these 
parts.  Every  evening  clouds  come  rolling  in  great  masses  over 
the  mountains  in  the  west,  and  pealing  thunder  accompanies  the 
fall  of  rain  during  the  night  or  early  in  the  morning.  The  clouds 
generally  remain  on  the  hills  till  the  morning  is  well  spent,  so 
that  we  become  familiar  with  morning  mists,  a thing  Ave  never 
once  saw  at  Kolobeng.  The  thermometer  stands  at  80°  by  day, 
but  sinks  as  Ioav  as  7 6°  by  night. 

In  going  westward  we  crossed  several  fine  little  gushing  streams 


COFFEE  ESTATE. 


419 


which  never  dry.  They  unite  in  the  Luinha  (pronounced  Lu- 
eenya)  and  Lucalla.  As  they  flow  over  many  little  cascades, 
they  might  easily  be  turned  to  good  account,  but  they  are  all 
allowed  to  run  on  idly  to  the  ocean.  We  passed  through  forests 
of  gigantic  timber,  and  at  an  open  space  named  Cambondo,  about 
eight  miles  from  Golungo  Alto,  found  numbers  of  carpenters 
converting  these  lofty  trees  into  planks,  in  exactly  the  same 
manner  as  was  followed  by  the  illustrious  Robinson  Crusoe.  A 
tree  of  three  or  four  feet  in  diameter,  and  forty  or  fifty  feet  up  to 
the  nearest  branches,  was  felled.  It  was  then  cut  into  lengths  of 
a few  feet,  and  split  into  thick  junks,  which  again  were  reduced 
to  planks  an  inch  thick  by  persevering  labor  with  the  axe.  The 
object  of  the  carpenters  was  to  make  little  chests,  and  they  drive 
a constant  trade  in  them  at  Cambondo.  When  finished  with 
hinges,  lock,  and  key,  all  of  their  own  manufacture,  one  costs 
only  a shilling  and  eightpence.  My  men  were  so  delighted  with 
them  that  they  carried  several  of  them  on  their  heads  all  the  way 
to  Linyanti. 

At  Trombeta  we  were  pleased  to  observe  a great  deal  of  taste 
displayed  by  the  sub-commandant  in  the  laying  out  of  his 
ground  and  adornment  of  his  house  with  flowers.  This  trifling 
incident  was  the  more  pleasing,  as  it  was  the  first  attempt  at 
neatness  I had  seen  since  leaving  the  establishment  of  Mozinkwa 
in  Londa.  Rows  of  trees  had  been  planted  along  each  side  of 
the  road,  with  pine-apples  and  flowers  between.  This  arrange- 
ment I had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  in  several  other  districts  of 
this  country,  for  there  is  no  difficulty  in  raising  any  plant  or  tree 
if  it  is  only  kept  from  being  choked  by  weeds. 

This  gentleman  had  now  a fine  estate,  which  but  a few  years 
ago  was  a forest,  and  cost  him  only  £16.  He  had  planted  about 
900  coffee-trees  upon  it,  and  as  these  begin  to  yield  in  three 
years  from  being  planted,  and  in  six  attain  their  maximum,  I 
have  no  doubt  but  that  ere  now  his  £16  yields  him  sixty  fold. 
All  sorts  of  fruit-trees  -and  grape-vines  yield  their  fruit  twice 
in  each  year,  without  any  labor  or  irrigation  being  bestowed  on 
them.  All  grains  and  vegetables,  if  only  sown,  do  the  same ; and 
if  advantage  is  taken  of  the  mists  of  winter,  even  three  crops  of 
pulse  may  be  raised.  Cotton  was  now  standing  in  the  pods  in 
his  fields,  and  he  did  not  seem  to  care  about  it.  I understood 


420 


FEARS  OF  THE  MAKOLOLO. 


him  to  say  that  this  last  plant  flourishes,  but  the  wet  of  one  of  the 
two  rainy  seasons  with  which  this  country  is  favored  sometimes 
proves  troublesome  to  the  grower.  I am  not  aware  whether  wheat 
has  ever  been  tried,  but  I saw  both  figs  and  grapes  bearing  well. 
The  great  complaint  of  all  cultivators  is  the  want  of  a good  road 
to  cany  their  produce  to  market.  Here  all  kinds  of  food  are  re- 
markably cheap. 

Farther  on  we  left  the  mountainous  country,  and,  as  we  de- 
scended toward  the  west  coast,  saw  the  lands  assuming  a more 
sterile,  uninviting  aspect.  On  our  right  ran  the  Eiver  Senza. 
which  nearer  the  sea  takes  the  name  of  Bengo.  It  is  about  fifty 
yards  broad,  and  navigable  for  canoes.  The  low  plains  adjacent 
to  its  banks  are  protected  from  inundation  by  embankments,  and 
the  population  is  entirely  occupied  in  raising  food  and  fruits  for 
exportation  to  Loanda  by  means  of  canoes.  The  banks  are  in- 
fested by  myriads  of  the  most  ferocious  musquitoes  I ever  met. 
Not  one  of  our  party  could  get  a snatch  of  sleep.  I was  taken 
into  the  house  of  a Portuguese,  but  was  soon  glad  to  make  my  es- 
cape and  lie  across  the  path  on  the  lee  side  of  the  fire,  where  the 
smoke  blew  over  my  body.  My  host  wondered  at  my  want  of 
taste,  and  I at  his  want  of  feeling ; for,  to  our  astonishment,  he 
and  the  other  inhabitants  had  actually  become  used  to  what  was 
at  least  equal  to  a nail  through  the  heel  of  one’s  boot,  or  the 
tooth-ache. 

As  we  were  now  drawing  near  to  the  sea,  my  companions  were 
looking  at  every  thing  in  a serious  light.  One  of  them  asked  me 
if  we  should  all  have  an  opportunity  of  watching  each  other  at 
Loanda. ' “ Suppose  one  went  for  water,  would  the  others  see  if 
he  were  kidnapped?”  I replied,  “ I see  what  you  are  driving  at ; 
and  if  you  suspect  me,  you  may  return,  for  I am  as  ignorant  of 
Loanda  as  you  are ; but  nothing  will  happen  to  you  but  what 
happens  to  myself.  We  have  stood  by  each  other  hitherto,  and 
will  do  so  to  the  last.”  The  plains  adjacent  to  Loanda  are  some- 
what elevated  and  comparatively  sterile.  . On  coming  across  these 
we  first  beheld  the  sea : my  companions  looked  irpon  the  bound- 
less ocean  with  awe.  On  describing  their  feelings  afterward,  they 
remarked  that  “ we  marched  along  with  our  father,  believing  that 
what  the  ancients  had  always  told  us  was  true,  that  the  world  has 
no  end ; but  all  at  once  the  world  said  to  us,  ‘ I am  finished : 


WELCOME  TO  LOANDA. 


421 


there  is  no  more  of  me!’  ” They  had  always  imagined  that  the 
world  was  one  extended  plain  without  limit. 

They  were  now  somewhat  apprehensive  of  suffering  want,  and 
1 was  unable  to  allay  their  fears  with  any  promise  of  supply,  for 
my  own  mind  was  depressed  by  disease  and  care.  The  fever  had 
induced  a state  of  chronic  dysentery,  so  troublesome  that  I could 
not  remain  on  the  ox  more  than  ten  minutes  at  a time ; and  as 
we  came  down  the  declivity  above  the  city  of  Loanda  on  the  31st 
of  May,  I was  laboring  under  great  depression  of  spirits,  as  I 
understood  that,  in  a population  of  twelve  thousand  souls,  there 
was  but  one  genuine  English  gentleman.  I naturally  felt  anxious 
to  know  whether  he  were  possessed  of  good-nature,  or  was  one  of 
those  crusty  mortals  one  would  rather  not  meet  at  all. 

This  gentleman,  Mr.  Gabriel,  our  commissioner  for  the  sup- 
pression of  the  slave-trade,  had  kindly  forwarded  an  invitation  to 
meet  me  on  the  way  from  Cassange,  but,  unfortunately,  it  crossed 
me  on  the  road.  When  we  entered  his  porch,  I was  delighted  to 
see  a number  of  flowers  cultivated"  carefully,  and  inferred  from 
this  circumstance  that  he  was,  what  I soon  discovered  him  to  be, 
a real  whole-hearted  Englishman. 

Seeing  me  ill,  he  benevolently  offered  me  his  bed.  Never  shall 
1 forget  the  luxurious  pleasure  I enjoyed  in  feeling  myself  again 
on  a good  English  couch,  after  six  months’  sleeping  on  the  ground. 
1 was  soon  asleep  ; and  Mr.  Gabriel,  coming  in  almost  immediate- 
ly, rejoiced  at  the  soundness  of  my  repose. 


422 


CONTINUED  SICKNESS. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Continued  Sickness. — Kindness  of  the  Bishop  of  Angola  and  her  Majesty’s  Offi- 
cers.— Mr.  Gabriel’s  unwearied  Hospitality. — Serious  Deportment  of  the  Mako- 
lolo. — They  visit  Ships  of  War. — Politeness  of  the  Officers  and  Men. — The  Ma- 
kololo  attend  Mass  in  the  Cathedral. — Their  Remarks. — Find  Employment  in 
collecting  Firewood  and  unloading  Coal. — Their  superior  Judgment  respecting 
Goods. — Beneficial  Influence  of  the  Bishop  of  Angola. — The  City  of  St.  Paul 
de  Loanda. — The  Harbor. — Custom-house. — No  English  Merchants. — Sincerity 
of  the  Portuguese  Government  in  suppressing  the  Slave-trade. — Convict  Soldiers. 
— Presents  from  Bishop  and  Merchants  for  Sekeletu. — Outfit. — Leave  Loanda 
20th  September,  185L — Accompanied  by  Mr.  Gabriel  as  far  as  Icollo  i Bengo. — 
Sugar  Manufactory. — Geology  of  this  part  of  the  Country. — Women  spinning 
Cotton. — Its  Price. — Native  Weavers. — Market-places. — Cazengo  ; its  Coffee 
Plantations. — South  American  Trees. — Ruins  of  Iron  Foundry. — Native  Miners. 
— The  Banks  of  the  Lucalla. — Cottages  with  Stages. — Tobacco-plants. — Town 
of  Massangano. — Sugar  and  Rice. — Superior  District  for  Cotton. — Portuguese 
Merchants  and  foreign  Enterprise. — Ruins. — The  Fort  and  its  ancient  Guns. — 
Former  Importance  of  Massangano. — Fires. — The  Tribe  Kisama. — Peculiar  Va- 
riety of  Domestic  Fowl. — Coffee  Plantations. — Return  to  Golungo  Alto. — Self- 
complacency  of  the  Makololo. — Fever. — Jaundice. — Insanity. 

In  the  hope  that  a short  enjoyment  of  Mr.  Gabriel’s  generous 
hospitality  would  restore  me  to  my  wonted  vigor,  I continued 
under  his  roof ; but  my  complaint  having  been  caused  by  long 
exposure  to  malarious  influences,  I became  much  more  reduced 
than  ever,  even  while  enjoying  rest.  Several  Portuguese  gentle- 
men called  on  me  shortly  after  my  arrival ; and  the  Bishop  of 
Angola,  the  Right  Reverend  J oaquim  Moreira  Reis,  then  the  act- 
ing governor  of  the  province,  sent  his  secretary  to  do  the  same, 
and  likewise  to  offer  the  services  of  the  government  physician. 

Some  of  her  majesty’s  cruisers  soon  came  into  the  port,  and, 
seeing  the  emaciated  condition  to  which  I was  reduced,  offered  to 
convey  me  to  St.  Helena  or  homeward ; but,  though  I had  reached 
the  coast,  I had  found  that,  in  consequence  of  the  great  amount 
of  forest,  rivers,  and  marsh,  there  was  no  possibility  of  a highway 
for  wagons,  and  I had  brought  a party  of  Sekeletu’s  people  with 


MAKOLOLO’S  VISIT  TO  SHIPS. 


423 


me,  and  found  the  tribes  near  the  Portuguese  settlement  so  very 
unfriendly,  that  it  would  be  altogether  impossible  for  my  men  to 
return  alone.  I therefore  resolved  to  decline  the  tempting  offers 
of  my  naval  friends,  and  take  back  my  Makololo  companions  to 
their  chief,  with  a view  of  trying  to  make  a path  from  his 
country  to  the  east  coast  by  means  of  the  great  river  Zambesi 
or  Leeambye. 

I,  however,  gladly  availed  myself  of  the  medical  assistance  of 
Mr.  Cockin,  the  surgeon  of  the  “Polyphemus,”  at  the  suggestion  of 
his  commander,  Captain  Phillips.  Mr.  Cockin’s  treatment,  aided 
by  the  exhilarating  presence  of  the  warm-hearted  naval  officers, 
and  Mr.  Gabriel’s  unwearied  hospitality  and  care,  soon  brought 
me  round  again.  On  the  14th  I was  so  far  well  as  to  call  on  the 
bishop,  in  company  with  my  party,  who  were  arrayed  in  new 
robes  of  striped  cotton  cloth  and  red  caps,  all  presented  to  them 
by  Mr.  Gabriel.  He  received  us,  as  head  of  the  provisional  gov- 
ernment, in  the  grand  hall  of  the  palace.  He  put  many  intelligent 
questions  respecting  the  Makololo,  and  then  gave  them  free  per- 
mission to  come  to  Loanda  as  often  as  they  pleased.  This  inter- 
view pleased  the  Makololo  extremely. 

Every  one  remarked  the  serious  deportment  of  the  Makololo. 
They  viewed  the  large  stone  houses  and  churches  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  great  ocean  with  awe.  A house  with  two  stories  was,  until 
now,  beyond  their  comprehension.  In  explanation  of  this  strange 
thing,  I had  always  been  obliged  to  use  the  word  for  hut ; and  as 
huts  are  constructed  by  the  poles  being  let  into  the  earth,  they 
never  could  comprehend  how  the  poles  of  one  hut  could  be  found- 
ed upon  the  roof  of  another,  or  how  men  could  live  in  the  upper 
story,  with  the  conical  roof  of  the  lower  one  in  the  middle.  Some 
Makololo,  who  had  visited  my  little  house  at  Kolobeng,  in  trying 
to  describe  it  to  their  countrymen  at  Linyanti,  said,  “ It  is  not  a 
hut ; it  is  a mountain  with  several  caves  in  it.” 

Commander  Bedingfeld  and  Captain  Skene  invited  them  to  visit 
their  vessels,  the  “ Pluto”  and  “ Philomel.”  Knowing  their  fears, 
I told  them  that  no  one. need  go  if  he  entertained  the  least  suspi- 
cion of  foul  play.  Nearly  the  whole  party  went ; and  when  on 
deck,  I pointed  to  the  sailors,  and  said,  “Now  these  are  all  my 
countrymen,  sent  by  our  queen  for  the  purpose  of  putting  down 
the  trade  of  those  that  buy  and  sell  black  men.”  They  replied, 


424 


MAKOLOLO  AT  MASS. 


“Truly!  they  are  just  like  you!”  and  all  their  fears  seemed  to 
vanish  at  once,  for  they  went  forward  among  the  men,  and  the 
jolly  tars,  acting  much  as  the  Makololo  would  have  done  in  simi- 
lar circumstances,  handed  them  a share  of  the  bread  and  beef 
which  they  had  for  dinner.  The  commander  allowed  them  to  fire 
off  a cannon  ; and,  having  the  most  exalted  ideas  of  its  power,  they 
were  greatly  pleased  when  I told  them,  “ That  is  what  they  put 
down  the  slave-trade  with.”  The  size  of  the  brig-of-war  amazed 
them.  “It  is  not  a canoe  at  all;  it  is  a town!”  The  sailors’ 
deck  they  named  “the  Kotla ;”  and  then,  as  a climax  to  their  de- 
scription of  this  great  ark,  added,  “ And  what  sort  of  a town  is  it 
that  you  must  climb  up  into  with  a rope  ?” 

The  effect  of  the  politeness  of  the  officers  and  men  on  their 
minds  was  most  beneficial.  They  had  behaved  with  the  greatest 
kindness  to  me  all  the  way  from  Linyanti,  and  I now  rose  rapid- 
ly in  their  estimation ; for,  whatever  they  may  have  surmised  be- 
fore, they  now  saw  that  I was  respected  among  my  own  country- 
men, and  always  afterward  treated  me  with  the  greatest  deference. 

On  the  15th  there  was  a procession  and  service  of  the  mass  in 
the  Cathedral ; and,  wishing  to  show  my  men  a place  of  worship, 
I took  them  to  the  church,  which  now  serves  as  the  chief  one 
of  the  see  of  Angola  and  Congo.  There  is  an  impression  on  some 
minds  that  a gorgeous  ritual  is  better  calculated  to  inspire  devo- 
tional feelings  than  the  simple  forms  of  the  Protestant  worship. 
But  here  the  frequent  genuflexions,  changing  of  positions,  burning 
of  incense,  with  the  priests’  back  turned  to  the  people,  the  laugh- 
ing,, talking,  and  manifest  irreverence  of  the  singers,  with  firing 
of  guns,  etc.,  did  not  convey  to  the  minds  of  my  men  the  idea  of 
adoration.  I overheard  them,  in  talking  to  each  other,  remark 
that  “ they  had  seen  the  white  men  charming  their  demons a 
phrase  identical  with  one  they  had  used  when  seeing  the  Balonda 
beating  drums  before  their  idols. 

In  the  beginning  of  August  I suffered  a severe  relapse,  which 
reduced  me  to  a mere  skeleton.  I was  then  unable  to  attend  to 
my  men  for  a considerable  time ; but  whqn  in  convalescence  from 
this  last  attack,  I was  thankful  to  find  that  I was  free  from  that 
lassitude  which,  in  my  first  recovery,  showed  the  continuance  of 
the  malaria  in  the  system.  I found  that  my  men,  without  prompt- 
ing, had  established  a brisk  trade  in  fire-wood.  They  sallied  forth 


THEIR  JUDGMENT  RESPECTING  GOQDS. 


425 


at  cock-crowing  in  the  mornings,  and  by  daylight  reached  the 
uncultivated  parts  of  the  adjacent  country,  collected  a bundle  of 
fire-wood,  and  returned  to  the  city.  It  was  then  divided  into 
smaller  fagots,  and  sold  to  the  inhabitants  ; and  as  they  gave 
larger  quantities  than  the  regular  wood-carriers,  they  found  no 
difficulty  in  selling.  A ship  freighted  with  coal  for  the  cruisers 
having  arrived  from  England,  Mr.  Gabriel  procured  them  employ- 
ment in  unloading  her  at  sixpence  a day.  They  continued  at  this 
work  for  upward  of  a month,  and  nothing  could  exceed  their  aston- 
ishment at  the  vast  amount  of  cargo  one  ship  contained.  As  they 
themselves  always  afterward  expressed  it,  they  had  labored  every 
day  from  sunrise  to  sunset  for  a moon  and  a half,  unloading,  as 
quickly  as  they  could,  “stones  that  burn,”  and  were  tired  out, 
still  leaving  plenty  in  her.  With  the  money  so  obtained  they 
purchased  clothing,  beads,  and  other  articles  to  take  back  to  their 
own  country.  Their  ideas  of  the  value  of  different  kinds  of  goods 
rather  astonished  those  who  had  dealt  only  with  natives  on  the 
coast,  blearing  it  stated  with  confidence  that  the  Africans  pre- 
ferred the  thinnest  fabrics,  provided  they  had  gaudy  colors  and  a 
large  extent  of  surface,  the  idea  was  so  new  to  my  experience  in 
the  interior  that  I dissented,  and,  in  order  to  show  the  superior 
good  sense  of  the  Makololo,  took  them  to  the  shop  of  Mr.  Schut. 
When  he  showed  them  the  amount  of  general  goods  which  they 
might  procure  at  Loanda  for  a single  tusk,  I requested  them, 
without  assigning  any  reason,  to  point  out  the  fabrics  they  prized 
most.  They  all  at  once  selected  the  strongest  pieces  of  English 
calico  and  other  cloths,  showing  that  they  had  regard  to  strength 
without  reference  to  color.  I believe  that  most  of  the  Bechuana 
nation  would  have  done  the  same.  But  I was  assured  that  the 
people  near  the  coast,  with  whom  the  Portuguese  have  to  deal, 
have  not  so  much  regard  to  durability.  This  probably  arises 
from  calico  being  the  chief  circulating  medium ; quantity  being 
then  of  more  importance  than  quality. 

During  the  period  of  my  indisposition,  the  bishop  sent  fre- 
quently to  make  inquiries,  and,  as  soon  as  I was  able  to  walk,  1 
went  to  thank  him  for  his  civilities.  His  whole  conversation  and 
conduct  showed  him  to  be  a man  of  great  benevolence  and  kind- 
ness of  heart.  Alluding  to  my  being  a Protestant,  he  stated  that 
he  was  a Catholic  from  conviction ; and  though  sorry  to  see  others, 


426 


ST.  PAUL  DE  LOANDA. 


like  myself,  following  another  path,  he  entertained  no  uncharitable 
feelings,  nor  would  he  ever  sanction  persecuting  measures.  He 
compared  the  various  sects  of  Christians,  in  their  way  to  heaven, 
to  a number  of  individuals  choosing  to  pass  down  the  different 
streets  of  Loanda  to  one  of  the  churches — all  would  arrive  at  the 
same  point  at  last.  His  good  influence,  both  in  the  city  and  the 
country,  is  universally  acknowledged : he  was  promoting  the  estab- 
lishment of  schools,  which,  though  formed  more  on  the  monastic 
principle  than  Protestants  might  approve,  will  no  doubt  be  a bless- 
ing. He  was  likewise  successfully  attempting  to  abolish  the  non- 
marriage  custom  of  the  country ; and  several  marriages  had  taken 
place  in  Loanda  among  those  who,  but  for  his  teaching,  would  have 
been  content  with  concubinage. 

St.  Paul  de  Loanda  has  been  a very  considerable  city,  but  is 
now  in  a state  of  decay.  It  contains  about  twelve  thousand  in- 
habitants, most  of  whom  are  people  of  color.*  There  are  various 
evidences  of  its  former  magnificence,  especially  two  cathedrals, 
one  of  which,  once  a Jesuit  college,  is  now  converted  into  a work- 
shop ; and  in  passing  the  other,  we  saw  with  sorrow  a number  of 
oxen  feeding  within  its  stately  walls.  Three  forts  continue  in  a 
good  state  of  repair.  Many  large  stone  houses  are  to  be  found. 
The  palace  of  the  governor  and  government  offices  are  commodious 
structures,  but  nearly  all  the  houses  of  the  native  inhabitants  are 
of  wattle  and  daub.  Trees  are  planted  all  over  the  town  for  the 
sake  of  shade,  and  the  city  presents  an  imposing  appearance  from 
the  sea.  It  is  provided  with  an  effective  police,  and  the  custom- 
house department  is  extremely  well  managed.  All  parties  agree 
in  representing  the  Portuguese  authorities  as  both  polite  and 
obliging ; and  if  ever  any  inconvenience  is  felt  by  strangers  visit- 
ing the  port,  it  must  be  considered  the  fault  of  the  system,  and 
not  of  the  men. 

The  harbor  is  formed  by  the  low,  sandy  island  of  Loanda, 
which  is  inhabited  by  about  1300  souls,  upward  of  600  of  whom 
are  industrious  native  fishermen,  who  supply  the  city  with  abun- 

* From  the  census  of  1850-51  we  find  the  population  of  this  city  arranged  thus : 
830  whites,  only  1G0  of  whom  are  females.  This  is  the  largest  collection  of  whites 
in  the  country,  for  Angola  itself  contains  only  about  1000  whites.  There  are  2400 
half-castes  in  Loanda,  and  only  120  of  them  slaves;  and  there  are  9000  blacks, 
more  than  5000  of  whom  are  slaves. 


PAUL  PE  LOANPA— THE  FOBT  OK  SAN  MIGUEL 


CUSTOM-HOUSE  ARRANGEMENTS. 


429 


dance  of  good  fish  daily.  The  space  between  it  and  the  main 
land,  on  which  the  city  is  built,  is  the  station  for  ships.  When 
a high  southwest  wind  blows,  the  waves  of  the  ocean  dash  over 
part  of  the  island,  and,  driving  large  quantities  of  sand  before 
them,  gradually  fill  up  the  harbor.  Great  quantities  of  soil  are 
also  washed  in  the  rainy  season  from  the  heights  above  the  city, 
so  that  the  port,  which  once  contained  water  sufficient  to  float  the 
largest  ships  close  to  the  custom-house,  is  now  at  low  water  dry. 
The  ships  are  compelled  to  anchor  about  a mile  north  of  their  old 
station.  Nearly  all  the  water  consumed  in  Loanda  is  brought  from 
the  River  Bengo  by  means  of  launches,  the  only  supply  that  the 
city  affords  being  from  some  deep  wells  of  slightly  brackish  water. 
Unsuccessful  attempts  have  been  made  by  different  governors  to 
finish  a canal,  which  the  Dutch,  while  in  possession  of  Loanda 
during  the  seven  years  preceding  1648,  had  begun,  to  bring 
water  from  the  River  Coanza  to  the  city.  There  is  not  a single 
English  merchant  at  Loanda,  and  only  two  American.  This  is 
the  more  remarkable,  as  nearly  all  the  commerce  is  carried  on 
by  means  of  English  calico  brought  hither  via  Lisbon.  Several 
English  houses  attempted  to  establish  a trade  about  1845,  and 
accepted  bills  on  Rio  de  Janeiro  in  payment  for  their  goods,  but 
the  increased  activity  of  our  cruisers  had  such  an  effect  upon  the 
mercantile  houses  of  that  city  that  most  of  them  failed.  The  En- 
glish merchants  lost  all,  and  Loanda  got  a bad  name  in  the  com- 
mercial world  in  consequence. 

One  of  the  arrangements  of  the  custom-house  may  have  had 
some  influence  in  preventing  English  trade.  Ships  coming  here 
must  be  consigned  to  some  one  on  the  spot ; the  consignee  re- 
ceives one  hundred  dollars  per  mast,  and  he  generally  makes  a 
great  deal  more  for  himself  by  putting  a percentage  on  boats  and 
men  hired  for  loading  and  imloading,  and  on  every  item  that 
passes  through  his  hands.  The  port  charges  are  also  rendered 
heavy  by  twenty  dollars  being  charged  as  a perquisite  of  the  sec- 
retary of  government,  with  a fee  for  the  chief  physician,  some- 
thing for  the  hospital,  custom-house  officers,  guards,  etc.,  etc.  But, 
with  all  these  drawbacks,  the  Americans  carry  on  a brisk  and  prof- 
itable trade  in  calico,  biscuit,  flour,  butter,  etc.,  etc. 

The  Portuguese  home  government  has  not  generally  received 
the  credit  for  sincerity  in  suppressing  the  slave-trade  which  T 


430 


CONVICT  SOLDIERS. 


conceive  to  be  its  due.  In  1839,  my  friend  Mr.  Gabriel  saw  37 
slave-ships  lying  in  this  harbor,  waiting  for  their  cargoes,  under 
the  protection  of  the  guns  of  the  forts.  At  that  time  slavers  had 
to  wait  many  months  at  a time  for  a human  freight,  and  a certain 
sum  per  head  was  paid  to  the  government  for  all  that  were  ex- 
ported. The  duties  derived  from  the  exportation  of  slaves  far 
exceeded  those  from  other  commerce,  and,  by  agreeing  to  the 
suppression  of  this  profitable  traffic,  the  government  actually  sac- 
rificed the  chief  part  of  the  export  revenue.  Since  that  period, 
however,  the  revenue  from  lawful  commerce  has  very  much  ex- 
ceeded that  on  slaves.  The  intentions  of  the  home  Portuguese 
government,  however  good,  can  not  be  fully  carried  out  under  the 
present  system.  The  pay  of  the  officers  is  so  very  small  that 
they  are  nearly  all  obliged  to  engage  in  trade;  and,  owing  to  the 
lucrative  nature  of  the  slave-trade,  the  temptation  to  engage  in  it 
is  so  powerful,  that  the  philanthropic  statesmen  of  Lisbon  need 
hardly  expect  to  have  their  humane  and  enlightened  views  car- 
ried out.  The  law,  for  instance,  lately  promulgated  for  the  abo- 
lition of  the  carrier  system  (carregadores)  is  but  one  of  several 
equally  humane  enactments  against  this  mode  of  compulsory  la- 
bor, but  there  is  very  little  probability  of  the  benevolent  inten- 
tions of  the  Legislature  being  carried  into  effect. 

Loanda  is  regarded  somewhat  as  a penal  settlement,  and  those 
who  leave  their  native  lafid  for  this  country  do  so  with  the  hope 
of  getting  rich  in  a few  years,  and  then  returning  home.  They 
have  thus  no  motive  for  seeking  the  permanent  welfare  of  the 
country.  The  Portuguese  law  preventing  the  subjects  of  any 
other  nation  from  holding  landed  property  unless  they  become 
naturalized,  the  country  has  neither  the  advantage  of  native  nor 
foreign  enterprise,  and  remains  very  much  in  the  same  state  as 
our  allies  found  it  in  1575.  Nearly  all  the  European  soldiers 
sent  out  are  convicts,  and,  contrary  to  what  might  be  expected 
from  men  in  their  position,  behave  remarkably  well.  A few  riots 
have  occurred,  but  nothing  at  all  so  serious  as  have  taken  place 
in  our  own  penal  settlements.  It  is  a remarkable  fact  that  the 
whole  of  the  arms  of  Loanda  are  every  night  in  the  hands  of  those 
who  have  been  convicts.  Various  reasons  for  this  mild  behavior 
are  assigned  by  the  officers,  but  none  of  these,  when  viewed  in 
connection  with  our  own  experience  in  Australia,  appear  to  be 


PRESENTS  FOR  SEKELETU. 


431 


valid.  Religion  seems  to  have  no  connection  with  the  change. 
Perhaps  the  climate  may  have  some  influence  in  subduing  their 
turbulent  disposition,  for  the  inhabitants  generally  are  a timid 
race ; they  are  not  half  so  brave  as  our  Caffres.  The  people  of 
Ambriz  ran  away  like  a flock  of  sheep,  and  allowed  the  Portu- 
guese to  take  possession  of  their  copper  mines  and  country  with- 
out striking  a blow.  If  we  must  have  convict  settlements,  atten- 
tion to  the  climate  might  be  of  advantage  in  the  selection.  Here 
even  bulls  are  much  tamer  than  with  us.  I never  met  with  a fe- 
rocious one  in  this  country,  and  the  Portuguese  use  them  general- 
ly for  riding ; an  ox  is  seldom  seen. 

The  objects  which  I had  in  view  in  opening  up  the  country,  as 
stated  in  a few  notes  of  my  journey,  published  in  the  newspapers 
of  Angola,  so  commended  themselves  to  the  general  government 
and  merchants  of  Loanda,  that,  at  the  instance  of  his  excellency 
the  bishop,  a handsome  present  for  Sekeletu  was  granted  by  the 
Board  of  Public  Works  (Junta  da  Fazenda  Publica).  It  consist- 
ed of  a colonel’s  complete  uniform  and  a horse  for  the  chief,  and 
suits  of  clothing  for  all  the  men  who  accompanied  me.  The  mer- 
chants also  made  a present,  by  public  subscription,  of  handsome 
specimens  of  all  their  articles  of  trade,  and  two  donkeys,  for  the 
purpose  of  introducing  the  breed  into  his  country,  as  tsetse  can 
not  kill  this  beast  of  burden.  These  presents  were  accompanied 
by  letters  from  the  bishop  and  merchants ; and  I was  kindly  fa- 
vored with  letters  of  recommendation  to  the  Portuguese  authori- 
ties in  Eastern  Africa. 

I took  with  me  a good  stock  of  cotton  cloth,  fresh  supplies  of 
ammunition  and  beads,  and  gave  each  of  my  men  a musket.  As 
my  companions  had  amassed  considerable  quantities  of  goods, 
they  were  unable  to  carry  mine,  but  the  bishop  furnished  me  with 
twenty  carriers,  and  sent  forward  orders  to  all  the  commandants 
of  the  districts  through  which  we  were  to  pass  to  render  me  ev- 
ery assistance  in  their  power.  Being  now  supplied  with  a good 
new  tent  made  by  my  friends  on  board  the  Philomel,  we  left  Lo- 
anda on  the  20th  of  September,  1854,  and  passed  round  by  sea  to 
the  mouth  of  the  River  Bengo.  Ascending  this  river,  we  went 
through  the  district  in  which  stand  the  ruins  of  the  convent  of 
St.  Antonio  ; thence  into  Icollo  i Bengo,  which  contains  a popula- 
tion of  6530  blacks,  172  mulattoes,  and  11  whites,  and  is  so 


432 


SUGAR  MANUFACTORY.— GEOLOGY. 


named  from  having  been  the  residence  of  a former  native  king. 
The  proportion  of  slaves  is  only  3-38  per  cent,  of  the  inhabitants. 
The  commandant  of  this  place,  Laurence  Jose  Marquis,  is  a frank 
old  soldier  and  a most  hospitable  man ; he  is  one  of  the  few  who 
secure  the  universal  approbation  of  their  fellow-men  for  stern,  un- 
flinching honesty,  and  has  risen  from  the  ranks  to  be  a major  in 
the  army.  We  were  accompanied  thus  far  by  our  generous  host. 
Edmund  Gabriel,  Esq.,  who,  by  his  unwearied  attentions  to  my- 
self, and  liberality  in  supporting  my  men,  had  become  endeared  to 
all  our  hearts.  My  men  were  strongly  impressed  with  a sense  of 
his  goodness,  and  often  spoke  of  him  in  terms  of  admiration  all 
the  way  to  Linyanti. 

While  here  we  visited  a large  sugar  manufactory  belonging  to 
a lady,  Donna  Anna  da  Sousa.  The  flat  alluvial  lands  on  the 
banks  of  the  Senza  or  Bengo  are  well  adapted  for  raising  sugar- 
cane, and  this  lady  had  a surprising  number  of  slaves,  but  some- 
how the  establishment  was  far  from  being  in  a flourishing  condi- 
tion. It  presented  such  a contrast  to  the  free-labor  establishments 
of  the  Mauritius,  which  I have  since  seen,  \^ere,  with  not  one 
tenth  of  the  number  of  hands,  or  such  good  soil,  a man  of  color 
had,  in  one  year,  cleared  £5000  by  a single  crop,  that  I quote  the 
fact,  in  hopes  it  may  meet  the  eye  of  Donna' Anna. 

The  water  of  the  river  is  muddy,  and  it  is  observed  that  such 
rivers  have  many  more  musquitoes  than  those  which  have  clear 
water.  It  was  remarked  to  us  here  that  these  insects  are  much 
more  numerous  at  the  period  of  new  moon  than  at  other  times  ; a+' 
any  rate,  we  were  all  thankfjul  to  get  a, way  from  tlife  Sen --a  and  its 
insect  plagues.  ' * 

The  whole  of  this  part  of  the  Country  is  composed  of  nlflftly 
tufa,  containing  the  same  kind  of  shells  as  those  at  present  alive 
in  the  seas.  As  we  advanced  eastward  and  asce  • the  higher 
lands,  we  found  eruptive  trap,  which  had  tilted  _p  immense 
masses  of  mica  and  sandstone  schists.  The  mica  schist  almost 
always  dipped  toward  the  interior  of  the  country,  forming  these 
mountain  ranges  of  which  we  have  already  spoken  as  giving  a 
highland  character  to  the  district  of  Golungo  Alto.  The  trap 
has  frequently  run  through  the  gorges  made  in  the  upheaved 
rocks,  and  at  the  points  of  junction  between  the  igneous  and 
older  rocks  there  are  large  quantities  of  strongly  magnetic  iron 


SPINNING  AND  WEAVING 


433 


ore.  The  clayey  soil  formed  by  the  disintegration  of  the  mica 
schist  and  trap  is  the  favorite  soil  for  the  coffee ; and  it  is  on  these 
mountain  sides,  and  others  possessing  a similar  red  clay  soil,  that 
this  plant  has  propagated  itself  so  widely.  The  meadow- lands 
adjacent  to  the  Senza  and  Coanza  being  underlaid  by  that  marly 
tufa  which  abounds  toward  the  coast,  and  containing  the  same 
shells,  show  that,  previous  to  the  elevation  of  that  side  of  the  coun- 
try, this  region  possessed  some  deeply-indented  bays. 

28 th  September , Kalungwembo. — We  were  still  on  the  same 
path  by  which  we  had  come,  and,  there  being  no  musquitoes,  we 
could  now  better  enjoy  the  scenery.  Ranges  of  hills  occupy  both 
sides  of  our  path,  and  the  fine  level  road  is  adorned  with  a beau- 
tiful red  flower  named  Bolcamaria.  The  markets  or  sleeping- 
places  are  well  supplied  with  provisions  by  great  numbers  of 
women,  every  one  of  whom  is  seen  spinning  cotton  with  a spindle 
and  distaff,  exactly  like  those  which  were  in  use  among  the  an- 
cient Egyptians.  A woman  is  scarcely  ever  seen  going  to  the 
fields,  though  with  a pot  on  her  head,  a child  on  her  back,  and 
the  hoe  over  her  shoulder,  but  she  is  employed  in  this  way.  The 
cotton  was  brought  jto  the  market  for  sale,  and  I bought  a pound 
for  a penny.  This  was  the  price  demanded,  and  probably  double 
what  they  ask  from  each  other.  We  saw  the  cotton  growing  lux- 
uriantly all  around  the  market-places  from  seeds  dropped  acci- 
dentally. It  is  seen  also  about  the  native  huts,  and,  so  far  as  I 
could  leam,  it  was  the  American  cotton,  so  influenced  by  climate 
js'to  be  p£j^nnial.  We  met  in  the  road  natives  passing  with  bun- 
dles of  cops,  or  spindles  full  of  cotton  thread,  and  these  they  were 
cai^-ying  to  other  parts  to  1 e wovei^  into  cloth.  The  women  are 
the  spiriners,  and  the  men  peuorm  the  weaving.  Each  web  is 
about  5 feet  long,  and  15  or  18  inches  wide.  The  loom  is  of  the 
simplest  <.  jetion,  being  nothing  but  two  beams  placed  one 
over  the  oti  , the  web  standing  perpendicularly.  The  threads  of 
the  web  are  separated  by  means  of  a thin  wooden  lath,  and  the 
woof  passed  through  by  means  of  the  spindle  on  which  it  has  been 
wound  in  spinning. 

The  mode  of  spinning  and  weaving  in  Angola,  and,  indeed, 
throughout  South  Central  Africa,  is  so  very  like  the  same  occu- 
pations in  the  hands  of  the  ancient  Egyptians,  that  I introduce 
a woodcut  from  the  interesting  work  of  Sir  Gardner  Wilkinson. 

E E 


434 


CHEAPNESS  OF  LABOR. 


The  lower  figures  are  engaged  in  spinning  in  the  real  African 
method,  and  the  weavers  in  the  left-hand  corner  have  their  web  in 
the  Angolese  fashion. 


Ancient  Spinning  and  Weaving,  perpetuated  in  Africa  at  the  present  day. 
From  Wilkinson’s  “Ancient  Egyptians,”  p.  85,  S6. 


Numbers  of  other  articles  are  brought  for  sale  to  these  sleeping- 
places.  The  native  smiths  there  carry  on  their  trade.  I bought 
ten  very  good  table-knives,  made  of  country  iron,  for  twopence 
each. 

Labor  is  extremely  cheap,  for  I was  assured  that  even  carpen- 
ters, masons,  smiths,  etc.,  might  be  hired  for  fourpence  a day,  and 
agriculturists  would  gladly  work  for  half  that  sum.* 


* In  order  that  the  reader  may  understand  the  social  position  of  the  people  of 
this  country,  I here  give  the  census  of  the  district  of  Golungo  Alto  for  the  year 
1854,  though  the  numbers  are  evidently  not  all  furnished : 


238  householders  or  yeomen. 
4224  patrons,  or  head  men  of  sev- 
eral hamlets. 

23  native  chiefs  or  sovas. 

292  macotas  or  councilors. 

5838  carriers. 

126  carpenters. 

72  masons. 


300  shoemakers. 

181  potters. 

25  tailors. 

12  barbers. 

206  iron-founders. 
486  bellows-blowers. 
586  coke-makers. 

173  iron-miners. 


COFFEE  PLANTATIONS. 


435 


Being  anxious  to  obtain  some  more  knowledge  of  this  inter- 
esting country  and  its  ancient  missionary  establishments  than  the 
line  of  route  by  which  we  had  come  afforded,  I resolved  to  visit 
the  town  of  Massangano,  which  is  situated  to  the  south  of  Golungo 
Alto,  and  at  the  confluence  of  the  rivers  Lucalla  and  Coanza. 
This  led  me  to  pass  through  the  district  of  Cazengo,  which  is 
rather  famous  for  the  abundance  and  excellence  of  its  coffee. 
Extensive  coffee  plantations  were  found  to  exist  on  the  sides  of 
the  several  lofty  mountains  that  compose  this  district.  They 
were  not  planted  by  the  Portuguese.  The  Jesuit  and  other  mis- 
sionaries are  known  to  have  brought  some  of  the  fine  old  Mocha 
seed,  and  these  have  propagated  themselves  far  and  wide ; hence 
the  excellence  of  the  Angola  coffee.  Some  have  asserted  that,  as 
new  plantations  were  constantly  discovered  even  during  the  pe- 
riod of  our  visit,  the  coffee-tree  was  indigenous ; but  the  fact 
that  pine-apples,  bananas,  yams,  orange-trees,  custard  apple-trees, 
pitangas,  guavas,  and  other  South  American  trees,  were  found  by 
me  in  the  same  localities  with  the  recently-discovered  coffee, 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  all  foreign  trees  must  have  been 


184  soldiers  of  militia. 

3603  privileged  gentlemen,  i.  e.,  who 
may  wear  boots. 

18  vagabonds. 

717  old  men. 

54  blind  men  and  women. 

81  lame  men  and  women. 

770  slave  men. 

807  slave  women. 


9578  free  women. 

393  possessors  of  land. 

300  female  gardeners. 

139  hunters  of  wild  animals. 

980  smiths. 

314  mat-makers. 

40G5  males  under  7 years  of  age. 
6012  females  under  7 years  of  age. 


These  people  possess  300  idol-houses,  GOO  sheep,  5000  goats,  500  oxen,  398  gar- 
dens, 25,120  hearths.  The  authorities  find  great  difficulty  in  getting  the  people 
to  furnish  a correct  account  of  their  numbers.  This  census  is  quoted  merely  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  a general  idea  of  the  employments  of  the  inhabitants. 

The  following  is  taken  from  the  census  of  Icollo  i Bengo,  and  is  added  for  a sim- 
ilar reason : 


3232  living  without  the  marriage  tie. 
(All  those  who  have  not  been 
married  by  a priest  are  so  dis- 
tinguished.) 

4 orphans — 2 black  and  2 white. 

9 native  chiefs. 

- 2 carpenters. 


21  potters. 

11  tailors. 

2 shoemakers. 

3 barbers. 

5 mat-makers. 

12  sack-makers. 
21  basketwnakers. 


The  cattle  in  the  district  are : 10  asses,  401  oxen,  492  cows,  3933  sheep,  1699 
goats,  909  swine  ; and  as  an  annual  tax  is  levied  of  sixpence  per  head  on  all  stock, 
it  is  probable  that  the  returns  are  less  than  the  reality. 


436 


RUINS  OF  IRON  FOUNDRY. 


introduced  by  the  same  agency.  It  is  known  that  the  Jesuits 
also  introduced  many  other  trees  for  the  sake  of  their  timber 
alone.  Numbers  of  these  have  spread  over  the  country,  some 
have  probably  died  out,  and  others  failed  to  spread,  like  a lonely 
specimen  which  stands  in  what  was  the  Botanic  Garden  of  Lo- 
anda,  and,  though  most  useful  in  yielding  a substitute  for  frank- 
incense, is  the  only  one  of  the  kind  in  Africa. 

A circumstance  which  would  facilitate  the  extensive  propagation 
of  the  coffee  on  the  proper  clay  soil  is  this  : The  seed,  when  buried 
beneath  the  soil,  generally  dies,  while  that  which  is  sown  broad- 
cast, with  no  covering  except  the  shade  of  the  trees,  vegetates 
readily.  The  agent  in  sowing  in  this  case  is  a bird,  which  eats 
the  outer  rind,  and  throws  the  kernel  on  the  ground.  This  plant 
can  not  bear  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun ; consequently,  when  a num- 
ber of  the  trees  are  discovered  in  the  forest,  all  that  is  necessary  is 
to  clear  away  the  brushwood,  and  leave  as  many  of  the  tall  forest- 
trees  as  will  afford  good  shade  to  the  coffee-plants  below.  The 
fortunate  discoverer  has  then  a flourishing  coffee  plantation. 

This  district,  small  though  it  be,  having  only  a population  of 
13,822,  of  whom  ten  only  are  white,  nevertheless  yields  an  annual 
tribute  to  the  government  of  thirteen  hundred  cotton  cloths,  each 
5 feet  by  18  or  20  inches,  of  their  own  growth  and  manufacture. 

Accompanied  by  the  commandant  of  Cazengo,  who  was  well 
acquainted  with  this  part  of  the  country,  I proceeded  in  a canoe 
down  the  River  Lucalla  to  Massangano.  This  river  is  about  85 
yards  wide,  and  navigable  for  canoes  from  its  confluence  with 
the  Coanza  to  about  six  miles  above  the  point  where  it  receives 
the  Luinha.  Near  this  latter  point  stand  the  strong,  massive 
ruins  of  an  iron  foundry,  erected  in  the  times  (1768)  and  by 
the  order  of  the  famous  Marquis  of  Pombal.  The  whole  of 
the  buildings  were  constructed  of  stone,  cemented  with  oil  and 
lime.  The  dam  for  water-power  was  made  of  the  same  materials, 
and  27  feet  high.  This  had  been  broken  through  by  a flood,  and 
solid  blocks,  many  yards  in  length,  were  carried  down  the  stream, 
affording  an  instructive  example  of  the  transporting  power  of 
water.  There  was  nothing  in  the  appearance  of  the  place  to  in- 
dicate unhealthiness ; but  eight  Spanish  and  Swedish  workmen, 
being  brought  hither  for  the  purpose  of  instructing  the  natives  in 
the  art  of  smelting  iron,  soon  fell  victims  to  disease  and  “irregu- 


BANKS  OF  THE  LUCALLA. 


437 


larities.”  The  effort  of  the  marquis  to  improve  the  mode  of 
manufacturing  iron  was  thus  rendered  abortive.  Labor  and  sub- 
sistence are,  however,  so  very  cheap  that  almost  any  amount  of 
work  can  be  executed,  at  a cost  that  renders  expensive  establish- 
ments unnecessary. 

A party  of  native  miners  and  smiths  is  still  kept  in  the  employ- 
ment of  the  government,  who,  working  the  rich  black  magnetic 
iron  ore,  produce  for  the  government  from  480  to  500  bars  of 
good  malleable  iron  every  month.  They  are  supported  by  the  ap- 
propriation of  a few  thousands  of  a small  fresh-water  fish,  called 
“Cacusu,”  a portion  of  the  tax  levied  upon  the  fishermen  of  the 
Coanza.  This  fish  is  so  much  relished  in  the  country  that  those 
who  do  not  wish  to  eat  them  can  easily  convert  them  into  money. 
The  commandant  of  the  district  of  Massangano,  for  instance,  has 
a right  to  a dish  of  three  hundred  every  morning,  as  part  of  his 
salary.  Shell-fish  are  also  found  in  the  Coanza,  and  the  “Peixe- 
mulher,”  or  woman-fish  of  the  Portuguese,  which  is  probably  a 
Manatee. 

The  banks  of  the  Lucalla  are  very  pretty,  well  planted  with 
orange-trees,  bananas,  and  the  palm  {EIcbih Guineensis)  which  yields 
the  oil  of  commerce.  Large  plantations  of  maize,  manioc,  and  to- 
bacco are  seen  along  both  banks,  which  are  enlivened  by  the  fre- 
quent appearance  of  native  houses  imbosomed  in  dense  shady 
groves,  with  little  boys  and  girls  playing  about  them.  The  banks 
are  steep,  the  water  having  cut  out  its  bed  in  dark  red  alluvial 
soil.  Before  every  cottage  a small  stage  is  erected,  to  which  the 
inhabitants  may  descend  to  draw  water  without  danger  from  the 
alligators.  Some  have  a little  palisade  made  in  the  water  for 
safety  from  these  reptiles,  and  others  use  the  shell  of  the  fruit  of 
the  baobab-tree  attached  to  a pole  about  ten  feet  long,  with  which, 
while  standing  on  the  high  bank,  they  may  draw  water  without 
fear  of  accident. 

Many  climbing  plants  run  up  the  lofty  silk,  cotton,  and  baobab 
trees,  and  hang  their  beautiful  flowers  in  gay  festoons  on  the 
branches.  As  we  approach  Massangano,  the  land  on  both  banks 
of  the  Lucalla  becomes  very  level,  and  large  portions  are  left 
marshy  after  the  annual  floods ; but  all  is  very  fertile.  As  an  il- 
lustration of  the  strength  of  the  soil,  I may  state  that  we  saw  to- 
bacco-plants in  gardens  near  the  confluence  eight  feet  high,  and 


438 


MASSANGANO. 


each  plant  had  thirty-six  leaves,  which  were  eighteen  inches  long 
by  six  or  eight  inches  broad.  But  it  is  not  a pastoral  district.  In 
our  descent  we  observed  the  tsetse,  and  consequently  the  people 
had  no  domestic  animals  save  goats. 

We  found  the  town  of  Massangano  on  a tongue  of  rather  high 
land,  formed  by  the  left  bank  of  the  Lucalla  and  right  bank  of 
the  Coanza,  and  received  true  Portuguese  hospitality  from  Senhor 
Lubata.  The  town  has  more  than  a thousand  inhabitants ; the 
district  has  28,063,  with  only  315  slaves.  It  stands  on  a mound 
of  calcareous  tufa,  containing  great  numbers  of  fossil  shells,  the 
most  recent  of  which  resemble  those  found  in  the  marly  tufa  close 
to  the  coast.  The  fort  stands  on  the  south  side  of  the  town,  on 
a high  perpendicular  bank  overhanging  the  Coanza.  This  river 
is  here  a noble  stream,  about  a hundred  and  fifty  yards  wide,  ad- 
mitting navigation  in  large  canoes  from  the  bar  at  its  mouth  to 
Cambambe,  some  thirty  miles  above  this  town.  There,  a fine 
waterfall  hinders  farther  ascent.  Ten  or  twelve  large  canoes  laden 
with  country  produce  pass  Massangano  every  day.  Four  galleons 
were  constructed  here  as  long  ago  as  1650,  which  must  have  been 
of  good  size,  for  they  crossed  the  ocean  to  Rio  Janeiro. 

Massangano  district  is  well  adapted  for  sugar  and  rice,  while 
Cambambe  is  a very  superior  field  for  cotton ; but  the  bar  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Coanza  would  prevent  the  approach  of  a steamer 
into  this  desirable  region,  though  a small  one  could  ply  on  it  with 
ease  when  once  in.  It  is  probable  that  the  objects  of  those  who 
attempted  to  make  a canal  from  Calumbo  to  Loando  were  not 
merely  to  supply  that  city  with  fresh  water,  but  to  afford  facilities 
for  transportation.  The  remains  of  the  canal  show  it  to  have  been 
made  on  a scale  suited  for  the  Coanza  canoes.  The  Portuguese 
began  another  on  a smaller  scale  in  1811,  and,  after  three  years’ 
labor,  had  finished  only  6000  yards.  Nothing  great  or  useful  will 
ever  be  effected  here  so  long  as  men  come  merely  to  get  rich,  and 
then  return  to  Portugal. 

The  latitude  of  the  town  and  fort  of  Massangano  is  9°  37'  46" 
S.,  being  nearly  the  same  as  that  of  Cassange.  The  country  be- 
tween Loanda  and  this  point  being  comparatively  flat,  a railroad 
might  be  constructed  at  small  expense.  The  level  country  is 
prolonged  along  the  north  bank  of  the  Coanza  to  the  edge  of 
the  Cassange  basin,  and  a railway  carried  thither  would  be  con- 


RUINS.— THE  PORT. 


439 


venient  for  the  transport  of  the  products  of  the  rich  districts  of 
Cassange,  Pungo  Andongo,  Ambaca,  Cambambe,  Golungo  Alto, 
Cazengo,  Muchima,  and  Calumbo  ; in  a word,  the  whole  of  Angola 
and  independent  tribes  adjacent  to  this  kingdom. 

The  Portuguese  merchants  generally  look  to  foreign  enter- 
prise and  to  their  own  government  for  the  means  by  which 
this  amelioration  might  be  effected ; but,  as  I always  stated  to 
them  when  conversing  on  the  subject,  foreign  capitalists  would 
never  run  the  risk,  unless  they  saw  the  Angolese  doing  something 
for  themselves,  and  the  laws  so  altered  that  the  subjects  of  other 
nations  should  enjoy  the  same  privileges  in  the  country  with 
themselves.  The  government  of  Portugal  has  indeed  shown  a 
wise  and  liberal  policy  by  its  permission  for  the  alienation  of 
the  crown  lands  in  Angola  ; but  the  law  giving  it  effect  is  so 
fenced  round  with  limitations,  and  so  deluged  with  verbiage, 
that  to  plain  people  it  seems  any  thing  but  a straightforward 
license  to  foreigners  to  become  bona  fide  landholders  and  culti- 
vators of  the  soil.  At  present  the  tolls  paid  on  the  different  lines 
of  roads  for  ferries  and  bridges  are  equal  to  the  interest  of  largo 
sums  of  money,  though  but  a small  amount  has  been  expended  in 
making  available  roads. 

There  are  two  churches  and  a hospital  in  ruins  at  Massangano ; 
and  the  remains  of  two  convents  are  pointed  out,  one  of  which  is 
said  to  have  been  an  establishment  of  black  Benedictines,  which, 
if  successful,  considering  the  materials  the  brethren  had  to  work 
on,  must  have  been  a laborious  undertaking.  There  is  neither 
priest  nor  schoolmaster  in  the  town,  but  I was  pleased  to  observe 
a number  of  children  taught  by  one  of  the  inhabitants.  The 
cultivated  lands  attached  to  all  these  conventual  establishments 
in  Angola  are  now  rented  by  the  government  of  Loanda,  and 
thither  the  bishop  lately  removed  all  the  gold  and  silver  vessels 
belonging  to  them. 

The  fort  of  Massangano  is  small,  but  in  good  repair  ; it  contains 
some  very  ancient  guns,  which  were  loaded  from  the  breech,  and 
must  have  been  formidable  weapons  in  their  time.  The  natives 
of  this  country  entertain  a remarkable  dread  of  great  guns,  and 
this  tends  much  to  the  permanence  of  the  Portuguese  authority. 
They  dread  a cannon  greatly,  though  the  carriage  be  so  rotten 
that  it  would  fall  to  pieces  at  the  first  shot;  the  fort  of  Pungo 


440 


FIRES.— THE  EISAMAS. 


Andongo  is  kept  securely  by  cannon  perched  on  cross  sticks 
alone ! 

Massangano  was  a very  important  town  at  the  time  the  Dutch 
held  forcible  possession  of  Loanda  and  part  of  Angola ; but  when, 
in  the  year  1648,  the  Dutch  were  expelled  from  this  country  by  a 
small  body  of  Portuguese,  under  the  Governor  Salvador  Correa 
de  Sa  Benevides,  Massangano  was  left  to  sink  into  its  present 
decay.  Since  it  was  partially  abandoned  by  the  Portuguese, 
several  baobab-trees  have  sprung  up  and  attained  a diameter  of 
eighteen  or  twenty  inches,  and  are  about  twenty  feet  high.  No 
certain  conclusion  can  be  drawn  from  these  instances,  as  it  is  not 
known  at  what  time  after  1648  they  began  to  grow;  but  their 
present  size  shows  that  their  growth  is  not  unusually  slow. 

Several  fires  occurred  during  our  stay,  by  the  thatch  having, 
through  long  exposure  to  a torrid  sun,  become  like  tinder.  The 
roofs  became  ignited  without  any  visible  cause  except  the  intense 
solar  rays,  and  excited  terror  in  the  minds  of  the  inhabitants,  as 
the  slightest  spark  carried  by  the  wind  would  have  set  the  whole 
town  in  a blaze.  There  is  not  a single  inscription  on  stone  visible 
in  Massangano.  If  destroyed  to-morrow,  no  one  could  tell  where 
it  and  most  Portuguese  interior  villages  stood,  any  more  than  we 
can  do  those  of  the  Balonda. 

During  the  occupation  of  this  town  the  Coanza  was  used  for 
the  purpose  of  navigation,  but  their  vessels  were  so  frequently 
plundered  by  their  Dutch  neighbors  that,  when  they  regained  the 
good  port  of  Loanda,  they  no  longer  made  use  of  the  river.  We 
remained  here  four  days,  in  hopes  of  obtaining  an  observation  for 
the  longitude,  but  at  this  season  of  the  year  the  sky  is  almost 
constantly  overcast  by  a thick  canopy  of  clouds  of  a milk-and- 
water  hue ; this  continues  until  the  rainy  season  (which  was  now 
close  at  hand)  commences. 

The  lands  on  the  north  side  of  the  Coanza  belong  to  the 
Quisamas  (Kisamas),  an  independent  tribe,  which  the  Portuguese 
have  not  been  able  to  subdue.  The  few  who  came  under  my 
observation  possessed  much  of  the  Bushman  or  Hottentot  feature, 
and  were  dressed  in  strips  of  soft  bark  hanging  from  the  waist  to 
the  knee.  They  deal  largely  in  salt,  which  their  country  pro- 
duces in  great  abundance.  It  is  brought  in  crystals  of  about 
12  inches  long  and  1|  in  diameter.  This  is  hawked  about  every 


DOMESTIC  FOWL. 


441 


where  in  Angola,  and,  next  to  calico,  is  the  most  common  medium 
of  barter.  The  Kisama  are  brave ; and  when  the  Portuguese 
army  followed  them  into  then-  forests,  they  reduced  the  invaders 
to  extremity  by  tapping  all  the  reservoirs  of  water,  which  were  no 
other  than  the  enormous  baobabs  of  the  country  hollowed  into 
cisterns.  As  the  Kisama  country  is  ill  supplied  with  water  other- 
wise, the  Portuguese  were  soon  obliged  to  retreat.  Their  country, 
lying  near  to  Massangano,  is  low  and  marshy,  but  becomes  more 
elevated  in  the  distance,  and  beyond  them  lie  the  lofty  dark 
mountain  ranges  of  the  Libollo,  another  powerful  and  independent 
people.  Near  Massangano  I observed  what  seemed  to  be  an 
effort  of  nature  to  furnish  a variety  of  domestic  fowls,  more 
capable  than  the  common  kind  of  bearing  the  heat  of  the  sun. 
This  was  a hen  and  chickens  with  all  their  feathers  curled  up- 
ward, thus  giving  shade  to  the  body  without  increasing  the 
heat.  They  are  here  named  “ Kisafu”  by  the  native  population, 
who  pay  a high  price  for  them  when  they  wish  to  offer  them 
as  a sacrifice,  and  by  the  Portuguese  they  are  termed  “Arri- 
piada,”  or  shivering.  There  seems  to  be  a tendency  in  nature 
to  afford  varieties  adapted  to  the  convenience  of  man.  A kind 
of  very  short-legged  fowl  among  the  Boers  was  obtained,  in  con- 
sequence of  observing  that  such  were  more  easily  caught  for 
transportation  in  their  frequent  removals  in  search  of  pasture. 
A similar  instance  of  securing  a variety  occurred  with  the  short- 
limbed  sheep  in  America. 

Keturning  by  ascending  the  Lucalla  into  Cazengo,  we  had  an 
opportunity  of  visiting  several  flourishing  coffee  plantations,  and 
observed  that  several  men,  who  had  begun  with  no  capital  but 
honest  industry,  had,  in  the  course  of  a few  years,  acquired  a com- 
fortable subsistence.  One  of  these,  Mr.  Pinto,  generously  furnish- 
ed me  with  a good  supply  of  his  excellent  coffee,  and  my  men 
with  a breed  of  rabbits  to  carry  to  their  own  country.  Their 
lands,  granted  by  government,  yielded,  without  much  labor,  cof- 
fee sufficient  for  all  the  necessaries  of  life. 

The  fact  of  other  avenues  of  wealth  opening  up  so  readily  seems 
like  a providential  invitation  to  forsake  the  slave-trade  and  engage 
in  lawful  commerce.  We  saw  the  female  population  occupied,  as 
usual,  in  the  spinning  of  cotton  and  cultivation  of  their  lands. 


442 


INDUSTRIAL  EMPLOYMENTS.— FEVER. 


Their  only  instrument  for  culture  is  a double-handled  hoe,  which 
is  worked  with  a sort  of  dragging  motion.  Many  of  the  men 


Double-handled  Angola  hoe. 


were  employed  in  weaving.  The  latter  appear  to  be  less  indus- 
trious than  the  former,  for  they  require  a month  to  finish  a single 
web.  There  is,  however,  not  much  inducement  to  industry,  for, 
notwithstanding  the  time  consumed  in  its  manufacture,  each  web 
is  sold  for  only  two  shillings. 

On  returning  to  Golungo  Alto  I found  several  of  my  men  laid 
up  with  fever.  One  of  the  reasons  for  my  leaving  them  there 
was  that  they  might  recover  from  the  fatigue  of  the  journey  from 
Loanda,  which  had  much  more  effect  upon  their  feet  than  hund- 
reds of  miles  had  on  our  way  westward.  They  had  always  been 
accustomed  to  moisture  in  their  own  well-watered  land,  and  we 
certainly  had  a superabundance  of  that  in  Loanda.  The  roads, 
however,  from  Loanda  to  Golungo  Alto  were  both  hard  and  dry, 
and  they  suffered  severely  in  consequence ; yet  they  were  com- 
posing songs  to  be  sung  when  they  should  reach  home.  The 
Argonauts  were  nothing  to  them ; and  they  remarked  very  im- 
pressively to  me,  “ It  was  well  you  came  with  Makololo,  for  no 
tribe  could  have  done  what  we  have  accomplished  in  coming  to 
the  white  man’s  country : we  are  the  true  ancients,  who  can  tell 
wonderful  things.”  Two  of  them  now  had  fever  in  the  continued 
form,  and  became  jaundiced,  the  whites  or  conjunctival  membrane 
of  their  eyes  becoming  as  yellow  as  saffron ; and  a third  suffered 
from  an  attack  of  mania.  He  came  to  his  companions  one  day, 


INSANITY. 


443 


and  said,  ‘'Remain  well.  I am  called  away  by  the  gods!”  and 
set  off  at  the  top  of  his  speed.  The  young  men  caught  him  before 
he  had  gone  a mile,  and  bound  him.  By  gentle  treatment  and 
watching  for  a few  days  he  recovered.  I have  observed  several 
instances  of  this  kind  in  the  country,  but  very  few  cases  of  idiocy, 
and  I believe  that  continued  insanity  is  rare. 


444 


DESERTED  CONVENT. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Visit  a deserted  Convent. — Favorable  Report  of  Jesuits  and  their  Teaching. — Gra- 
dations of  native  Society. — Punishment  of  Thieves. — Palm-toddy ; its  baneful 
Effects. — Freemasons. — Marriages  and  Funerals. — Litigation. — Mr.  Canto’s  Ill- 
ness.— Bad  Behavior  of  his  Slaves. — An  Entertainment. — Ideas  on  Free  Labor. — 
Loss  of  American  Cotton-seed. — Abundance  of  Cotton  iu  the  country. — Sickness 
of  Sekeletu’s  Horse. — Eclipse  of  the  Sun. — Insects  which  distill  Water. — Experi- 
ments with  them. — Proceed  to  Ambaca. — Sickly  Season. — Office  of  Commandant. 
— Punishment  of  official  Delinquents. — Present  from  Mr.  Schut  of  Loanda. — Visit 
Pungo  Andongo. — Its  good  Pasturage,  Grain,  Fruit,  etc. — The  Fort  and  columnar 
Rocks. — The  Queen  of  Jinga. — Salubrity  of  Pungo  Andongo. — Price  of  a Slave. — 
A Merchant-prince. — His  Hospitality. — Hear  of  the  Loss  of  my  Papers  in  “Fore- 
runner.”— Narrow  Escape  from  an  Alligator. — Ancient  Burial-places. — Neglect 
of  Agriculture  in  Angola. — Manioc  the  staple  Product. — Its  Cheapness. — Sickness. 
— Friendly  Visit  from  a colored  Priest. — The  Prince  of  Congo. — No  Priests  in  the 
Interior  of  Angola. 

While  waiting  for  the  recovery  of  my  men,  I visited,  in  com- 
pany with  my  friend  Mr.  Canto,  the  deserted  convent  of  St. 
Hilarion,  at  Bango,  a few  miles  northwest  of  Golungo  Alto.  It 
is  situated  in  a magnificent  valley,  containing  a population  num- 
bering 4000  hearths.  This  is  the  abode  of  the  Sova,  or  Chief 
Bango,  who  still  holds  a place  of  authority  under  the  Portuguese. 
The  garden  of  the  convent,  the  church,  and  dormitories  of  the 
brethren  are  still  kept  in  a good  state  of  repair.  I looked  at  the 
furniture,  couches,  and  large  chests  for  holding  the  provisions  of 
the  brotherhood  with  interest,  and  would  fain  have  learned  some- 
thing of  the  former  occupants ; but  all  the  books  and  sacred 
vessels  had  lately  been  removed  to  Loanda,  and  even  the  graves 
of  the  good  men  stand  without  any  record : their  resting-places 
are,  however,  carefully  tended.  All  speak  well  of  the  Jesuits 
and  other  missionaries,  as  the  Capuchins,  etc.,  for  having  attended 
diligently  to  the  instruction  of  the  children.  They  were  supposed 
to  have  a tendency  to  take  the  part  of  the  people  against  the 
government,  and  were  supplanted  by  priests,  concerning  whom 
no  regret  is  expressed  that  they  were  allowed  to  die  out.  In 


GRADATIONS  OF  SOCIETY. 


445 


viewing  the  present  fruits  of  former  missions,  it  is  impossible  not 
to  feel  assured  that,  if  the  Jesuit  teaching  has  been  so  permanent, 
that  of  Protestants,  who  leave  the  Bible  in  the  hands  of  their  con- 
verts, will  not  be  less  abiding.  The  chief  Bango  has  built  a large 
two-story  house  close  by  the  convent,  but  superstitious  fears  pre- 
vent him  from  sleeping  in  it.  The  Portuguese  take  advantage 
of  all  the  gradations  into  which  native  society  has  divided  itself. 
This  man,  for  instance,  is  still  a sova  or  chief,  has  his  councilors, 
and  maintains  the  same  state  as  when  the  country  was  independ- 
ent. When  any  of  his  people  are  guilty  of  theft,  he  pays  down 
the  amount  of  goods  stolen  at  once,  and  reimburses  himself  out 
of  the  property  of  the  thief  so  effectually  as  to  be  benefited  by  the 
transaction.  The  people  under  him  are  divided  into  a number  of 
classes.  There  are  his  councilors,  as  the  highest,  who  are  gener- 
ally head  men  of  several  villages,  and  the  carriers,  the  lowest  free 
men.  One  class  above  the  last  obtains  the  privilege  of  wearing 
shoes  from  the  chief  by  paying  for  it ; another,  the  soldiers  or 
militia,  pay  for  the  privilege  of  serving,  the  advantage  being  that 
they  are  not  afterward  liable  to  be  made  earners.  They  are  also 
divided  into  gentlemen  and  little  gentlemen,  and,  though  quite 
black,  speak  of  themselves  as  white  men,  and  of  the  others,  who 
may  not  wear  shoes,  as  “blacks.”  The  men  of  all  these  classes 
trust  to  their  wives  for  food,  and  spend  most  of  their  time  in  drink- 
ing the  palm-toddy.  This  toddy  is  the  juice  of  the  palm-oil-tree 
(. Elceis  Gumeensis ),  which,  when  tapped,  yields  a sweet,  clear 
liquid,  not  at  all  intoxicating  while  fresh,  but,  when  allowed  to 
stand  till  the  afternoon,  causes  inebriation  and  many  crimes.  This 
toddy,  called  malova,  is  the  bane  of  the  country.  Culprits  are 
continually  brought  before  the  commandants  for  assaults  commit- 
ted through  its  influence.  Men  come  up  with  deep  gashes  on 
their  heads ; and  one,  who  had  burned  his  father’s  house,  I saw 
making  a profound  bow  to  Mr.  Canto,  and  volunteering  to  explain 
why  he  did  the  deed. 

There  is  also  a sort  of  fraternity  of  freemasons,  named  Em- 
pacasseiros,  into  which  no  one  is  admitted  unless  he  is  an  expert 
hunter,  and  can  shoot  well  with  the  gun.  They  are  distinguish- 
ed by  a fillet  of  buffalo  hide  around  their  heads,  and  are  employed 
as  messengers  in  all  cases  requiring  express.  They  are  very  trust- 
worthy, and,  when  on  active  service,  form  the  best  native  troops 


446 


MARRIAGES  AND  FUNERALS. 


the  Portuguese  possess.  The  militia  are  of  no  value  as  soldiers, 
but  cost  the  country  nothing,  being  supported  by  their  wives. 
Their  duties  are  chiefly  to  guard  the  residences  of  commandants, 
and  to  act  as  police. 

The  chief  recreations  of  the  natives  of  Angola  are  marriages 
and  funerals.  When  a young  woman  is  about  to  be  married,  she 
is  placed  in  a hut  alone  and  anointed  with  various  unguents,  and 
many  incantations  are  employed  in  order  to  secure  good  fortune 
and  fruitfulness.  Here,  as  almost  every  where  in  the  south,  the 
height  of  good  fortune  is  to  bear  sons.  They  often  leave  a hus- 
band altogether  if  they  have  daughters  only.  In  their  dances, 
when  any  one  may  wish  to  deride  another,  in  the  accompanying 
song  a line  is  introduced,  “ So  and  so  has  no  children,  and  never 
will  get  any.”  She  feels  the  insult  so  keenly  that  it  is  not  un- 
common for  her  to  rush  away  and  commit  suicide.  After  some 
days  the  bride  elect  is  taken  to  another  hut,  and  adorned  with  all 
the  richest  clothing  and  ornaments  that  the  relatives  can  either 
lend  or  borrow.  She  is  then  placed  in  a public  situation,  saluted 
as  a lady,  and  presents  made  by  all  her  acquaintances  are  placed 
around  her.  After  this  she  is  taken  to  the  residence  of  her  hus- 
band, where  she  has  a hut  for  herself,  and  becomes  one  of  several 
wives,  for  polygamy  is  general.  Dancing,  feasting,  and  drinking 
on  such  occasions  are  prolonged  for  several  days.  In  case  of  sep- 
aration, the  woman  returns  to  her  father’s  family,  and  the  husband 
receives  back  what  he  gave  for  her.  In  nearly  all  cases  a man 
gives  a price  for  the  wife,  and  in  cases  of  mulattoes,  as  much  as 
£60  is  often  given  to  the  parents  o’f  the  bride.  This  is  one  of  the 
evils  the  bishop  was  trying  to  remedy. 

In  cases  of  death  the  body  is  kept  several  days,  and  there  is  a 
grand  concourse  of  both  sexes,  with  beating  of  drums,  dances, 
and  debauchery,  kept  up  with  feasting,  etc.,  according  to  the 
means  of  the  relatives.  The  great  ambition  of  many  of  the  blacks 
of  Angola  is  to  give  their  friends  an  expensive  funeral.  Often, 
when  one  is  asked  to  sell  a pig,  he  replies,  “ I am  keeping  it  in 
case  of  the  death  of  any  of  my  friends.”  A pig  is  usually  slaugh- 
tered and  eaten  on  the  last  day  of  the  ceremonies,  and  its  head 
thrown  into  the  nearest  stream  or  river.  A native  will  sometimes 
appear  intoxicated  on  these  occasions,  and,  if  blamed  for  his  in- 
temperance, will  reply,  “Why!  my  mother  is  dead!”  as  if  he 


GROUT  OF  NATIVE  WOMEN  CNDEn  TI1E  MOKOLANE  PAl.MB. 


MISCONDUCT  OF  SLAVES. 


449 


thought  it  a sufficient  justification.  The  expenses  of  funerals 
are  so  heavy  that  often  years  elapse  before  they  can  defray 
them. 

These  people  are  said  to  be  very  litigious  and  obstinate : con- 
stant disputes  are  taking  place  respecting  their  lands.  A case 
came  before  the  weekly  court  of  the  commandant  involving  prop- 
erty in  a palm-tree  worth  twopence.  The  judge  advised  the  pur- 
suer to  withdraw  the  case,  as  the  mere  expenses  of  entering  it 
would  be  much  more  than  the  cost  of  the  tree.  “ Oh  no,”  said 
he ; “I  have  a piece  of  calico  with  me  for  the  clerk,  and  money 
for  yourself.  It’s  my  right ; I will  not  forego  it.”  The  calico 
itself  cost  three  or  four  shillings.  They  rejoice  if  they  can  say  of 
an  enemy,  “ I took  him  before  the  court.” 

My  friend  Mr.  Canto,  the  commandant,  being  seized  with  fever 
in  a severe  form,  it  afforded  me  much  pleasure  to  attend  him  in 
his  sickness,  who  had  been  so  kind  to  me  in  mine.  He  was  for 
some  time  in  a state  of  insensibility,  and  I,  having  the  charge  of 
his  establishment,  had  thus  an  opportunity  of  observing  the  work- 
ings of  slavery.  When  a master  is  ill,  the  slaves  run  riot  among 
the  eatables.  I did  not  know  this  until  I observed  that  every 
time  the  sugar-basin  came  to  the  table  it  was  empty.  On  visiting 
ray  patient  by  night,  I passed  along  a corridor,  and  unexpectedly 
came  upon  the  washerwoman  eating  pine-apples  and  sugar.  All 
the  sweetmeats  were  devoured,  and  it  was  difficult  for  me  to  get 
even  bread  and  butter  until  I took  the  precaution  of  locking  the 
pantry  door.  Probably  the  slaves  thought  that,  as  both  they  and 
the  luxuries  were  the  master’s  property,  there  was  no  good  reason 
why  they  should  be  kept  apart. 

Debarred  by  my  precaution  from  these  sources  of  enjoyment, 
they  took  to  killing  the  fowls  and  goats,  and,  when  the  animal  was 
dead,  brought  it  to  me,  saying,  “We  found  this  thing  lying  out 
there.”  They  then  enjoyed  a feast  of  flesh.  A feeling  of  inse- 
curity prevails  throughout  this  country.  It  is  quite  common  to 
furnish  visitors  with  the  keys  of  their  rooms.  When  called  on  to 
come  to  breakfast  or  dinner,  each  locks  his  door  and  puts  the  key 
in  his  pocket.  At  Kolobeng  we  never  locked  our  doors  by  night 
or  by  day  for  months  together ; but  there  slavery  is  unknown. 
The  Portuguese  do  not  seem  at  all  bigoted  in  their  attachment  to 
slavery,  nor  yet  in  their  prejudices  against  color.  Mr.  Canto  gave 

Ff 


450 


LOSS  OF  COTTON-SEED. 


an  entertainment  in  order  to  draw  all  classes  together  and  pro- 
mote general  good-will.  Two  sovas  or  native  chiefs  were  present, 
and  took  their  places  without  the  least  appearance  of  embarrass- 
ment. The  Sova  of  Kilombo  appeared  in  the  dress  of  a general, 
and  the  Sova  of  Bango  was  gayly  attired  in  a red  coat,  profusely 
ornamented  with  tinsel.  The  latter  had  a band  of  musicians  with 
him  consisting  of  six  trumpeters  and  four  drummers,  who  per- 
formed very  well.  These  men  are  fond  of  titles,  and  the  Portu- 
guese government  humors  them  by  conferring  honorary  captain- 
cies, etc. : the  Sova  of  Bango  was  at  present  anxious  to  obtain 
the  title  of  “Major  of  all  the  Sovas.”  At  the  tables  of  other  gen- 
tlemen I observed  the  same  thing  constantly  occurring.  At  this 
meeting  Mr.  Canto  communicated  some  ideas  which  I had  written 
out  on  the  dignity  of  labor,  and  the  superiority  of  free  over  slave 
labor.  The  Portuguese  gentlemen  present  were  anxiously  expect- 
ing an  arrival  of  American  cotton-seed  from  Mr.  Gabriel.  They 
are  now  in  the  transition  state  from  unlawful  to  lawful  trade,  and 
turn  eagerly  to  cotton,  coffee,  and  sugar  as  new  sources  of  wealth. 
Mr.  Canto  had  been  commissioned  by  them  to  purchase  three 
sugar-mills.  Our  cruisers  have  been  the  principal  agents  in  com- 
pelling them  to  abandon  the  slave-trade ; and  our  government,  in 
furnishing  them  with  a supply  of  cotton-seed,  showed  a generous 
intention  to  aid  them  in  commencing  a more  honorable  course.  It 
can  scarcely  be  believed,  however,  that  after  Lord  Clarendon  had 
been  at  the  trouble  of  procuring  fresh  cotton-seed  through  our 
minister  at  Washington,  and  had  sent  it  out  to  the  care  of  H.  M. 
Commissioner  at  Loanda,  probably  from  having  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  a few  incorrigible  slave-traders,  it  never  reached  its  des- 
tination. It  was  most  likely  cast  into  the  sea  of  Ambriz,  and  my 
friends  at  Golungo  Alto  were  left  without  the  means  of  commenc- 
ing a new  enterprise. 

Mr.  Canto  mentioned  that  there  is  now  much  more  cotton  in 
the  country  than  can  be  consumed ; and  if  he  had  possession  of 
a few  lmndred  pounds,  he  would  buy  up  all  the  oil  and  cotton  at 
a fair  price,  and  thereby  bring  about  a revolution  in  the  agricul- 
ture of  the  country.  These  commodities  are  not  produced  in 
greater  quantity,  because  the  people  have  no  market  for  those 
which  now  spring  up  almost  spontaneously  around  them.  The 
above  was  put  down  in  my  journal  when  I had  no  idea  that 


ILLNESS  OF  SEKELETU’S  HORSE. 


451 


enlarged  supplies  of  cotton  from  new  sources  were  so  much  needed 
at  home. 

It  is  common  to  cut  down  cotton-trees  as  a nuisance,  and  culti- 
vate beans,  potatoes,  and  manioc  sufficient  only  for  their  own  con- 
sumption. I have  the  impression  that  cotton,  which  is  deciduous 
in  America,  is  perennial  here ; for  the  plants  I saw  in  winter  were 
not  dead,  though  going  by  the  name  Algodao  Americana,  or  Amer- 
ican cotton.  The  rents  paid  for  gardens  belonging  to  the  old  con- 
vents are  merely  nominal,  varying  from  one  shilling  to  three 
pounds  per  annum.  The  higher  rents  being  realized  from  those 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Loanda,  none  but  Portuguese  or  half- 
castes  can  pay  them. 

When  about  to  start,  the  horse  which  the  governor  had  kindly 
presented  for  Sekeletu  was  seized  with  inflammation,  which  de- 
layed us  some  time  longer,  and  we  ultimately  lost  it.  We  had 
been  careful  to  watch  it  when  coming  through  the  district  of  Ma- 
tamba,  where  we  had  discovered  the  tsetse,  that  no  insect  might 
light  upon  it.  The  change  of  diet  here  may  have  had  some  influ- 
ence in  producing  the  disease ; for  I was  informed  by  Dr.  Wel- 
weitsch,  an  able  German  naturalist,  whom  we  found  pursuing  his 
arduous  labors  here,  and  whose  life  we  hope  may  be  spared  to 
give  his  researches  to  the  world,  that,  of  fifty-eight  kinds  of  grasses 
found  at  Loanda,  only  three  or  four  species  exist  here,  and  these 
of  the  most  diminutive  kinds.  The  twenty-four  different  species 
of  grass  of  Golungo  Alto  are  nearly  all  gigantic.  Indeed,  gigan- 
tic grasses,  climbers,  shrubs  and  trees,  with  but  few  plants,  con- 
stitute the  vegetation  of  this  region. 

November  20th.  An  eclipse  of  the  sun,  which  I had  anxiously 
hoped  to  observe  with  a view  of  determining  the  longitude,  hap- 
pened this  morning,  and,  as  often  took  place  in  this  cloudy  cli- 
mate, the  sun  'was  covered  four  minutes  before  it  began.  When 
it  shone  forth  the  eclipse  was  in  progress,  and  a few  minutes  be- 
fore it  should  (according  to  my  calculations)  have  ended  the  sun 
was  again  completely  obscured.  The  greatest  patience  and  perse- 
verance are  required,  if  one  wishes  to  ascertain  his  position  when 
it  is  the  rainy  season. 

Before  leaving,  I had  an  opportunity  of  observing  a curious 
insect,  which  inhabits  trees  of  the  fig  family  (_ Ficus ),  upward  of 
twenty  species  of  which  are  found  here.  Seven  or  eight  of  them 


452 


INSECTS  WHICH  DISTILL  WATER. 


cluster  round  a spot  on  one  of  tlie  smaller  branches,  and  there 
keep  up  a constant  distillation  of  a clear  fluid,  which,  dropping 
to  the  ground,  forms  a little  puddle  below.  If  a vessel  is  placed 
under  them  in  the  evening,  it  contains  three  or  four  pints  of  fluid 
in  the  morning.  The  natives  say  that,  if  a drop  falls  into  the 
eyes,  it  causes  inflammation  of  these  organs.  To  the  question 
whence  is  this  fluid  derived,  the  people  reply  that  the  insects 
suck  it  out  of  the  tree,  and  our  own  naturalists  give  the  same  an- 
swer. I have  never  seen  an  orifice,  and  it  is  scarcely  possible  that 
the  tree  can  yield  so  much.  A similar  but  much  smaller  homop- 
terous  insect,  of  the  family  Cercojjidce,  is  known  in  England  as 
the  frog-hopper  (Ajohrojohora  sjpumaria ),  when  full  grown  and  fur- 
nished with  wings,  but  while  still  in  the  pupa  state  it  is  called 
“ Cuckoo-spit ,”  from  the  mass  of  froth  in  which  it  envelops  itself. 
The  circulation  of  sap  in  plants  in  our  climate,  especially  of  the 
graminacete,  is  not  quick  enough  to  yield  much  moisture.  The 
African  species  is  five  or  six  times  the  size  of  the  English.  In  the 
case  of  branches  of  the  fig-tree,  the  point  the  insects  congregate  on 
is  soon  marked  by  a number  of  incipient  roots,  such  as  are  thrown 
out  when  a cutting  is  inserted  in  the  ground  for  the  purpose  of 
starting  another  tree.  I believe  that  both  the  English  and  African 
insects  belong  to  the  same  family,  and  differ  only  in  size,  and  that 
the  chief  part  of  the  moisture  is  derived  from  the  atmosphere. 
I leave  it  for  naturalists  to  explain  how  these  little  creatures 
distill  both  by  night  and  day  as  much  water  as  they  please,  and 
are  more  independent  than  her  majesty’s  steam-ships,  with  their 
apparatus  for  condensing  steam ; for,  without  coal,  their  abund- 
ant supplies  of  sea-water  are  of  no  avail.  I tried  the  following- 
experiment:  Finding  a colony  of  these  insects  busily  distilling 
on  a branch  of  the  Ricinus  communis , or  castor-oil  plant,  I de- 
nuded about  20  inches  of  the  bark  on  the  tree  side  of  the  insects, 
and  scraped  away  the  inner  bark,  so  as  to  destroy  all  the  ascending- 
vessels.  I also  cut  a hole  in  the  side  of  the  branch,  reaching  to 
the  middle,  and  then  cut  out  the  pith  and  internal  vessels.  The 
distillation  was  then  going  on  at  the  rate  of  one  drop  each  67 
seconds,  or  about  2 ounces  5^  drams  in  24  hours.  Next  morning 
the  distillation,  so  far  from  being  affected  by  the  attempt  to  stop 
the  supplies,  supposing  they  had  come  up  through  the  branch 
from  the  tree,  was  increased  to  a drop  every  5 seconds,  or  12  drops 


EXPERIMENTS. 


453 


per  minute,  making  1 pint  (16  ounces)  in  every  24  hours.  I then 
cut  the  branch  so  much  that,  during  the  day,  it  broke ; but  they 
still  went  on  at  the  rate  of  a drop  every  5 seconds,  while  another 
colony  on  a branch  of  the  same  tree  gave  a drop  every  17  seconds 
only,  or  at  the  rate  of  about  10  ounces  4f  drams  in  24  hours.  I 
finally  cut  off  the  branch ; but  this  was  too  much  for  their  patience, 
for  they  immediately  decamped,  as  insects  will  do  from  either  a 
dead  branch  or  a dead  animal,  which  Indian  hunters  soon  know, 
when  they  sit  down  on  a recently-killed  bear.  The  presence  of 
greater  moisture  in  the  air  increased  the  power  of  these  distillers : 
the  period  of  greatest  activity  was  in  the  morning,  when  the  air 
and  every  thing  else  was  charged  with  dew. 

Having  but  one  day  left  for  experiment,  I found  again  that 
another  colony  on  a branch  denuded  in  the  same  way  yielded  a 
drop  every  2 seconds,  or  4 pints  10  ounces  in  24  hours,  while  a 
colony  on  a branch  untouched  yielded  a drop  every  11  seconds, 
or  16  ounces  2^  drams  in  24  hours.  I regretted  somewhat  the 
want  of  time  to  institute  another  experiment,  namely,  to  cut  a 
branch  and  place  it  in  water,  so  as  to  keep  it  in  life,  and  then 
observe  if  there  was  any  diminution  of  the  quantity  of  water  in 
the  vessel.  This  alone  was  wanting  to  make  it  certain  that  they 
draw  water  from  the  atmosphere.  I imagine  that  they  have  some 
power  of  which  we  are  not  aware,  besides  that  nervous  influence 
which  causes  constant  motion  to  our  own  involuntary  muscles, 
the  power  of  life-long  action  without  fatigue.  The  reader  will  re- 
member, in  connection  with  this  insect,  the  case  of  the  ants  al- 
ready mentioned. 

December  14 th.  Both  myself  and  men  having  recovered  from 
severe  attacks  of  fever,  we  left  the  hospitable  residence  of  Mr. 
Canto  with  a deep  sense  of  his  kindness  to  us  all,  and  proceeded 
on  our  way  to  Ambaca.  (Lat.  9°  16'  35"  S.,  long.  15°  23'  E.) 

Frequent  rains  had  fallen  in  October  and  November,  which 
were  nearly  always  accompanied  with  thunder.  Occasionally  the 
quantity  of  moisture  in  the  atmosphere  is  greatly  increased  with- 
out any  visible  cause:  this  imparts  a sensation  of  considerable 
cold,  though  the  thermometer  exhibits  no  fall  of  the  mercury.  The 
greater  humidity  in  the  air,  affording  a better  conducting  medium 
for  the  radiation  of  heat  from  the  body,  is  as  dangerous  as  a sud- 
den fall  of  the  thermometer : it  causes  considerable  disease  among 


454 


OFFICIAL  DELINQUENTS. 


the  natives,  and  this  season  is  denominated  “ Carneirado,”  as  if 
by  the  disease  they  were  slaughtered  like  sheep.  The  season  of 
these  changes,  which  is  the  most  favorable  for  Europeans,  is  the 
most  unhealthy  for  the  native  population  ; and  this  is  by  no  means 
a climate  in  which  either  natives  or  Europeans  can  indulge  in  ir- 
regularities with  impunity. 

Owing  to  the  weakness  of  the  men  who  had  been  sick,  we  were 
able  to  march  but  short  distances.  Three  hours  and  a half 
brought  us  to  the  banks  of  the  Caloi,  a small  stream  which  flows 
into  the  Senza.  This  is  one  of  the  parts  of  the  country  reputed 
to  yield  petroleum,  but  the  geological  formation,  being  mica  schist, 
dipping  toward  the  eastward,  did  not  promise  much  for  our  find- 
ing it.  Our  hospitable  friend,  Mr.  Mellot,  accompanied  us  to 
another  little  river,  called  the  Quango,  where  I saw  two  fine  boys, 
the  sons  of  the  sub-commandant,  Mr.  Feltao,  who,  though  only 
from  six  to  eight  years  old,  were  subject  to  fever.  We  then  pass- 
ed on  in  the  bright  sunlight,  the  whole  country  looking  so  fresh 
and  green  after  the  rains,  and  every  thing  so  cheering,  one  could 
not  but  wonder  to  find  it  so  feverish. 

We  found,  on  reaching  Ambaca,  that  the  gallant  old  soldier, 
Laurence  Jose  Marquis,  had,  since  our  passing  Icollo  i Bengo, 
been  promoted,  on  account  of  his  stern  integrity,  to  the  govern- 
ment of  this  important  district.  The  office  of  commandant  is 
much  coveted  by  the  officers  of  the  line  who  come  to  Angola,  not 
so  much  for  the  salary  as  for  the  perquisites,  which,  when  man- 
aged skillfully,  in  the  course  of  a few  years  make  one  rich.  An 
idea  may  be  formed  of  the  conduct  of  some  of  these  officials  from 
the  following  extract  from  the  Boletin  of  Loanda  of  the  28th  of 
October,  1854: 

“ The  acting  governor-general  of  the  province  of  Angola  and 
its  dependencies  determines  as  follows : 

“Having  instituted  an  investigation  (Syndecancia)  against  the 
commandant  of  the  fort  of , a captain  of  the  army  of  Por- 

tugal in  commission  in  this  province,  — — , on  account  of  numer- 
ous complaints,  which  have  come  before  this  government,  of 
violences  and  extortions  practiced  by  the  said  commandant,  and 
those  complaints  appearing  by  the  result  of  the  investigation  to 
be  well  founded,  it  will  be  convenient  to  exonerate  the  captain 
referred  to  from  the  command  of  the  fort  of , to  which  he 


PUNGO  ANDONGO. 


455 


had  been  nominated  by  the  portfolio  of  this  general  government, 
No.  41,  of  27th  December  of  the  past  year;  and  if  not  otherwise 
determined,  the  same  official  shall  be  judged  by  a council  of  war 
for  the  criminal  acts  which  are  to  him  attributed.” 

Even  this  public  mention  of  his  crimes  attaches  no  stigma  to 
the  man’s  character.  The  council  of  war,  by  which  these  delin- 
quents always  prefer  to  be  judged,  is  composed  of  men  who  eagerly 
expect  to  occupy  the  post  of  commandant  themselves,  and  antici- 
pate their  own  trial  for  similar  acts  at  some  future  time.  The  se- 
verest sentence  a council  of  war  awards  is  a few  weeks’  suspen- 
sion from  office  in  his  regiment. 

This  want  of  official  integrity,  which  is  not  at  all  attributable 
to  the  home  government  of  Portugal,  would  prove  a serious  im- 
pediment in  the  way  of  foreign  enterprise  developing  the  resources 
of  this  rich  province.  And  to  this  cause,  indeed,  may  be  ascribed 
the  failure  of  the  Portuguese  laws  for  the  entire  suppression  of 
the  slave-trade.  The  officers  ought  to  receive  higher  pay,  if  in- 
tegrity is  expected  from  them.  At  present,  a captain's  pay  for  a 
year  will  only  keep  him  in  good  uniform.  The  high  pay  our  own 
officers  receive  has  manifest  advantages. 

Before  leaving  Ambaca  we  received  a present  of  ten  head  of 
cattle  from  Mr.  Schut  of  Loanda,  and,  as  it  shows  the  cheapness 
of  provisions  here,  I may  mention  that  the  cost  was  only  about  a 
guinea  per  head. 

On  crossing  the  Lucalla  we  made  a detour  to  the  south,  in 
order  to  visit  the  famous  rocks  of  Pungo  Andongo.  As  soon  as 
we  crossed  the  rivulet  Lotete,  a change  in  the  vegetation  of  the 
country  was  apparent.  We  found  trees  identical  with  those  to  be 
seen  south  of  the  Chobe.  The  grass,  too,  stands  in  tufts,  and  is 
of  that  kind  which  the  natives  consider  to  be  best  adapted  for  cat- 
tle. Two  species  of  grape-bearing  vines  abound  every  where  in 
this  district,  and  the  influence  of  the  good  pasturage  is  seen  in 
the  plump  condition  of  the  cattle.  In  all  my  previous  inquiries 
respecting  the  vegetable  products  of  Angola,  I was  invariably  di- 
rected to  Pungo  Andongo.  Do  you  grow  wheat?  “Oh,  yes,  in 
Pungo  Andongo.” — Grapes,  figs,  or  peaches  ? “ Oh,  yes,  in  Pungo 
Andongo.” — Do  you  make  butter,  cheese,  etc.  ? The  uniform  an- 
swer was,  “ Oh,  yes,  there  is  abundance  of  all  these  in  Pungo  An- 
dongo.'’ But  when  we  arrived  here,  Ave  found  that  the  answers 


456 


PUNGO  ANDONGO. 


all  referred  to  the  activity  of  one  man,  Colonel  Manuel  Antonio 
Pires.  The  presence  of  the  wild  grape  shows  that  vineyards 
might  he  cultivated  with  success ; the  wheat  grows  well  without 
irrigation ; and  any  one  who  tasted  the  butter  and  cheese  at  the 
table  of  Colonel  Pires  would  prefer  them  to  the  stale  produce  of 
the  Irish  dairy,  in  general  use  throughout  that  province.  The 
cattle  in  this  country  are  seldom  milked,  on  account  of  the  strong- 
prejudice  which  the  Portuguese  entertain  against  the  use  of  milk. 
They  believe  that  it  may  be  used  with  safety  in  the  morning,  but. 
if  taken  after  midday,  that  it  will  cause  fever.  It  seemed  to  me 
that  there  was  not  much  reason  for  carefully  avoiding  a few  drops 
in  their  coffee,  after  having  devoured  ten  times  the  amount  in  the 
shape  of  cheese  at  dinner. 

The  fort  of  Pungo  Andongo  (lat.  9°  42'  14"  S.,  long.  15°  30'  E.) 
is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a group  of  curious  columnar-shaped 
rocks,  each  of  which  is  upward  of  three  hundred  feet  in  height. 
They  are  composed  of  conglomerate,  made  up  of  a great  variety 
of  rounded  pieces  in  a matrix  of  dark  red  sandstone.  They  rest 
on  a thick  stratum  of  this  last  rock,  with  very  few  of  the  pebbles 
in  its  substance.  On  this  a fossil  palm  has  been  found,  and  if 
of  the  same  age  as  those  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  continent, 
on  which  similar  palms  now  lie,  there  may  be  coal  underneath 
this,  as  well  as  under  that  at  Tete.  The  asserted  existence  of 
petroleum  springs  at  Dande,  and  near  Cambambe,  would  seem 
to  indicate  the  presence  of  this  useful  mineral,  though  I am  not 
aware  of  any  one  having  actually  seen  a seam  of  coal  tilted  up 
to  the  surface  in  Angola,  as  we  have  at  Tete.  The  gigantic  pil- 
lars of  Pungo  Andongo  have  been  formed  by  a current  of  the  sea 
coming  from  the  S.S.E. ; for,  seen  from  the  top,  they  appear  ar- 
ranged in  that  direction,  and  must  have  withstood  the  surges  of 
the  ocean  at  a period  of  our  world’s  history,  when  the  relations  of 
land  and  sea  were  totally  different  from  what  they  are  now,  and 
long  before  “the  morning  stars  sang  together,  and  all  the  sons  of 
God  shouted  for  joy  to  see  the  abodes  prepared  which  man  was 
soon  to  fill.”  The  imbedded  pieces  in  the  conglomerate  are  of 
gneiss,  clay  shale,  mica  and  sandstone  schists,  trap,  and  porphyry, 
most  of  which  are  large  enough  to  give  the  whole  the  appearance 
of  being  the  only  remaining  vestiges  of  vast  primaeval  banks  of 
shingle.  Several  little  streams  run  among  these  rocks,  and  in  the 


I 


THE  QUEEN  OF  JINGA. 


459 


central  part  of  the  pillars  stands  the  village,  completely  environed 
by  well-nigh  inaccessible  rocks.  The  pathways  into  the  village 
might  be  defended  by  a small  body  of  troops  against  an  army ; 
and  this  place  was  long  the  stronghold  of  the  tribe  called  Jinga, 
the  original  possessors  of  the  country. 

We  were  shown  a footprint  carved  on  one  of  these  rocks.  It 
is  spoken  of  as  that  of  a famous  queen,  who  reigned  over  all  this 
region.  In  looking  at  these  rude  attempts  at  commemoration, 
one  feels  the  value  of  letters.  In  the  history  of  Angola  we  find 
that  the  famous  queen  Donna  Anna  de  Souza  came  from  the 
vicinity,  as  embassadress  from  her  brother,  Gola  Bandy,  King  of 
the  Jinga,  to  Loanda,  in  1621,  to  sue  for  peace,  and  astonished  the 
governor  by  the  readiness  of  her  answers.  The  governor  pro- 
posed, as  a condition  of  peace,  the  payment  by  the  Jinga  of  an  an- 
nual tribute.  “ People  talk  of  tribute  after  they  have  conquered, 
and  not  before  it ; we  come  to  talk  of  peace,  not  of  subjection,”  was 
the  ready  answer.  The  governor  was  as  much  nonplussed  as  our 
Cape  governors  often  are  when  they  tell  the  Caffres  “ to  put  it  all 
down  in  writing,  and  they  will  then  be  able  to  answer  them.” 
She  remained  some  time  in  Loanda,  gained  all  she  sought,  and, 
after  being  taught  by  the  missionaries,  was  baptized,  and  return- 
ed to  her  own  country  with  honor.  She  succeeded  to  the  king- 
dom on  the  death  of  her  brother,  whom  it  was  supposed  she 
poisoned,  but  in  a subsequent  war  with  the  Portuguese  she  lost 
nearly  all  her  army  in  a great  battle  fought  in  1627.  She  return- 
ed to  the  Church  after  a long  period  of  apostasy,  and  died  in  ex- 
treme old  age ; and  the  Jinga  still  live  as  an  independent  people 
to  the  north  of  this  their  ancient  country.  No  African  tribe  has 
ever  been  destroyed. 

In  former  times  the  Portuguese  imagined  that  this  place  was 
particularly  unhealthy,  and  banishment  to  the  black  rocks  of 
Pungo  Andongo  was  thought  by  their  judges  to  be  a much  se- 
verer sentence  than  transportation  to  any  part  of  the  coast ; but 
this  district  is  now  well  known  to  be  the  most  healthy  part  of 
Angola.  The  water  is  remarkably  pure,  the  soil  is  light,  and  the 
country  open  and  undulating,  with  a general  slope  down  toward 
the  River  Coanza,  a few  miles  distant.  That  river  is  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  Portuguese,  and  beyond,  to  the  S.  and  S.W.,  we 
see  the  high  mountains  of  the  Libollo.  On  the  S.E.  we  have  also 


460 


A MERCHANT-PRINCE. 


a mountainous  country,  inhabited  by  the  Kimbonda  or  Ambonda, 
who  are  said  by  Colonel  Pires  to  be  a very  brave  and  independent 
people,  but  hospitable  and  fair  in  their  dealings.  They  are  rich 
in  cattle,  and  their  country  produces  much  beeswax,  which  is 
carefully  collected,  and  brought  to  the  Portuguese,  with  whom 
they  have  always  been  on  good  terms. 

The  Ako  (Haco),  a branch  of  this  family,  inhabit  the  left  bank 
of  the  Coanza  above  this  village,  who,  instead  of  bringing  slaves 
for  sale,  as  formerly,  now  occasionally  bring  wax  for  the  purchase 
of  a slave  from  the  Portuguese.  I saw  a boy  sold  for  twelve 
shillings : he  said  that  he  belonged  to  the  country  of  Matiamvo. 
Here  I bought  a pair  of  well-made  boots,  of  good  tanned  leather, 
which  reached  above  the  knee,  for  five  shillings  and  eightpence, 
and  that  was  just  the  price  given  for  one  pound  of  ivory  by  Mr. 
Pires ; consequently,  the  boy  was  worth  two  pairs  of  boots,  or 
two  pounds  of  ivory.  The  Libollo  on  the  S.  have  not  so  good 
a character,  but  the  Coanza  is  always  deep  enough  to  form  a line 
of  defense.  Colonel  Pires  is  a good  example  of  what  an  honest 
industrious  man  in  this  country  may  become.  He  came  as  a 
servant  in  a ship,  and,  by  a long  course  of  persevering  labor,  has 
raised  himself  to  be  the  richest  merchant  in  Angola.  He  possesses 
some  thousands  of  cattle ; and,  on  any  emergency,  can  appear  in 
the  field  with  several  hundred  armed  slaves. 

While  enjoying  the  hospitality  of  this  merchant-prince  in  his 
commodious  residence,  which  is  outside  the  rocks,  and  commands 
a beautiful  view  of  all  the  adjacent  country,  I learned  that  all  my 
dispatches,  maps,  and  journal  had  gone  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
in  the  mail-packet  “Forerunner.”  I felt  so  glad  that  my  friend 
Lieutenant  Bedingfeld,  to  whose  care  I had  committed  them, 
though  in  the  most  imminent  danger,  had  not  shared  a similar 
fate,  that  I was  at  once  reconciled  to  the  labor  of  rewriting.  I 
availed  myself  of  the  kindness  of  Colonel  Pires,  and  remained  till 
the  end  of  the  year  reproducing  my  lost  papers. 

Colonel  Pires  having  another  establishment  on  the  banks  of  the 
Coanza,  about  six  miles  distant,  I visited  it  with  him  about  once 
a week  for  the  purpose  of  recreation.  The  difference  of  tempera- 
ture caused  by  the  lower  altitude  was  seen  in  the  cashew-trees ; 
for  while,  near  the  rocks,  these  trees  were  but  coming  into  flower, 
those  at  the  lower  station  were  ripening  their  fruit.  Cocoanut 


ANCIENT  BURIAL-PLACE. 


461 


trees  and  bananas  bear  well  at  the  lower  station,  but  yield  little 
or  no  fruit  at  the  upper.  The  difference  indicated  by  the  ther- 
mometer was  7°.  The  general  range  near  the  rocks  was  67°  at 
7 A.  M.,  74°  at  midday,  and  72°  in  the  evening. 

A slave-boy  belonging  to  Colonel  Pires,  having  stolen  and  eaten 
some  lemons  in  the  evening,  went  to  the  river  to  wash  his  mouth, 
so  as  not  to  be  detected  by  the  flavor.  An  alligator  seized  him 
and  carried  him  to  an  island  in  the  middle  of  the  stream ; there 
the  boy  grasped  hold  of  the  reeds,  and  baffled  all  the  efforts  of 
the  reptile  to  dislodge  him,  till  his  companions,  attracted  by  his 
cries,  came  in  a canoe  to  his  assistance.  The  alligator  at  once 
let  go  his  hold  ; for,  when  out  of  his  own  element,  he  is  cowardly. 
The  boy  had  many  marks  of  the  teeth  in  his  abdomen  and  thigh, 
and  those  of  the  claws  on  his  legs  and  arms. 

The  slaves  in  Colonel  Pires’  establishments  appeared  more 
like  free  servants  than  any  I had  elsewhere  seen.  Every  thing 
was  neat  and  clean,  while  generally,  where  slaves  are  the  only 
domestics,  there  is  an  aspect  of  slovenliness,  as  if  they  went 
on  the  principle  of  always  doing  as  little  for  their  masters  as 
possible. 

In  the  country  near  to  this  station  were  a large  number  of 
the  ancient  burial-places  of  the  Jinga.  These  are  simply  large 
mounds  of  stones,  with  drinking  and  cooking  vessels  of  rude 
pottery  on  them.  Some  are  arranged  in  a circular  form,  two 
or  three  yards  in  diameter,  and  shaped  like  a haycock.  There 
is  not  a single  vestige  of  any  inscription.  The  natives  of  Angola 
generally  have  a strange  predilection  for  bringing  their  dead  to 
the  sides  of  the  most  frequented  paths.  They  have  a particular 
anxiety  to  secure  the  point  where  cross-roads  meet.  On  and 
around  the  graves  are  planted  tree  euphorbias  and  other  species 
of  that  family.  On  the  grave  itself  they  also  place  water-bottles, 
broken  pipes,  cooking  vessels,  and  sometimes  a little  bow  and 
arrow. 

The  Portuguese  government,  wishing  to  prevent  this  custom, 
affixed  a penalty  on  any  one  burying  in  the  roads,  and  appointed 
places  of  public  sepulture  in  every  district  in  the  country.  The 
people  persist,  however,  in  spite  of  the  most  stringent  enforcement 
of  the  law,  to  follow  their  ancient  custom. 

The  country  between  the  Coanza  and  Pungo  Andongo  is 


462 


MANIOC  THE  CHIEF  PRODUCT. 


covered  with  low  trees,  bushes,  and  fine  pasturage.  In  the  latter, 
we  were  pleased  to  see  our  old  acquaintances,  the  gaudy  gladiolus, 
Amaryllis  toxicaria,  hymanthus,  and  other  bulbs  in  as  flourishing 
a condition  as  at  the  Cape. 

It  is  surprising  that  so  little  has  been  done  in  the  way  of 
agriculture  in  Angola.  Raising  wheat  by  means  of  irrigation  has 
never  been  tried ; no  plow  is  ever  used ; and  the  only  instru- 
ment is  the  native  hoe,  in  the  hands  of  slaves.  The  chief  object 
of  agriculture  is  the  manioc,  which  does  not  contain  nutriment 
sufficient  to  give  proper  stamina  to  the  people.  The  half-caste 
Portuguese  have  not  so  much  energy  as  their  fathers.  They 
subsist  chiefly  on  the  manioc,  and,  as  that  can  be  eaten  either 
raw,  roasted,  or  boiled,  as  it  comes  from  the  ground  ; or  fermented 
in  water,  and  then  roasted  or  dried  after  fermentation,  and  baked 
or  pounded  into  fine  meal ; or  rasped  into  meal  and  cooked  as 
farina ; or  made  into  confectionery  with  butter  and  sugar,  it 
does  not  so  soon  pall  upon  the  palate  as  one  might  imagine,  when 
told  that  it  constitutes  their  principal  food.  The  leaves  boiled 
make  an  excellent  vegetable  for  the  table ; and,  when  eaten  by 
goats,  their  milk  is  much  increased.  The  wood  is  a good  fuel, 
and  yields  a large  quantity  of  potash.  If  planted  in  a dry  soil, 
it  takes  two  years  to  come  to  perfection,  requiring,  during  that 
time,  one  weeding  only.  It  bears  drought  well,  and  never  shrivels 
up,  like  other  plants,  when  deprived  of  rain.  When  planted  in 
low  alluvial  soils,  and  either  well  supplied  with  rain  or  annually 
flooded,  twelve,  or  even  ten  months,  are  sufficient  to  bring  it 
to  maturity.  The  root  rasped  while  raw,  placed  upon  a cloth, 
and  rubbed  with  the  hands  while  water  is  poured  upon  it,  parts 
with  its  starchy  glutinous  matter,  and  this,  when  it  settles  at  the 
bottom  of  the  vessel,  and  the  water  poured  off,  is  placed  in  the  sun 
till  nearly  dry,  to  form  tapioca.  The  process  of  drying  is  com- 
pleted on  an  iron  plate  over  a slow  fire,  the  mass  being  stirred 
meanwhile  with  a stick,  and  when  quite  dry  it  appears  aggluti- 
nated into  little  globules,  and  is  in  the  form  we  see  the  tapioca  of 
commerce.  This  is  never  eaten  by  weevils,  and  so  little  labor  is 
required  in  its  cultivation  that  on  the  spot  it  is  extremely  cheap. 
Throughout  the  interior  parts  of  Angola,  fine  manioc  meal,  which 
could  with  ease  have  been  converted  either  into  superior  starch  or 
tapioca,  is  commonly  sold  at  the  rate  of  about  ten  pounds  for  a 


VISIT  FROM  A COLORED  PRIEST. 


463 


penny.  All  this  region,  however,  has  no  means  of  transport  to 
Loanda  other  than  the  shoulders  of  the  carriers  and  slaves  over 
a footpath. 

Cambambe,  to  which  the  navigation  of  the  Coanza  reaches,  is 
reported  to  be  thirty  leagues  below  Pungo  Andongo.  A large 
waterfall  is  the  limit  on  that  side ; and  another  exists  higher  up, 
at  the  confluence  of  the  Lombe  (lat.  9°  4P  26 " S.,  and  about 
long.  16°  E.),  over  which  hippopotami  and  elephants  are  some- 
times drawn  and  killed.  The  river  between  is  rapid,  and  gener- 
ally rushes  over  a rocky  bottom.  Its  source  is  pointed  out  as 
S.E.  or  S.S.E.  of  its  confluence  with  the  Lombe,  and  near  Bihe. 
The  situation  of  Bihe  is  not  well  known.  When  at  Sanza  we 
were  assured  that  it  lies  nearly  south  of  that  point,  and  eight 
days  distant.  This  statement  seemed  to  be  corroborated  by  our 
meeting  many  people  going  to  Matiamvo  and  to  Loanda  from 
Bihe.  Both  parties  had  come  to  Sanza,  and  then  branched  off, 
one  to  the  east,  the  other  to  the  west.  The  source  of  the  Coanza 
is  thus  probably  not  far  from  Sanza. 

I had  the  happiness  of  doing  a little  good  in  the  way  of  admin- 
istering to  the  sick,  for  there  are  no  doctors  in  the  interior  of 
Angola.  Notwithstanding  the  general  healthiness  of  this  fine  dis- 
trict and  its  pleasant  temperature,  I was  attacked  by  fever  myself. 
While  confined  to  my  room,  a gentleman  of  color,  a canon  of  the 
Church,  kindly  paid  me  a visit.  He  was  on  a tour  of  visitation  in 
the  different  interior  districts  for  the  purpose  of  baptizing  and 
marrying.  He  had  lately  been  on  a visit  to  Lisbon  in  company 
with  the  Prince  of  Congo,  and  had  been  invested  with  an  order 
of  honor  by  the  King  of  Portugal  as  an  acknowledgment  of 
his  services.  He  had  all  the  appearance  of  a true  negro,  but 
commanded  the  respect  of  the  people ; and  Colonel  P.,  who  had 
known  him  for  thirty  years,  pronounced  him  to  be  a good  man. 
There  are  only  three  or  four  priests  in  Loanda,  all  men  of 
color,  but  educated  for  the  office.  About  the  time  of  my 
journey  in  Angola,  an  offer  was  made  to  any  young  men  of 
ability  who  might  wish  to  devote  themselves  to  the  service  of 
the  Church,  to  afford  them  the  requisite  education  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Coimbra  in  Portugal.  I was  informed,  on  what  seemed 
good  authority,  that  the  Prince  of  Congo  is  professedly  a Chris- 
tian, and  that  there  are  no  fewer  than  twelve  churches  in  that 


464 


THE  KING  OE  CONGO. 


kingdom,  the  fruits  of  the  mission  established  in  former  times  at 
San  Salvador,  the  capital.  These  churches  are  kept  in  partial  re- 
pair by  the  people,  who  also  keep  up  the  ceremonies  of  the  Church, 
pronouncing  some  gibberish  over  the  dead,  in  imitation  of  the  Latin 
prayers  which  they  had  formerly  heard.  Many  of  them  can  read 
and  write.  When  a King  of  Congo  dies,  the  body  is  wrapped  up 
in  a great  many  folds  of  cloth  until  a priest  can  come  from  Loan- 
da  to  consecrate  his  successor.  The  King  of  Congo  still  retains 
the  title  of  Lord  of  Angola,  which  he  had  when  the  Jinga,  the 
original  possessors  of  the  soil,  owed  him  allegiance;  and,  when  he 
writes  to  the  Governor  of  Angola,  he  places  his  own  name  first, 
as  if  addressing  his  vassal.  The  Jinga  paid  him  tribute  annually 
in  cowries,  which  were  found  on  the  island  that  shelters  Loanda 
harbor,  and,  on  refusing  to  continue  payment,  the  King  of  Congo 
gave  over  the  island  to  the  Portuguese,  and  thus  their  dominion 
commenced  in  this  quarter. 

There  is  not  much  knowledge  of  the  Christian  religion  in  either 
Congo  or  Angola,  yet  it  is  looked  upon  with  a certain  degree  of  fa- 
vor. The  prevalence  of  fever  is  probably  the  reason  why  no  priest 
occupies  a post  in  any  part  of  the  interior.  They  come  on  tours 
of  visitation  like  that  mentioned,  and  it  is  said  that  no  expense  is 
incurred,  for  all  the  people  are  ready  not  only  to  pay  for  their 
services,  but  also  to  furnish  every  article  in  their  power  gratui- 
tously. In  view  of  the  desolate  condition  of  this  fine  missionary 
field,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  the  presence  of  a few  Protest- 
ants would  soon  provoke  the  priests,  if  not  to  love,  to  good  works. 


DEPASTURE  FROM  PUNGO  ANDONGO. 


465 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Leave  Pungo  Andongo. — Extent  of  Portuguese  Power. — Meet  Traders  and  Carri- 
ers.— Red  Ants;  their  fierce  Attack;  Usefulness;  Numbers.  — Descend  the 
Heights  of  Tala  Mungongo. — Fruit-trees  in  the  Valley  of  Cassange. — Edible 
Muscle. — Birds. — Cassange  Village. — Quinine  and  Cathory. — Sickness  of  Cap- 
tain Neves’  Infant. — A Diviner  thrashed. — Death  of  the  Child. — Mourning. — 
Loss  of  Life  from  the  Ordeal. — Wide-spread  Superstitions. — The  Chieftainship. — 
Charms. — Receive  Copies  of  the  “Times.” — Trading  Pombeiros. — Present  for 
Matiamvo. — Fever  after  westerly  Winds. — Capabilities  of  Angola  for  producing 
the  raw  Materials  of  English  Manufacture. — Trading  Parties  with  Ivory. — More 
Fever. — A Hy  sena’s  Choice. — Makololo  Opinion  of  the  Portuguese. — Cypriano’s 
Debt. — A Funeral. — Dread  of  disembodied  Spirits. — Beautiful  Morning  Scenes. 
— Crossing  the  Quango. — Ambakistas  called  “The  Jews  of  Angola.” — Fashions 
of  theBashinje. — Approach  the  Village  of  Sansawe. — His  Idea  of  Dignity. — The 
Pombeiros’  Present. — Long  Detention. — A Blow  on  the  Beard. — Attacked  in  a 
Forest. — Sudden  Conversion  of  a fighting  Chief  to  Peace  Principles  by  means  of 
a Revolver. — No  Blood  shed  in  consequence.— Rate  of  Traveling. — Slave  Women. 
— Way  of  addressing  Slaves. — Their  thievish  Propensities. — Feeders  of  the  Con- 
go or  Zaire. — Obliged  to  refuse  Presents. — Cross  the  Loajima. — Appearance  of 
People ; Hair  Fashions. 

January  1,  1855.  Having,  through  the  kindness  of  Colonel 
Pires,  reproduced  some  of  my  lost  papers,  I left  Pungo  Andongo 
the  first  day  of  this  year,  and  at  Candumba,  slept  in  one  of  the 
dairy  establishments  of  my  friend,  who  had  sent  forward  orders 
for  an  ample  supply  of  butter,  cheese,  and  milk.  Our  path  lay 
along  the  right  bank  of  the  Coanza.  This  is  composed  of  the 
same  sandstone  rock,  with  pebbles,  which  forms  the  flooring  of  the 
country.  The  land  is  level,  has  much  open  forest,  and  is  well 
adapted  for  pasturage. 

On  reaching  the  confluence  of  the  Lombe,  we  left  the  river,  and 
proceeded  in  a northeasterly  direction,  through  a fine  open  green 
country,  to  the  village  of  Malange,  where  we  struck  into  our 
former  path.  A few  miles  to  the  west  of  this  a path  branches  off 
to  a new  district  named  the  Duke  Braganza.  This  path  crosses 
the  Lucalla  and  several  of  its  feeders.  The  whole  of  the  country 
drained  by  these  is  described  as  extremely  fertile.  The  territory 

G G 


466 


GEOLOGICAL  STRUCTURE. 


west  of  Braganza  is  reported  to  be  mountainous,  well  wooded  and 
watered  ; wild  coffee  is  abundant,  and  the  people  even  make  their 
huts  of  coffee-trees.  The  rivers  Dande,  Senza,  and  Lucalla  are 
said  to  rise  in  one  mountain  range.  Numerous  tribes  inhabit  the 
country  to  the  north,  who  are  all  independent.  The  Portuguese 
power  extends  chiefly  over  the  tribes  through  whose  lands  we 
have  passed.  It  may  be  said  to  be  firmly  seated  only  between 
the  rivers  Dande  and  Coanza.  It  extends  inland  about  three 
hundred  miles  to  the  River  Quango ; and  the  population,  accord- 
ing to  the  imperfect  data  afforded  by  the  census,  given  annually 
by  the  commandants  of  the  fifteen  or  sixteen  districts  into  which 
it  is  divided,  can  not  be  under  600,000  souls. 

Leaving  Malange,  we  passed  quickly,  without  deviation,  along 
the  path  by  which  we  had  come.  At  Sanza  (lat.  9°  37/  46"  S., 
long.  16°  59'  E.)  we  expected  to  get  a little  seed-wheat,  but  this 
was  not  now  to  be  found  in  Angola.  The  underlying  rock  of  the 
whole  of  this  section  is  that  same  sandstone  which  we  have  before 
noticed,  but  it  gradually  becomes  finer  in  the  grain,  with  the  ad- 
dition of  a little  mica,  the  farther  we  go  eastward ; we  enter  upon 
clay  shale  at  Tala  Mungongo  (lat.  9°  42'  37"  S.,  long.  17°  27' 
E.),  and  find  it  dipping  a little  to  the  west.  The  general  geolog- 
ical structure  is  a broad  fringe  of  mica  and  sandstone  schist  (about 
15°  E.),  dipping  in  toward  the  centre  of  the  country,  beneath  these 
horizontal  and  sedimentary  rocks  of  more  recent  date,  which  form 
an  inland  basin.  The  fringe  is  not,  however,  the  highest  in  alti- 
tude, though  the  oldest  in  age. 

While  at  this  latter  place  we  met  a native  of  Bihe  who  has  vis- 
ited the  country  of  Shinte  three  times  for  the  purposes  of  trade. 
He  gave  us  some  of  the  news  of  that  distant  part,  but  not  a word 
of  the  Makololo,  who  have  always  been  represented  in  the  coun- 
tries to  the  north  as  a desperately  savage  race,  whom  no  trader 
could  visit  with  safety.  The  halLcaste  traders  whom  we  met  at 
Shinte’s  had  returned  to  Angola  with  sixty-six  slaves  and  upward 
of  fifty  tusks  of  ivory.  As  we  came  along  the  path,  we  daily  met 
long  lines  of  carriers  bearing  large  square  masses  of  beeswax,  each 
about  a hundred  pounds  weight,  and  numbers  of  elephants’  tusks, 
the  property  of  Angolese  merchants.  Many  natives  were  proceed- 
ing to  the  coast  also  on  their  own  account,  carrying  beeswax,  ivo- 
ry, and  sweet  oil.  They  appeared  to  travel  in  perfect  security ; 


RED  ANTS. 


467 


ancl  at  different  parts  of  the  road  we  purchased  fowls  from  them 
at  a penny  each.  My  men  took  care  to  celebrate  their  own  daring- 
in  having  actually  entered  ships,  while  the  natives  of  these  parts, 
who  had  endeavored  to  frighten  them  on  their  way  down,  had  only 
seen  them  at  a distance.  Poor  fellows  ! they  were  more  than  ever 
attentive  to  me ; and,  as  they  were  not  obliged  to  erect  sheds  for 
themselves,  in  consequence  of  finding  them  already  built  at  the 
different  sleeping-places,  all  their  care  was  bestowed  in  making  me 
comfortable.  Mashauana,  as  usual,  made  his  bed  with  his  head 
close  to  my  feet,  and  never  during  the  entire  journey  did  I have  to 
call  him  twice  for  any  thing  I needed. 

During  our  stay  at  Tala  Mungongo,  our  attention  was  attract- 
ed to  a species  of  red  ant  which  infests  different  parts  of  this  coun- 
try. It  is  remarkably  fond  of  animal  food.  The  commandant 
of  the  village  having  slaughtered  a cow,  slaves  were  obliged  to  sit 
up  the  whole  night,  burning  fires  of  straw  around  the  meat,  to 
prevent  them  from  devouring  most  of  it.  These  ants  are  fre- 
quently met  with  in  numbers  like  a small  army.  At  a little 
distance  they  appear  as  a brownish-red  band,  two  or  three  inches 
wide,  stretched  across  the  path,  all  eagerly  pressing  on  in  one 
direction.  If  a person  happens  to  tread  upon  them,  they  rush 
up  his  legs  and  bite  with  surprising  vigor.  The  first  time  I 
encountered  this  by  no  means  contemptible  enemy  was  near 
Cassange.  My  attention  being  taken  up  in  viewing  the  distant 
landscape,  I accidentally  stepped  upon  one  of  their  nests.  Not 
an  instant  seemed  to  elapse  before  a simultaneous  attack  was 
made  on  various  unprotected  parts,  up  the  trowsers  from  below, 
and  on  my  neck  and  breast  above.  The  bites  of  these  furies 
were  like  sparks  of  fire,  and  there  was  no  retreat.  I jumped 
about  for  a second  or  two,  then  in  desperation  tore  off  all  my 
clothing,  and  rubbed  and  picked  them  off  seriatim  as  quickly  as 
possible.  Ugh ! they  would  make  the  most  lethargic  mortal  look 
alive.  F ortunately,  no  one  observed  this  rencounter,  or  word  might 
have  been  taken  back  to  the  village  that  I had  become  mad.  I 
was  once  assaulted  in  a similar  way  when  sound  asleep  at  night 
in  my  tent,  and  it  was  only  by  holding  my  blanket  over  the  fire 
that  I could  get  rid  of  them.  It  is  really  astonishing  how  such 
small  bodies  can  contain  so  large  an  amount  of  ill-nature.  They 
not  only  bite,  but  twist  themselves  round  after  the  mandibles  are 


468 


FRUIT-TREES. 


inserted,  to  produce  laceration  and  pain,  more  than  would  be 
effected  by  the  single  wound.  Frequently,  while  sitting  on  the 
ox,  as  he  happened  to  tread  near  a band,  they  would  rush  up 
his  legs  to  the  rider,  and  soon  let  him  know  that  he  had  dis- 
turbed their  march.  They  possess  no  fear,  attacking  with  equal 
ferocity  the  largest  as  well  as  the  smallest  animals.  When  any 
person  has  leaped  over  the  band,  numbers  of  them  leave  the 
ranks  and  rush  along  the  path,  seemingly  anxious  for  a fight. 
They  are  very  useful  in  ridding  the  country  of  dead  animal 
matter,  and,  when  they  visit  a human  habitation,  clear  it  entirely 
of  the  destructive  white  ants  and  other  vermin.  They  destroy 
many  noxious  insects  and  reptiles.  The  severity  of  their  attack 
is  greatly  increased  by  their  vast  numbers,  and  rats,  mice,  lizards, 
and  even  the  Python  natalensis,  when  in  a state  of  surfeit  from 
recent  feeding,  fall  victims  to  their  fierce  onslaught.  These  ants 
never  make  hills  like  the  white  ant.  Their  nests  are  but  a short 
distance  beneath  the  soil,  which  has  the  soft  appearance  of  the 
abodes  of  ants  in  England.  Occasionally  they  construct  galleries 
over  their  path  to  the  cells  of  the  white  ant,  in  order  to  secure 
themselves  from  the  heat  of  the  sun  during  their  marauding  ex- 
peditions. 

January  1 5th,  1855.  We  descended  in  one  hour  from  the 
heights  of  Tala  Mungongo.  I counted  the  number  of  paces 
made  on  the  slope  downward,  and  found  them  to  be  sixteen 
hundred,  which  may  give  a perpendicular  height  of  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  hundred  feet.  Water  boiled  at  206°  at  Tala  Mungongo 
above,  and  at  208°  at  the  bottom  of  the  declivity,  the  air  being 
at  72°  in  the  shade  in  the  former  case,  and  94°  in  the  latter. 
The  temperature  generally  throughout  the  day  was  from  94°  to 
97°  in  the  coolest  shade  we  could  find. 

The  rivulets  which  cut  up  the  valley  of  Cassange  were  now 
dry,  but  the  Lui  and  Luare  contained  abundance  of  rather 
brackish  water.  The  banks  are  lined  with  palm,  wild  date-trees, 
and  many  guavas,  the  fruit  of  which  was  now  becoming  ripe.  A 
tree  much  like  the  mango  abounds,  but  it  does  not  yield  fruit.  In 
these  rivers  a kind  of  edible  muscle  is  plentiful,  the  shells  of  which 
exist  in  all  the  alluvial  beds  of  the  ancient  rivers  as  far  as  the 
Kuruman.  The  brackish  nature  of  the  water  probably  enables 
it  to  exist  here.  On  the  open  grassy  lawns  great  numbers  of  a 


C ASSANGE  VILLAGE. 


469 


species  of  lark  are  seen.  They  are  black,  with  yellow  shoulders. 
Another  black  bird,  with  a long  tail  (Centropus  Senegalensis),  floats 
awkwardly,  with  its  tail  in  a perpendicular  position,  over  the  long 
grass.  It  always  chooses  the  highest  points,  and  is  caught  on 
them  with  bird-lime,  the  long  black  tail-feathers  being  highly  es- 
teemed by  the  natives  for  plumes.  We  saw  here  also  the  “ Le- 
hututu”  ( Tragopan  Leadbeaterii),  a large  bird  strongly  resem- 
bling a turkey ; it  is  black  on  the  ground,  but  when  it  flies  the 
outer  half  of  the  wings  are  white.  It  kills  serpents,  striking  them 
dexterously  behind  the  head.  It  derives  its  native  name  from 
the  noise  it  makes,  and  it  is  found  as  far  as  Kolobeng.  Another 
species  like  it  is  called  the  Abyssinian  hornbill. 

Before  we  reached  Cassange  we  were  overtaken  by  the  com- 
mandant, Senhor  Carvalho,  who  was  returning,  with  a detachment 
of  fifty  men  and  a field-piece,  from  an  unsuccessful  search  after 
some  rebels.  The  rebels  had  fled,  and  all  he  could  do  was  to 
burn  their  huts.  He  kindly  invited  me  to  take  up  my  residence 
with  him ; but,  not  wishing  to  pass  by  the  gentleman  (Captain 
Neves)  who  had  so  kindly  received  me  on  my  first  arrival  in  the 
Portuguese  possessions,  I declined.  Senhor  Rego  had  been  su- 
perseded in  his  command,  because  the  Governor  Amaral,  who  had 
come  into  office  since  my  departure  from  Loanda,  had  determined 
that  the  law  which  requires  the  office  of  commandant  to  be  exclu- 
sively occupied  by  military  officers  of  the  line  should  once  more 
come  into  operation.  I was  again  most  kindly  welcomed  by  my 
friend,  Captain  Neves,  whom  I found  laboring  under  a violent  in- 
flammation and  abscess  of  the  hand.  There  is  nothing  in  the  sit- 
uation of  this  village  to  indicate  unhealthiness,  except,  perhaps, 
the  rank  luxuriance  of  the  vegetation.  Nearly  all  the  Portuguese 
inhabitants  suffer  from  enlargement  of  the  spleen,  the  effects  of 
frequent  intermittents,  and  have  generally  a sickly  appearance. 
Thinking  that  this  affection  of  the  hand  was  simply  an  effort  of 
nature  to  get  rid  of  malarious  matter  from  the  system,  I recom- 
mended the  use  of  quinine.  He  himself  applied  the  leaf  of  a plant 
called  cathory,  famed  among  the  natives  as  an  excellent  remedy 
for  ulcers.  The  cathory  leaves,  when  boiled,  exude  a gummy 
juice,  which  effectually  shuts  out  the  external  air.  Each  remedy, 
of  course,  claimed  the  merit  of  the  cure. 

Many  of  the  children  are  cut  off  by  fever.  A fine  boy  of 


470 


A DIVINER  THRASHED. 


Captain  Neves’  had,  since  my  passage  westward,  shared  a similar 
fate.  Another  child  died  during  the  period  of  my  visit.  During 
his  sickness,  his  mother,  a woman  of  color,  sent  for  a diviner  in 
order  to  ascertain  what  ought  to  be  done.  The  diviner,  after 
throwing  his  dice,  worked  himself  into  the  state  of  ecstasy  in 
which  they  pretend  to  be  in  communication  with  the  Barimo. 
He  then  gave  the  oracular  response  that  the  child  was  being 
killed  by  the  spirit  of  a Portuguese  trader  who  once  lived  at 
Cassange.  The  case  was  this : on  the  death  of  the  trader,  the 
other  Portuguese  merchants  in  the  village  came  together,  and  sold 
the  goods  of  the  departed  to  each  other,  each  man  accounting  for 
the  portion  received  to  the  creditors  of  the  deceased  at  Loanda. 
The  natives,  looking  on,  and  not  understanding  the  nature  of  writ- 
ten mercantile  transactions,  concluded  that  the  merchants  of  Cas- 
sange had  simply  stolen  the  dead  man’s  goods,  and  that  now  the 
spirit  was  killing  the  child  of  Captain  Neves  for  the  part  he  had 
taken  in  the  affair.  The  diviner,  in  his  response,  revealed  the  im- 
pression made  on  his  own  mind  by  the  sale,  and  likewise  the  na- 
tive ideas  of  departed  souls.  As  they  give  the  whites  credit  for 
greater  stupidity  than  themselves  in  all  these  matters,  the  mother 
of  the  child  came,  and  told  the  father  that  he  ought  to  give  a 
slave  to  the  diviner  as  a fee  to  make  a sacrifice  to  appease  the 
spirit  and  save  the  life  of  the  child.  The  father  quietly  sent  for 
a neighbor,  and,  though  the  diviner  pretended  to  remain  in  his 
state  of  ecstasy,  the  brisk  application  of  two  sticks  to  his  back 
suddenly  reduced  him  to  his  senses  and  a most  undignified  flight. 

The  mother  of  this  child  seemed  to  have  no  confidence  in  Eu- 
ropean wisdom,  and,  though  I desired  her  to  keep  the  child  out  of 
currents  of  wind,  she  preferred  to  follow  her  own  custom,  and  even 
got  it  cupped  on  the  cheeks.  The  consequence  was  that  the  child 
was  soon  in  a dying  state,  and  the  father  wishing  it  to  be  bap- 
tized, I commended  its  soul  to  the  care  and  compassion  of  Him 
who  said,  “Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.”  The  mother  at 
once  rushed  away,  and  commenced  that  doleful  wail  which  is  so 
affecting,  as  it  indicates  sorrow  without  hope.  She  continued  it 
without  intermission  until  the  child  was  buried.  In  the  evening 
her  female  companions  used  a small  musical  instrument,  which 
produced  a kind  of  screeching  sound,  as  an  accompaniment  of  the 
death  wail. 


THE  ORDEAL. 


471 


In  the  construction  of  this  instrument  they  make  use  of  caout- 
chouc, which,  with  a variety  of  other  gums,  is  found  in  different 
parts  of  this  country. 

The  intercourse  which  the  natives  have  had  with  white  men 
does  not  seem  to  have  much  ameliorated  their  condition.  A great 
number  of  persons  are  reported  to  lose  their  lives  annually  in  dif- 
ferent districts  of  Angola  by  the  cruel  superstitions  to  which  they 
are  addicted,  and  the  Portuguese  authorities  either  know  nothing 
of  them,  or  are  unable  to  prevent  their  occurrence.  The  natives 
are  bound  to  secrecy  by  those  who  administer  the  ordeal,  which 
generally  causes  the  death  of  the  victim.  A person,  when  accused 
of  witchcraft,  will  often  travel  from  distant  districts  in  order  to  as- 
sert her  innocency  and  brave  the  test.  They  come  to  a river  on 
the  Cassange  called  Dua,  drink  the  infusion  of  a poisonous  tree, 
and  perish  unknown. 

A woman  was  accused  by  a brother-in-law  of  being  the  cause 
of  his  sickness  while  we  were  at  Cassange.  She  offered  to  take 
the  ordeal,  as  she  had  the  idea  that  it  would  but  prove  her  con- 
scious innocence.  Captain  Neves  refused  his  consent  to  her  go- 
ing, and  thus  saved  her  life,  which  would  have  been  sacrificed,  for 
the  poison  is  very  virulent.  When  a strong  stomach  rejects  it, 
the  accuser  reiterates  his  charge ; the  dose  is  repeated,  and  the 
person  dies.  Hundreds  perish  thus  every  year  in  the  valley  of 
Cassange. 

The  same  superstitious  ideas  being  prevalent  through  the  whole 
of  the  country  north  of  the  Zambesi,  seems  to  indicate  that  the 
people  must  originally  have  been  one.  All  believe  that  the  souls 
of  the  departed  still  mingle  among  the  living,  and  partake  in 
some  way  of  the  food  they  consume.  In  sickness,  sacrifices  of 
fowls  and  goats  are  made  to  appease  the  spirits.  It  is  imagined 
that  they  wish  to  take  the  living  away  from  earth  and  all  its 
enjoyments.  When  one  man  has  killed  another,  a sacrifice  is 
made,  as  if  to  lay  the  spirit  of  the  victim.  A sect  is  reported  to 
exist  who  kill  men  in  order  to  take  their  hearts  and  offer  them  to 
the  Barimo. 

The  chieftainship  is  elective  from  certain  families.  Among  the 
Bangalas  of  the  Cassange  valley  the  chief  is  chosen  from  three 
families  in  rotation.  A chief’s  brother  inherits  in  preference  to 
his  son.  The  sons  of  a sister  belong  to  her  brother ; and  he  often 


472 


TRADING  POMBEIROS. 


sells  his  nephews  to  pay  liis  debts.  By  this  and  other  unnatural 
customs,  more  than  by  war,  is  the  slave-market  supplied. 

The  prejudices  in  favor  of  these  practices  are  very  deeply  rooted 
in  the  native  mind.  Even  at  Loanda  they  retire  out  of  the  city 
in  order  to  perform  their  heathenish  rites  without  the  cognizance 
of  the  authorities.  Their  religion,  if  such  it  may  be  called,  is  one 
of  dread.  Numbers  of  charms  are  employed  to  avert  the  evils 
with  which  they  feel  themselves  to  be  encompassed.  Occasion- 
ally you  meet  a man,  more  cautious  or  more  timid  than  the  rest, 
with  twenty  or  thirty  charms  round  his  neck.  He  seems  to  act 
upon  the  principle  of  Proclus,  in  his  prayer  to  all  the  gods  and 
goddesses : among  so  many  he  surely  must  have  the  right  one. 
The  disrespect  which  Europeans  pay  to  the  objects  of  their  fear 
is  to  their  minds  only  an  evidence  of  great  folly. 

While  here,  I reproduced  the  last  of  my  lost  papers  and  maps ; 
and  as  there  is  a post  twice  a month  from  Loanda,  I had  the 
happiness  to  receive  a packet  of  the  “Times,"  and,  among  other 
news,  an  account  of  the  Russian  war  up  to  the  terrible  charge  of 
the  light  cavalry.  The  intense  anxiety  I felt  to  hear  more  may 
be  imagined  by  every  true  patriot ; but  I was  forced  to  brood 
on  in  silent  thought,  and  utter  my  poor  prayers  for  friends  who 
perchance  were  now  no  more,  until  I reached  the  other  side  of  the 
continent. 

A considerable  trade  is  carried  on  by  the  Cassange  merchants 
with  all  the  surrounding  territory  by  means  of  native  traders, 
whom  they  term  “Pombeiros.”  Two  of  these,  called  in  the  his- 
tory of  Angola  “ the  trading  blacks”  (os  feirantes  pretos),  Pedro 
Joao  Baptista  and  Antonio  Jose,  having  been  sent  by  the  first 
Portuguese  trader  that  lived  at  Cassange,  actually  returned  from 
some  of  the  Portuguese  possessions  in  the  East  with  letters  from 
the  governor  of  Mozambique  in  the  year  1815,  proving,  as  is  re- 
marked, “the  possibility  of  so  important  a communication  between 
Mozambique  and  Loanda.”  This  is  the  only  instance  of  native 
Portuguese  subjects  crossing  the  continent.  No  European  ever 
accomplished  it,  though  this  fact  has  lately  been  quoted  as  if  the 
men  had  been  “ Portuguese .” 

Captain  Neves  was  now  actively  engaged  in  preparing  a present, 
worth  about  fifty  pounds,  to  be  sent  by  Pombeiros  to  Matiamvo. 
It  consisted  of  great  quantities  of  cotton  cloth,  a large  carpet,  an 


FEVER  AFTER  WESTERLY  WINDS. 


473 


arm-chair  with  a canopy  and  curtains  of  crimson  calico,  an  iron 
bedstead,  musquito  curtains,  beads,  etc.,  and  a number  of  pictures 
rudely  painted  in  oil  by  an  embryo  black  painter  at  Cassange. 

Matiamvo,  like  most  of  the  natives  in  the  interior  of  the  coun- 
try, has  a strong  desire  to  possess  a cannon,  and  had  sent  ten 
large  tusks  to  purchase  one  ; but,  being  government  property, 
it  could  not  be  sold : he  was  now  furnished  with  a blunderbuss, 
mounted  as  a cannon,  which  would  probably  please  him  as  well. 

Senhor  Gra$a  and  some  other  Portuguese  have  visited  this  chief 
at  different  times  ; but  no  European  resides  beyond  the  Quango ; 
indeed,  it  is  contrary  to  the  policy  of  the  government  of  Angola 
to  allow  their  subjects  to  penetrate  further  into  the  interior.  The 
present  would  have  been  a good  opportunity  for  me  to  have  visited 
that  chief,  and  I felt  strongly  inclined  to  do  so,  as  he  had  expressed 
dissatisfaction  respecting  my  treatment  by  the  Chiboque,  and  even 
threatened  to  punish  them.  As  it  would  be  improper  to  force  my 
men  to  go  thither,  I resolved  to  wait  and  see  whether  the  propo- 
sition might  not  emanate  from  themselves.  When  I can  get  the 
natives  to  agree  in  the  propriety  of  any  step,  they  go  to  the  end  of 
the  affair  without  a murmur.  I speak  to  them  and  treat  them  as 
rational  beings,  and  generally  get  on  well  with  them  in  consequence. 

I have  already  remarked  on  the  unhealtliiness  of  Cassange;  and 
Captain  Neves,  who  possesses  an  observing  turn  of  mind,  had 
noticed  that  always  when  the  west  wind  blows  much  fever  imme- 
diately follows.  As  long  as  easterly  winds  prevail,  all  enjoy  good 
health ; but  in  January,  February,  March,  and  April,  the  winds 
are  variable,  and  sickness  is  general.  The  unhealthiness  of  the 
westerly  winds  probably  results  from  malaria,  appearing  to  be 
heavier  than  common  air,  and  sweeping  down  into  the  valley  of 
Cassange  from  the  western  plateau,  somewhat  in  the  same  way  as 
the  carbonic  acid  gas  from  bean-fields  is  supposed  by  colliers  to 
do  into  coal-pits.  In  the  west  of  Scotland  strong  objections  are 
made  by  that  body  of  men  to  farmers  planting  beans  in  their 
vicinity,  from  the  belief  that  they  render  the  mines  unhealthy. 
The  gravitation  of  the  malaria  from  the  more  elevated  land  of 
Tala  Mungongo  toward  Cassange  is  the  only  way  the  unhealthi- 
ness of  this  spot  on  the  prevalence  of  the  westerly  winds  can  be 
accounted  for.  The  banks  of  the  Quango,  though  much  more 
marshy,  and  covered  with  ranker  vegetation,  are  comparatively 


474 


EXPORTS  FROM  LOANDA. 


healthy ; but  thither  the  westerly  wind  does  not  seem  to  convey 
the  noxious  agent. 

Feb.  20th.  On  the  day  of  starting  from  Cassange,  the  westerly 
wind  blew  strongly,  and  on  the  day  following  we  were  brought  to 
a stand  by  several  of  our  party  being  laid  up  with  fever.  This 
complaint  is  the  only  serious  drawback  Angola  possesses.  It  is  in 
every  other  respect  an  agreeable  land,  and  admirably  adapted  for 
yielding  a rich  abundance  of  tropical  produce  for  the  rest  of  the 
world.  Indeed,  I have  no  hesitation  in  asserting  that,  had  it  been 
in  the  possession  of  England,  it  would  now  have  been  yielding  as 
much  or  more  of  the  raw  material  for  her  manufactures  as  an 
equal  extent  of  territory  in  the  cotton-growing  states  of  America. 
A railway  from  Loanda  to  this  valley  would  secure  the  trade  of 
most  of  the  interior  of  South  Central  Africa.* 


* The  following  statistics  may  be  of  interest  to  mercantile  men.  They  show 
that  since  the  repression  of  the  slave-trade  in  Angola  the  value  of  the  exports  in 
lawful  commerce  has  steadily  augmented.  We  have  no  returns  since  1850,  but  the 
prosperity  of  legitimate  trade  has  suffered  no  check.  The  duties  are  noted  in  Por- 
tuguese money,  “milreis,”  each  of  which  is  about  three  shillings  in  value. 

Return  of  the  Quantities  and  Value  of  the  Staple  Articles,  the  Produce  of  the 
Province  of  Angola,  exported  from  St.  Paul  de  Loanda  between  July  1,  1848, 
and  June  30,  1849,  specifying  the  Quantities  and  Value  of  those  exported  in 
Portuguese  Ships  and  in  Ships  of  other  Nations. 


ARTICLES. 

In  Portuguese  Ships. 

In  Ships  of 

other  Nations. 

Amount. 

Value. 

Amount. 

Value. 

£ s. 

d, 

£ 3. 

d. 

Ivory 

1454 

35,350  0 

0 

515 

12,875  0 

0 

Palm  oil 

it 

1440 

2,160  0 

0 

6671  1 qr. 

10,036  17 

6 

Coffee  

it 

152 

304  0 

0 

684 

1,368  0 

0 

Hides 

. No. 

1837 

633  17 

6 

849 

318  17 

6 

Gum 

. Cwt. 

147 

205  16 

0 

4763 

6,668  4 

0 

Beeswax 

“ 

1109 

6,654  0 

0 

544 

3,264  0 

0 

Orchella 

. Tons 

630 

23,940  0 

0 

69,247  13 

6 

34,530  19 

0 

Total  Quantity  and  Value  of  Exports  from  Loanda. 


£ s.  d. 


Ivory 

1969  

48,225 

0 

0 

Palm  oil 

8111  1 qr 

12,196 

17 

6 

Coffee 

it 

836  * 

1*672 

0 

0 

Hides  

No. 

2686  

952 

15 

0 

Gum 

Cwt. 

4910  

6,874 

0 

0 

Beeswax 

tt 

1653  

9^918 

0 

0 

Orchella 

630  

23*940 

0 

0 

£103,778 

12 

6 

REVENUE  OF  LOANDA. 


475 


As  soon  as  we  could  move  toward  the  Quango  we  did  so, 
meeting  in  our  course  several  trading-parties,  both  native  and 
Portuguese.  We  met  two  of  the  latter  carrying  a tusk  weighing 
126  lbs.  The  owner  afterward  informed  us  that  its  fellow  on 
the  left  side  of  the  same  elephant  was  130  lbs.  It  was  8 feet 
6-|  inches  long,  and  21  inches  in  circumference  at  the  part  on 
which  the  lip  of  the  animal  rests.  The  elephant  was  rather  a 


Abstract  View  of  the  Net  Revenue  of  the  Customs  at  St.  Paul  de  Loanda  in 
quinquennial  periods  from  1818-19  to  1843-44,  both  included;  and  thence  in 
each  year  to  1848-49. 


Years. 

Duties  on 
Importation. 

Duties  on 
Exportation. 

Duties  on 
Re-exportation. 

Duties  on  Slaves. 

Tonnage  Dues,  Store 
Rents,  «nd  other  in- 
cidental Receipts. 

1818-19 

Mil.  reis. 

573  87G 

Mil.  reis. 

Mil.  reis. 

Mil.  reis. 

137,320  800 

Mil.  reis. 

148,608  661 

1823-24 

3,490  752 

460  420 

120,843  000 

133,446  892 

1828-29 

4,700  684 

800  280 

125,330  000 

139,981  364 

1833-34 

7,490  000 

1,590  000 

139,280  000 

158,978  640 

1838-39 

25,800  590 

2,720  000 

135,470  320 

173,710  910 

1843-44 

53,240  000 

4,320  000 

72,195  230 

138,255  230 

1844-15 

99,380  264 

6,995  095 

17,676  000 

134,941  359 

1845-46 

150,233  789 

9,610  735 

5,116  500 

181,423  550 

1846-47 

122,501  186 

8,605  821 

549  000 

114,599  235 

1847-48 

119,246  826 

9,718  676 

4097  868 

1,231  200 

146,321  476 

1848-49 

131,105  453 

9,969  960 

1164  309 

1,183  500 

157,152  400 

718,763  420 
=£102,680 

54,790  987 
=£7827 

756,195  550 
=£108,028 

Years. 

Net  Revenue  of 
Customs. 

Revenue  from 
other  Sources. 

Total  Net 
Revenue. 

Total  Amount  of 
Charges. 

£ x.  d. 

£ s.  d. 

£ s.  d. 

£ s.  d. 

1844-45  

26,988  5 5 

9,701  10  8 

36,689  16  1 

53,542  5 4 

1845-46  

36,284  14  2 

24,580  4 10 

60,864  19  0 

56,695  9 7 

1846-47  

28,919  16  11 

23,327  9 11 

52,247  6 10 

52,180  9 7 

1847-48  

29,264  5 10 

24,490  11  8 

53,754  17  6 

53,440  8 8 

1848-49  

31,430  9 7 

18,868  3 10 

51,298  13  5 

50,686  3 3 

The  above  account  exhibits  the  total  revenue  and  charges  of  the  government 
of  St.  Paul  de  Loanda  in  each  year,  from  1844—45  to  1848-49,  both  included. 
The  above  three  tables  are  copied  from  the  appendix  to  a dispatch  sent  by  Mr. 
Gabriel  to  Vissount  Palmerston,  dated  the  5tli  of  August,  1850,  and,  among 
other  facts  of  interest,  show  a very  satisfactory  diminution  in  the  duties  upon 
slaves. 

The  returns  from  1818  to  1844  have  been  obtained  from  different  sources  as  the 
average  revenue  ; those  from  1844  to  1849  are  from  the  Custom-house  records. 


476 


MOHE  FEVER. 


small  one,  as  is  common  in  this  hot  central  region.  Some  idea 
may  he  formed  of  the  strength  of  his  neck  when  it  is  recollected 
that  he  bore  a weight  of  256  lbs.  The  ivory  which  comes  from 
the  east  and  northeast  of  Cassange  is  very  much  larger  than  any 
to  be  found  further  south.  Captain  Neves  had  one  weighing  120 
lbs.,  and  this  weight  is  by  no  means  uncommon.  They  have  been 
found  weighing  even  158  lbs. 

Before  reaching  the  Quango  we  were  again  brought  to  a stand 
by  fever  in  two  of  my  companions,  close  to  the  residence  of  a 
Portuguese  who  rejoiced  in  the  name  of  William  Tell,  and  who 
lived  here  in  spite  of  the  prohibition  of  the  government.  We 
were  using  the  water  of  a pond,  and  this  gentleman,  having  come  to 
invite  me  to  dinner,  drank  a little  of  it,  and  caught  fever  in  conse- 
quence. If  malarious  matter  existed  in  water,  it  would  have  been 
a wonder  had  we  escaped  ; for,  traveling  in  the  sun,  with  the  ther- 
mometer from  96°  to  98°  in  the  shade,  the  evaporation  from  our 
bodies  causing  much  thirst,  we  generally  partook  of  every  water 
we  came  to.  We  had  probably  thus  more  disease  than  others 
might  suffer  who  had  better  shelter. 

Mr.  Tell  remarked  that  his  garden  was  rather  barren,  being 
still,  as  he  said,  wild ; but  when  more  worked  it  would  become 
better,  though  no  manure  be  applied.  My  men  were  busy  collect- 
ing a better  breed  of  fowls  and  pigeons  than  those  in  their  own 
country.  Mr.  Tell  presented  them  with  some  large  specimens 
from  Kio  Janeiro.  Of  these  they  were  wonderfully  proud,  and 
bore  the  cock  in  triumph  through  the  country  of  the  Balonda,  as 
evidence  of  having  been  to  the  sea.  But  when  at  the  village  of 
Shinte,  a hyasna  came  into  our  midst  when  we  were  all  sound 
asleep,  and  picked  out  the  giant  in  his  basket  from  eighty-four 
others,  and  he  was  lost,  to  the  great  grief  of  my  men.  The 
anxiety  these  people  have  always  shown  to  improve  the  breed 
of  their  domestic  animals  is,  I think,  a favorable  point  in  their 
character.  On  looking  at  the  common  breeds  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  Portuguese,  which  are  merely  native  cattle,  and  seeing 
them  slaughter  both  heifer-calves  and  cows,  which  they  them- 
selves never  do,  and  likewise  making  no  use  of  the  milk,  they 
concluded  that  the  Portuguese  must  be  an  inferior  race  of  white 
men.  They  never  ceased  remarking  on  the  fine  ground  for  gar- 
dens over  which  we  were  passing ; and  when  I happened  to  men- 


SUPERSTITIOUS  FEARS. 


477 


tion  that  most  of  the  flour  which  the  Portuguese  consumed  came 
from  another  country,  they  exclaimed,  “Are  they  ignorant  of 
tillage?”  “They  know  nothing  but  buying  and  selling:  they  are 
not  men.”  I hope  it  may  reach  the  ears  of  my  Angolese  friends, 
and  that  they  may  be  stirred  up  to  develop  the  resources  of  their 
fine  country. 

On  coming  back  to  Cypriano’s  village  on  the  28th,  we  found  that 
his  step-father  had  died  after  we  had  passed,  and,  according  to  the 
custom  of  the  country,  he  had  spent  more  than  his  patrimony  in 
funeral  orgies.  He  acted  with  his  wonted  kindness,  though,  un- 
fortunately, drinking  has  got  him  so  deeply  in  debt  that  he  now 
keeps  out  of  the  way  of  his  creditors.  He  informed  us  that  the 
source  of  the  Quango  is  eight  days,  or  one  hundred  miles,  to  the 
south  of  this,  and  in  a range  called  Mosamba,  in  the  country  of 
the  Basongo.  We  can  see  from  this  a sort  of  break  in  the  high 
land  which  stretches  away  round  to  Tala  Mongongo,  through 
which  the  river  comes. 

A death  had  occurred  in  a village  about  a mile  off,  and  the 
people  were  busy  beating  drums  and  firing  guns.  The  funeral 
rites  are  half  festive,  half  mourning,  partaking  somewhat  of  the 
character  of  an  Irish  wake.  There  is  nothing  more  heart-rending 
than  their  death  wails.  When  the  natives  turn  their  eyes  to  the 
future  world,  they  have  a view  cheerless  enough  of  their  own  ut- 
ter helplessness  and  hopelessness.  They  fancy  themselves  com- 
pletely in  the  power  of  the  disembodied  spirits,  and  look  upon  the 
prospect  of  following  them  as  the  greatest  of  misfortunes.  Hence 
they  are  constantly  deprecating  the  wrath  of  departed  souls,  be- 
lieving that,  if  they  are  appeased,  there  is  no  other  cause  of  death 
but  witchcraft,  which  may  be  averted  by  charms.  The  whole  of 
the  colored  population  of  Angola  are  sunk  in  these  gross  su- 
perstitions, but  have  the  opinion,  notwithstanding,  that  they 
are  wiser  in  these  matters  than  their  white  neighbors.  Each 
tribe  has  a consciousness  of  following  its  own  best  interests  in  the 
best  way.  They  are  by  no  means  destitute  of  that  self-esteem 
which  is  so  common  in  other  nations ; yet  they  fear  all  manner 
of  phantoms,  and  have  half-developed  ideas  and  traditions  of 
something  or  other,  they  know  not  what.  The  pleasures  of  ani- 
mal life  are  ever  present  to  their  minds  as  the  supreme  good ; 
and,  but  for  the  innumerable  invisibilities,  they  might  enjoy  their 


478 


CROSSING  THE  QUANGO. 


luxurious  climate  as  much  as  it  is  possible  for  man  to  do.  I have 
often  thought,  in  traveling  through  their  land,  that  it  presents 
pictures  of  beauty  which  angels  might  enjoy.  How  often  have  I 
beheld,  in  still  mornings,  scenes  the  very  essence  of  beauty,  and  all 
bathed  in  a quiet  air  of  delicious  warmth ! yet  the  occasional  soft 
motion  imparted  a pleasing  sensation  of  coolness  as  of  a fan. 
Green  grassy  meadows,  the  cattle  feeding,  the  goats  browsing, 
the  kids  skipping,  the  groups  of  herd-boys  with  miniature  bows, 
arrows,  and  spears ; the  women  wending  their  way  to  the  river 
with  watering-pots  poised  jauntily  on  their  heads ; men  sewing 
under  the  shady  banians ; and  old  gray-headed  fathers  sitting  on 
the  ground,  with  staff  in  hand,  listening  to  the  morning  gossip, 
while  others  carry  trees  or  branches  to  repair  their  hedges  ; and 
all  this,  flooded  with  the  bright  African  sunshine,  and  the  birds 
singing  among  the  branches  before  the  heat  of  the  day  has  become 
intense,  form  pictures  which  can  never  be  forgotten. 

We  were  informed  that  a chief  named  Gando,  living  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river,  having  been  accused  of  witchcraft,  was 
killed  by  the  ordeal,  and.  his  body  thrown  into  the  Quango. 

The  ferrymen  demanded  thirty  yards  of  calico,  but  received  six 
thankfully.  The  canoes  were  wretched,  carrying  only  two  persons 
at  a time  ; but  my  men  being  well  acquainted  with  the  water,  we 
all  got  over  in  about  two  hours  and  a half.  They  excited  the 
admiration  of  the  inhabitants  by  the  manner  in  which  they 
managed  the  cattle  and  donkeys  in  crossing.  The  most  stubborn 
of  beasts  found  himself  powerless  in  their  hands.  Five  or  six, 
seizing  hold  on  one,  bundled  him  at  once  into  the  stream,  and,  in 
this  predicament,  he  always  thought  it  best  policy  to  give  in  and 
swim.  The  men  sometimes  swam  along  with  the  cattle,  and  forced 
them  to  go  on  by  dashing  water  at  their  heads.  The  difference 
between  my  men  and  those  of  the  native  traders  who  accompanied 
us  was  never  more  apparent  than  now ; for,  while  my  men  felt  an 
interest  in  every  thing  we  possessed  in  common,  theirs  were  rather 
glad  when  the  oxen  refused  to  cross,  for,  being  obliged  to  slaugh- 
ter them  on  such  occasions,  the  loss  to  their  masters  was  a wel- 
come feast  to  themselves. 

On  the  eastern  side  of  the  Quango  we  passed  on,  without  visit- 
ing our  friend  of  the  conical  head-dress,  to  the  residence  of  some 
Ambakistas  who  had  crossed  the  river  in  order  to  secure  the  first 


AMBAKISTAS.— BASHINJE. 


479 


chances  of  trade  in  wax.  I have  before  remarked  on  the  knowl- 
edge of  reading  and  writing  that  these  Ambakistas  possess  ; they 
are  famed  for  their  love  of  all  sorts  of  learning  within  their  reach, 
a knowledge  of  the  history  of  Portugal,  Portuguese  law,  etc.,  etc. 
They  are  remarkably  keen  in  trade,  and  are  sometimes  called  the 
Jews  of  Angola.  They  are  employed  as  clerks  and  writers,  their 
feminine  delicacy  of  constitution  enabling  them  to  write  a fine 
lady’s  hand,  a kind  of  writing  much  esteemed  among  the  Portu- 
guese. They  are  not  physically  equal  to  the  European  Portuguese, 
but  possess  considerable  ability ; and  it  is  said  that  half-castes,  in 
the  course  of  a few  generations,  return  to  the  black  color  of  the 
maternal  ancestor.  The  black  population  of  Angola  has  become 
much  deteriorated.  They  are  not  so  strongly  formed  as  the  inde- 
pendent tribes.  A large  quantity  of  aguardiente,  an  inferior  kind 
of  spirit,  is  imported  into  the  country,  which  is  most  injurious  in 
its  effects.  We  saw  many  parties  carrying  casks  of  this  baneful 
liquor  to  the  independent  chiefs  beyond ; and  were  informed  that 
it  is  difficult  for  any  trader  to  convey  it  far,  carriers  being  in  the 
habit  of  helping  themselves  by  means  of  a straw,  and  then  inject- 
ing an  equal  amount  of  water  when  near  the  point  of  delivery. 
To  prevent  this,  it  is  common  to  see  large  demijohns  with  padlocks 
on  the  corks.  These  are  frequently  stolen.  In  fact,  the  carriers 
are  much  addicted  to  both  lying  and  thieving,  as  might  be  ex- 
pected from  the  lowest  class  of  a people  on  whom  the  debasing 
slave  system  has  acted  for  two  centuries. 

The  Bashinje,  in  whose  country  we  now  are,  seem  to  possess 
more  of  the  low  negro  character  and  physiognomy  than  either 
the  Balonda  or  Basongo ; their  color  is  generally  dirty  black, 
foreheads  low  and  compressed,  noses  flat  and  much  expanded 
laterally,  though  this  is  partly  owing  to  the  alae  spreading  over 
the  cheeks,  by  the  custom  of  inserting  bits  of  sticks  or  reeds  in 
the  septum ; their  teeth  are  deformed  by  being  filed  to  points ; 
their  lips  are  large.  They  make  a nearer  approach  to  a general 
negro  appearance  than  any  tribes  I met ; but  I did  not  notice 
this  on  my  way  down.  They  cultivate  pretty  largely,  and  rely 
upon  their  agricultural  products  for  their  supplies  of  salt,  flesh, 
tobacco,  etc.,  from  Ban  galas.  Their  clothing  consists  of  pieces 
of  skin,  hung  loosely  from  the  girdle  in  front  and  behind.  They 
plait  their  hair  fantastically.  We  saw  some  women  coming  with 


480 


SANS  AWE’S  IDEA  OF  DIGNITY. 


their  hair  woven  into  the  form  of  a European  hat,  and  it  was  only 
by  a closer  inspection  that  its  nature  was  detected.  Others  had  it 
arranged  in  tufts,  with  a threefold  cord  along  the  ridge  of  each 
tuft ; while  others,  again,  follow  the  ancient  Egyptian  fashion,  hav- 
ing the  whole  mass  of  wool  plaited  into  cords,  all  hanging  down 
as  far  as  the  shoulders.  This  mode,  with  the  somewhat  Egyptian 
cast  of  countenance  in  other  parts  of  Londa,  reminded  me  strongly 
of  the  paintings  of  that  nation  in  the  British  Museum. 

We  had  now  rain  every  day,  and  the  sky  seldom  presented  that 
cloudless  aspect  and  clear  blue  so  common  in  the  dry  lands  of  the 
south.  The  heavens  are  often  overcast  by  large  white  motionless 
masses,  which  stand  for  hours  in  the  same  position,  and  the  inter- 
vening spaces  are  filled  with  a milk-and-water-looking  haze.  Not- 
withstanding these  unfavorable  circumstances,  I obtained  good  ob- 
servations for  the  longitude  of  this  important  point  on  both  sides 
of  the  Quango,  and  found  the  river  running  in  9°  50'  S.  lat.,  18° 
S3'  E.  long. 

On  proceeding  to  our  former  station  near  Sansawe’s  village,  he 
ran  to  meet  us  with  wonderful  urbanity,  asking  if  we  had  seen 
Moene  Put,  king  of  the  white  men  (or  Portuguese) ; and  added, 
on  parting,  that  he  would  come  to  receive  his  dues  in  the  evening. 
I replied  that,  as  he  had  treated  us  so  scurvily,  even  forbidding 
his  people  to  sell  us  any  food,  if  he  did  not  bring  us  a fowl  and 
some  eggs  as  part  of  his  duty  as  a chief,  he  should  receive  no 
present  from  me.  When  he  came,  it  was  in  the  usual  Londa  way 
of  showing  the  exalted  position  he  occupies,  mounted  on  the  shoul- 
ders of  his  spokesman,  as  schoolboys  sometimes  do  in  England, 
and  as  was  represented  to  have  been  the  case  in  the  southern  isl- 
ands when  Captain  Cook  visited  them.  My  companions,  amused 
at  his  idea  of  dignity,  greeted  him  with  a hearty  laugh.  He  visit- 
ed the  native  traders  first,  and  then  came  to  me  with  two  cocks  as 
a present.  I spoke  to  him  about  the  impolicy  of  treatment  we 
had  received  at  his  hands,  and  quoted  the  example  of  the  Banga- 
las,  who  had  been  conquered  by  the  Portuguese,  for  their  extor- 
tionate demands  of  payment  for  firewood,  grass,  water,  etc.,  and 
concluded  by  denying  his  right  to  any  payment  for  simply  pass- 
ing through  uncultivated  land.  To  all  this  he  agreed ; and  then 
I gave  him,  as  a token  of  friendship,  a pannikin  of  coarse  powder, 
two  iron  spoons,  and  two  yards  of  coarse  printed  calico.  He 


LONG  DETENTION. 


481 


looked  rather  saucily  at  these  articles,  for  he  had  just  received  a 
barrel  containing  18  lbs.  of  powder,  24  yards  of  calico,  and  two 
bottles  of  brandy,  from  Senhor  Pascoal  the  Pombeiro.  Other 
presents  were  added  the  next  day,  but  we  gave  nothing  more  ; and 
the  Pombeiros  informed  me  that  it  was  necessary  to  give  largely, 
because  they  are  accompanied  by  slaves  and  carriers  who  are  no 
great  friends  to  their  masters ; and  if  they  did  not  secure  the 
friendship  of  these  petty  chiefs,  many  slaves  and  their  loads  might 
be  stolen  while  passing  through  the  forests.  It  is  thus  a sort  of 
black-mail  that  these  insignificant  chiefs  levy  ; and  the  native 
traders,  in  paying,  do  so  simply  as  a bribe  to  keep  them  honest. 
This  chief  was  a man  of  no  power,  but  in  our  former  ignorance 
of  this  he  plagued  us  a whole  day  in  passing. 

Finding  the  progress  of  Senhor  Pascoal  and  the  other  Pom- 
beiros excessively  slow,  I resolved  to  forego  his  company  to 
Cabango  after  I had  delivered  to  him  some  letters  to  be  sent 
back  to  Cassange.  I went  forward  with  the  intention  of  finishing 
my  writing,  and  leaving  a packet  for  him  at  some  village.  We 
ascended  the  eastern  acclivity  that  bounds  the  Cassange  valley, 
which  has  rather  a gradual  ascent  up  from  the  Quango,  and  we 
found  that  the  last  ascent,  though  apparently  not  quite  so  high 
as  that  at  Tala  Mungongo,  is  actually  much  higher.  The  top  is 
about  5000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  the  bottom  3500 
feet ; water  boiling  on  the  heights  at  202°,  the  thermometer  in 
the  air  showing  96° ; and  at  the  bottom  at  205°,  the  air  Being 
75°.  We  had  now  gained  the  summit  of  the  western  subtending 
ridge,  and  began  to  descend  toward  the  centre  of  the  country, 
hoping  soon  to  get  out  of  the  Chiboque  territory,  which,  when  we 
ascended  from  the  Cassange  valley,  we  had  entered ; but,  on  the 
19th  of  April,  the  intermittent,  which  had  begun  on  the  16th  of 
March,  was  changed  into  an  extremely  severe  attack  of  rheumatic 
fever.  This  was  brought  on  by  being  obliged  to  sleep  on  an  ex- 
tensive plain  covered  with  water.  The  rain  poured  down  inces- 
santly, but  we  formed  our  beds  by  dragging  up  the  earth  into 
oblong  mounds,  somewhat  like  graves  in  a country  church-yard, 
and  then  placing  grass  upon  them.  The  rain  continuing  to  deluge 
us,  we  were  unable  to  leave  for  two  days,  but  as  soon  as  it  became 
fair  we  continued  our  march.  The  heavy  dew  upon  the  higli 
grass  was  so  cold  as  to  cause  shivering,  and  I was  forced  to  lie  by 

H H 


482 


A BLOW  ON  THE  BEAED. 


for  eight  days,  tossing  and  groaning  with  violent  pain  in  the  head. 
This  was  the  most  severe  attack  I had  endured.  It  made  me  quite 
unfit  to  move,  or  even  know  what  was  passing  outside  my  little 
tent.  Senhor  Pascoal,  who  had  been  detained  by  the  severe  rain  at 
a better  spot,  at  last  came  up,  and,  knowing  that  leeches  abound- 
ed in  the  rivulets,  procured  a number,  and  applied  some  dozens  to 
the  nape  of  the  neck  and  the  loins.  This  partially  relieved  the 
pain.  He  was  then  obliged  to  move  forward,  in  order  to  purchase 
food  for  his  large  party.  After  many  days  I began  to  recover, 
and  wished  to  move  on,  but  my  men  objected  to  the  attempt  on 
account  of  my  weakness.  When  Senhor  Pascoal  had  been  some 
time  at  the  village  in  front,  as  he  had  received  instructions  from 
his  employer,  Captain  Neves,  to  aid  me  as  much  as  possible,  and 
being  himself  a kindly-disposed  person,  he  sent  back  two  messen- 
gers to  invite  me  to  come  on,  if  practicable. 

It  happened  that  the  head  man  of  the  village  where  I had  lain 
twenty-two  days,  while  bargaining  and  quarreling  in  my  camp  for 
a piece  of  meat,  had  been  struck  on  the  mouth  by  one  of  my  men. 
My  principal  men  paid  five  pieces  pf  cloth  and  a gun  as  an  atone- 
ment ; but  the  more  they  yielded,  the  more  exorbitant  he  became, 
and  he  sent  word  to  all  the  surrounding  villages  to  aid  him  in 
avenging  the  affront  of  a blow  on  the  beard.  As  their  courage 
usually  rises  with  success,  I resolved  to  yield  no  more,  and  de- 
parted. In  passing  through  a forest  in  the  country  beyond,  we 
were  startled  by  a body  of  men  rushing  after  us.  They  began  by 
knocking  down  the  burdens  of  the  hindermost  of  my  men,  and  sev- 
eral shots  were  fired,  each  party  spreading  out  on  both  sides  of  the 
path.  I fortunately  had  a six-barreled  revolver,  which  my  friend 
Captain  Henry  Need,  of  her  majesty’s  brig  “ Linnet,”  had  consid- 
erately sent  to  Golungo  Alto  after  my  departure  from  Loanda. 
Taking  this  in  my  hand,  and  forgetting  fever,  I staggered  quickly 
along  the  path  with  two  or  three  of  my  men,  and  fortunately  en- 
countered the  chief.  The  sight  of  the  six  barrels  gaping  into 
his  stomach,  with  my  own  ghastly  visage  looking  daggers  at  his 
face,  seemed  to  produce  an  instant  revolution  in  his  martial  feel- 
ings, for  he  cried  out,  “Oh!  I have  only  come  to  speak  to  you, 
and  wish  peace  only.”  Mashauana  had  hold  of  him  by  the  hand, 
and  found  him  shaking.  We  examined  his  gun,  and  found  that 
it  had  been  discharged.  Both  parties  crowded  up  to  their  chiefs. 


SKIRMISH  IN  A FOREST. 


483 


One  of  the  opposite  party  coming  too  near,  one  of  mine  drove  him 
back  with  a battle-axe.  The  enemy  protested  their  amicable  in- 
tentions, and  my  men  asserted  the  fact  of  having  the  goods 
knocked  down  as  evidence  of  the  contrary.  Without  waiting  long, 
I requested  all  to  sit  down,  and  Pitsane,  placing  his  hand  upon 
the  revolver,  somewhat  allayed  their  fears.  I then  said  to  the 
chief,  “ If  you  have  come  with  peaceable  intentions,  we  have  no 
other ; go  away  home  to  your  village.”  He  replied,  “lam  afraid 
lest  you  shoot  me  in  the  back.”  I rejoined,  “ If  I wanted  to  kill 
you,  I could  shoot  you  in  the  face  as  well.”  Mosantu  called  out 
to  me,  “ That’s  only  a Makalaka  trick;  don’t  give  him  your  back.” 
But  I said,  “ Tell  him  to  observe  that  I am  not  afraid  of  him 
and,  turning,  mounted  my  ox.  There  was  not  much  danger  in 
the  tire  that  was  opened  at  first,  there  being  so  many  trees.  The 
enemy  probably  expected  that  the  sudden  attack  would  make  us 
forsake  our  goods,  and  allow  them  to  plunder  with  ease.  The 
villagers  were  no  doubt  pleased  with  being  allowed  to  retire  un- 
scathed, and  we  were  also  glad  to  get  away  without  having  shed 
a drop  of  blood,  or  having  compromised  ourselves  for  any  future 
visit.  My  men  were  delighted  with  their  own  bravery,  and  made 
the  woods  ring  with  telling  each  other  how  “ brilliant  their  con- 
duct before  the  enemy”  would  have  been,  had  hostilities  not  been 
brought  to  a sudden  close. 

I do  not  mention  this  little  skirmish  as  a very  frightful  affair. 
The  negro  character  in  these  parts,  and  in  Angola,  is  essentially 
cowardly,  except  when  influenced  by  success.  A partial  triumph 
over  any  body  of  men  would  induce  the  whole  country  to  rise  in 
arms,  and  this  is  the  chief  danger  to  be  feared.  These  petty  chiefs 
have  individually  but  little  power,  and  with  my  men,  now  armed 
with  guns,  I could  have  easily  beaten  them  off  singly  ; but,  being 
of  the  same  family,  they  would  readily  unite  in  vast  numbers  if 
incited  by  prospects  of  successful  plunder.  They  are  by  no  means 
equal  to  the  Cape  Caffres  in  any  respect  whatever. 

In  the  evening  we  came  to  Moena  Kikanje,  and  found  him  a 
sensible  man.  He  is  the  last  of  the  Chiboque  chiefs  in  this  di- 
rection, and  is  in  alliance  with  Matiamvo,  whose  territory  com- 
mences a short  distance  beyond.  His  village  is  placed  on  the 
east  bank  of  the  Quilo,  which  is  here  twenty  yards  wide,  and  breast 
deep. 


484 


MODE  OF  ADDRESSING  SLAVES. 


The  country  was  generally  covered  with  forest,  and  we  slept 
every  night  at  some  village.  I was  so  weak,  and  had  become  so 
deaf  from  the  effects  of  the  fever,  that  I was  glad  to  avail  myself 
of  the  company  of  Senhor  Pascoal  and  the  other  native  traders. 
Our  rate  of  traveling  was  only  two  geographical  miles  per  hour, 
and  the  average  number  of  hours  three  and  a half  per  day,  or 
seven  miles.  Two  thirds  of  the  month  was  spent  in  stoppages, 
there  being  only  ten  traveling  days  in  each  month.  The  stop- 
pages were  caused  by  sickness,  and  the  necessity  of  remaining 
in  different  parts  to  purchase  food ; and  also  because,  when  one 
carrier  was  sick,  the  rest  refused  to  carry  his  load. 

One  of  the  Pombeiros  had  eight  good-looking  women  in  a 
chain  whom  he  was  taking  to  the  country  of  Matiamvo  to  sell  for 
ivory.  They  always  looked  ashamed  when  I happened  to  come 
near  them,  and  must  have  felt  keenly  their  forlorn  and  degraded 
position.  I believe  they  were  captives  taken  from  the  rebel 
Cassanges.  The  way  in  which  slaves  are  spoken  of  in  Angola 
and  eastern  Africa  must  sound  strangely  even  to  the  owners  when 
they  first  come  from  Europe.  In  Angola  the  common  appellation 
is  “o  diabo,”  or  “brutu;”  and  it  is  quite  usual  to  hear  gentle- 
men call  out,  “O  diabo!  bring  fire.”  In  eastern  Africa,  on  the 
contrary,  they  apply  the  term  “ bicho”  (an  animal),  and  you  hear 
the  phrase,  “ Call  the  animal  to  do  this  or  that.”  In  fact,  slave- 
owners come  to  regard  their  slaves  as  not  human,  and  will  curse 
them  as  the  “race  of  a dog.”  Most  of  the  carriers  of  my  travel- 
ing companions  were  hired  Basongo,  and  required  constant  vigi- 
lance to  prevent  them  stealing  the  goods  they  carried.  Salt,  which 
is  one  of  the  chief  articles  conveyed  into  the  country,  became  con- 
siderably lighter  as  we  went  along,  but  the  carriers  shielded  them- 
selves by  saying  that  it  had  been  melted  by  the  rain.  Their  bur- 
dens were  taken  from  them  every  evening,  and  placed  in  security 
under  the  guardianship  of  Senhor  Pascoal’s  own  slaves.  It  was 
pitiable  to  observe  the  worrying  life  he  led.  There  was  the  great- 
est contrast  possible  between  the  conduct  of  his  people  and  that 
of  my  faithful  Makololo. 

We  crossed  the  Loange,  a deep  but  narrow  stream,  by  a bridge. 
It  becomes  much  larger,  and  contains  hippopotami,  lower  down. 
It  is  the  boundary  of  Londa  on  the  west.  We  slept  also  on  the 
banks  of  the  Pezo,  now  flooded,  and  could  not  but  admire  their 


FEEDERS  OF  THE  CONGO. 


485 


capabilities  for  easy  irrigation.  On  reaching  the  River  Chikapa 
(lat.  10°  10'  S.,  long.  19°  42'  E.),  the  25th  of  March,  we  found 
it  fifty  or  sixty  yards  wide,  and  flowing  E.N.E.  into  the  Kasai. 
The  adjacent  country  is  of  the  same  level  nature  as  that  part  of 
Londa  formerly  described ; but,  having  come  farther  to  the  east- 
ward than  our  previous  course,  we  found  that  all  the  rivers  had 
worn  for  themselves  much  deeper  valleys  than  at  the  points  we 
had  formerly  crossed  them. 

Surrounded  on  all  sides  by  large  gloomy  forests,  the  people  of 
these  parts  have  a much  more  indistinct  idea  of  the  geography  of 
their  country  than  those  who  live  in  hilly  regions.  It  was  only 
after  long  and  patient  inquiry  that  I became  fully  persuaded  that 
the  Quilo  runs  into  the  Chikapa.  As  we  now  crossed  them  both 
considerably  farther  down,  and  were  greatly  to  the  eastward  of  our 
first  route,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  these  rivers  take  the  same 
course  as  the  others,  into  the  Kasai,  and  that  I had  been  led  into 
a mistake  in  saying  that  any  of  them  flowed  to  the  westward. 
Indeed,  it  was  only  at  this  time  that  I began  to  perceive  that  all 
the  western  feeders  of  the  Kasai,  except  the  Quango,  flow  first 
from  the  western  side  toward  the  centre  of  the  country,  then  grad- 
ually turn,  with  the  Kasai  itself,  to  the  north  ; and,  after  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Kasai  with  the  Quango,  an  immense  body  of  water, 
collected  from  all  these  branches,  finds  its  way  out  of  the  country 
by  means  of  the  River  Congo  or  Zaire  on  the  west  coast. 

The  people  living  along  the  path  we  are  now  following  were 
quite  accustomed  to  the  visits  of  native  traders,  and  did  not  feel 
in  any  way  bound  to  make  presents  of  food  except  for  the  purpose 
of  cheating : thus,  a man  gave  me  a fowl  and  some  meal,  and, 
after  a short  time,  returned.  I offered  him  a handsome  present 
of  beads ; but  these  he  declined,  and  demanded  a cloth  instead, 
which  was  far  more  than  the  value  of  his  gift.  They  did  the 
same  with  my  men,  until  we  had  to  refuse  presents  altogether. 
Others  made  high  demands  because  I slept  in  a “ house  of  cloth,” 
and  must  be  rich.  They  seemed  to  think  that  they  had  a perfect 
right  to  payment  for  simply  passing  through  the  country. 

Beyond  tire  Chikapa  we  crossed  the  Kamaue,  a small  deep 
stream  proceeding  from  the  S.S.W.,  and  flowing  into  the  Chikapa. 

On  the  30th  of  April  we  reached  the  Loajima,  where  we  had 
to  form  a bridge  to  effect  our  passage.  This  was  not  so  difficult 


486 


MODES  OF  DRESSING  THE  HAIR. 


an  operation  as  some  might  imagine ; for  a tree  was  growing  in  a 
horizontal  position  across  part  of  the  stream,  and,  there  being  no 
want  of  the  tough  climbing  plants  which  admit  of  being  knitted 
like  ropes,  Senhor  P.  soon  constructed  a bridge.  The  Loajima 
was  here  about  twenty-five  yards  wide,  but  very  much  deeper 
than  where  I had  crossed  before  on  the  shoulders  of  Mashauana. 
The  last  rain  of  this  season  had  fallen  on  the  28th,  and  had  sud- 
denly been  followed  by  a great  decrease  of  the  temperature.  The 
people  in  these  parts  seemed  more  slender  in  form,  and  their 
color  a lighter  olive,  than  any  we  had  hitherto  met.  The  mode 
of  dressing  the  great  masses  of  woolly  hair  which  lay  upon  their 
shoulders,  together  with  their  general  features,  again  reminded 
me  of  the  ancient  Egyptians.  Several  were  seen  with  the  upward 
inclination  of  the  outer  angles  of  the  eye,  but  this  was  not 
general.  A few  of  the  ladies  adopt  a curious  custom  of  attach- 
ing the  hair  to  a hoop  which  encircles  the  head,  giving  it  some- 


No.  1.  A Louda  Lady’s  Mode  of  wearing  the  Hair. 


what  the  appearance  of  the  glory  round  the  head  of  the  Virgin 
(wood-cut  No.  1).  Some  have  a small  hoop  behind  that  repre- 
sented in  the  wood-cut.  Others  wear  an  ornament  of  woven  hair 
and  hide  adorned  with  beads.  The  hair  of  the  tails  of  buffaloes, 
which  are  to  be  found  farther  east,  is  sometimes  added.  This  is 


as  in  No.  4,  make  a single  horn  in  front.  The  features  given 
are  frequently  met  with,  but  they  are  by  no  means  universal. 
Many  tattoo  their  bodies  by  inserting  some  black  substance 


No.  2. 


MODES  OF  DRESSING  THE  HAIR.  437 


represented  in  No.  2.  While  others,  as  in  No.  3,  weave  their 
own  hair  on  pieces  of  hide  into  the  form  of  buffalo  horns ; or, 


No.  3. 


488  MODES  OF  DRESSING  THE  HAIR. 

beneath  the  skin,  which  leaves  an  elevated  cicatrix  about  half  an 
inch  long : these  are  made  in  the  form  of  stars,  and  other  figures 
of  no  particular  beauty. 


No.  4.  A Young  Man's  Fashion. 


PECULIARITIES  OF  NATIVES. 


489 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Make  a Detour  southward. — Peculiarities  of  the  Inhabitants. — Scarcity  of  An- 
imals.— Forests. — Geological  Structure  of  the  Country. — Abundance  and  Cheap- 
ness of  Food  near  the  Chihombo. — A Slave  lost. — The  Makololo  Opinion  of 
Slaveholders. — Funeral  Obsequies  in  Cabango.  — Send  a Sketch  of  the  Coun- 
try to  Mr.  Gabriel. — Native  Information  respecting  the  Kasai  and  Quango. — 
The  Trade  with  Luba.— Drainage  of  Londa.— Report  of  Matiamvo’s  Country 
and  Government. — Senhor  Faria’s  Present  to  a Chief. — The  Balonda  Mode  of 
spending  Time. — Faithless  Guide. — Makololo  lament  the  Ignorance  of  the  Ba- 
londa.— Eagerness  of  the  Villagers  for  Trade. — Civility  of  a Female  Chief. — 
The  Chief  Bango  and  his  People. — Refuse  to  eat  Beef. — Ambition  of  Africans 
to  have  a Village. — Winters  in  the  Interior. — Spring  at  Kolobeng. — White  Ants : 
“Never  could  desire  to  eat  any  thing  better.” — Young  Herbage  and  Animals. — 
Valley  of  the  Loembwe. — The  white  Man  a Hobgoblin. — Specimen  of  Quarrel- 
ing.— Eager  Desire  for  Calico. — Want  of  Clothing  at  Kawawa’s. — Funeral  Ob- 
servances.— Agreeable  Intercourse  with  Kawawa. — His  impudent  Demand. — 
Unpleasant  Parting. — Kawawa  tries  to  prevent  our  crossing  the  River  Kasai. — 
Stratagem. 


We  made  a little  detour  to  the  southward  in  order  to  get  pro- 
visions in  a cheaper  market.  This  led  us  along  the  rivulet  called 
Tamba,  where  we  found  the  people,  who  had  not  been  visited  so 
frequently  by  the  slave-traders  as  the  rest,  rather  timid  and  very 
civil.  It  was  agreeable  to  get  again  among  the  uncontaminated, 
and  to  see  the  natives  look  at  us  without  that  air  of  supercilious- 
ness which  is  so  unpleasant  and  common  in  the  beaten  track. 
The  same  olive  color  prevailed.  They  file  their  teeth  to  a point, 
which  makes  the  smile  of  the  women  frightful,  as  it  reminds  one 
of  the  grin  of  an  alligator.  The  inhabitants  throughout  this 
country  exhibit  as  great  a variety  of  taste  as  appears  on  the 
surface  of  society  among  ourselves.  Many  of  the  men  are 
dandies ; their  shoulders  are  always  wet  with  the  oil  dropping 
from  their  lubricated  hair,  and  every  thing  about  them  is  orna- 
mented in  one  way  or  another.  Some  thrum  a musical  instrument 
the  livelong  day,  and,  when  they  wake  at  night,  proceed  at  once 
to  their  musical  performance.  Many  of  these  musicians  are  too 
poor  to  have  iron  keys  to  their  instrument,  but  make  them  of 


490 


SCARCITY  OF  ANIMALS.— FORESTS. 


bamboo,  and  persevere,  though  no  one  hears  the  music  but  them- 
selves. . Others  try  to  appear  warlike  by  never  going  out  of  their 
huts  except  with  a load  of  bows  and  arrows,  or  a gun  ornamented 
with  a strip  of  hide  for  every  animal  they  have  shot ; and  others 
never  go  any  where  without  a canary  in  a cage.  Ladies  may  be 
seen  carefully  tending  little  lap-dogs,  which  are  intended  to  be 
eaten.  Their  villages  are  generally  in  forests,  and  composed  of 
groups  of  irregularly -planted  brown  huts,  with  banana  and  cotton 
trees,  and  tobacco  growing  around.  There  is  also  at  every  hut  a 
high  stage  erected  for  drying  manioc  roots  and  meal,  and  elevated 
cages  to  hold  domestic  fowls.  Round  baskets  are  laid  on  the 
thatch  of  the  huts  for  the  hens  to  lay  in,  and  on  the  arrival  of 
strangers,  men,  women,  and  children  ply  their  calling  as  hucksters 
with  a great  deal  of  noisy  haggling ; all  then-  transactions  are  con- 
ducted with  civil  banter  and  good  temper. 

My  men,  having  the  meat  of  the  oxen  which  we  slaughtered 
from  time  to  time  for  sale,  were  entreated  to  exchange  it  for  meal; 
no  matter  how  small  the  pieces  offered  were,  it  gave  them  pleasure 
to  deal. 

The  landscape  around  is  green,  with  a tint  of  yellow,  the  grass 
long,  the  paths  about  a foot  wide,  and  generally  worn  deeply  in 
the  middle.  The  tall  overhanging  grass,  when  brushed  against 
by  the  feet  and  legs,  disturbed  the  lizards  and  mice,  and  occasion- 
ally a serpent,  causing  a rustling  among  the  herbage.  There  are 
not  many  birds  ; every  animal  is  entrapped  and  eaten.  Gins  are 
seen  on  both  sides  of  the  path  every  ten  or  fifteen  yards,  for  miles 
together.  The  time  and  labor  required  to  dig  up  mgles  and  mice 
from  their  burrows  would,  if  applied  to  cultivation,  afford  food 
for  any  amount  of  fowls  or  swine,  but  the  latter  are  seldom  met 
with. 

We  passed  on  through  forests  abounding  in  climbing-plants, 
many  of  which  are  so  extremely  tough  that  a man  is  required  to 
go  in  front  with  a hatchet ; and  when  the  burdens  of  the  carriers 
are  caught,  they  are  obliged  to  cut  the  climbers  with  their  teeth, 
for  no  amount  of  tugging  will  make  them  break.  The  paths  in 
all  these  forests  are  so  zigzag  that  a person  may  imagine  he  has 
traveled  a distance  of  thirty  miles,  which,  when  reckoned  as  the 
crow  flies,  may  not  be  fifteen. 

We  reached  the  River  Moamba  (lat.  9C  38'  S.,  long.  20°  13'  34" 


GEOLOGICAL  STRUCTURE. 


491 


E.)  on  the  7th  May.  This  is  a stream  of  thirty  yards  wide,  and, 
like  the  Quilo,  Loange,  Chikapa,  and  Loajima,  contains  both  alli- 
gators and  hippopotami.  We  crossed  it  by  means  of  canoes. 
Here,  as  on  the  slopes  down  to  the  Quilo  and  Chikapa,  we  had  an 
opportunity  of  viewing  the  geological  structure  of  the  country — 
a capping  of  ferruginous  conglomerate,  which  in  many  parts  looks 
as  if  it  had  been  melted,  for  the  rounded  nodules  resemble  masses 
of  slag,  and  they  have  a smooth  scale  on  the  surface ; but  in  all 
probability  it  is  an  aqueous  deposit,  for  it  contains  water-wom 
pebbles  of  all  sorts,  and  generally  small.  Below  this  mass  lies  a 
pale  red  hardened  sandstone,  and  beneath  that  a trap-like  whin- 
stone.  Lowest  of  all  lies  a coarse-grained  sandstone  containing  a 
few  pebbles,  and,  in  connection  with  it,  a white  calcareous  rock  is 
occasionally  met  with,  and  so  are  banks  of  loose  round  quartz  peb- 
bles. The  slopes  are  longer  from  the  level  country  above  the  fur- 
ther we  go  eastward,  and  every  where  we  meet  with  circumscribed 
bogs  on  them,  surrounded  by  clumps  of  straight,  lofty  evergreen 
trees,  which  look  extremely  graceful  on  a ground  of  yellowish 
grass.  Several  of  these  bogs  pour  forth  a solution  of  iron,  which 
exhibits  on  its  surface  the  prismatic  colors.  The  level  plateaus 
between  the  rivers,  both  east  and  west  of  the  M'oamba,  across 
which  we  traveled,  were  less  woody  than  the  river  glens.  The 
trees  on  them  are  scraggy  and  wide  apart.  There  are  also  large 
open  grass-covered  spaces,  with  scarcely  even  a bush.  On  these 
rather  dreary  intervals  between  the  rivers  it  was  impossible  not 
to  be  painfully  struck  with  the  absence  of  all  animal  life.  Not  a 
bird  was  to  be  seen,  except  occasionally  a tomtit,  some  of  the 
Sylviadce  and  Drymoica , also  a black  bird  (. Dicrurus  Ludwigii, 
Smith)  common  throughout  the  country.  We  were  gladdened 
by  the  voice  of  birds  only  near  the  rivers,  and  there  they  are 
neither  numerous  nor  varied.  The  Senegal  longclaw,  however, 
maintains  its  place,  and  is  the  largest  bird  seen.  We  saw  a 
butcher-bird  in  a trap  as  we  passed.  There  are  remarkably  few 
small  animals,  they  having  been  hunted  almost  to  extermination, 
and  few  insects  except  ants,  which  abound  in  considerable  number 
and  variety.  There  are  scarcely  any  common  flies  to  be  seen,  nor 
are  we  ever  troubled  by  musquitoes. 

The  air  is  still,  hot,  and  oppressive ; the  intensely  bright  sun- 
liglit  glances  peacefully  on  the  evergreen  forest  leaves,  and  all 


492 


CHEAPNESS  OF  FOOD. 


feel  glad  when  the  path  comes  into  the  shade.  The  want  of  life 
in  the  scenery  made  me  long  to  tread  again  the  banks  of  the  Zam- 
besi, and  see  the  graceful  antelopes  feeding  beside  the  dark  buffa- 
loes and  sleek  elands.  Here  hippopotami  are  known  to  exist  only 
by  their  footprints  on  the  banks.  Not  one  is  ever  seen  to  blow  or 
put  his  head  up  at  all ; they  have  learned  to  breathe  in  silence 
and  keep  out  of  sight.  We  never  heard  one  uttering  the  snorting 
sound  so  common  on  the  Zambesi. 

We  crossed  two  small  streams,  the  Kanesi  and  Fombeji,  before 
reaching  Cabango,  a village  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Cliihom- 
bo.  The  country  was  becoming  more  densely  peopled  as  we  pro- 
ceeded, but  it  bears  no  population  compared  to  what  it  might 
easily  sustain.  Provisions  were  to  be  had  in  great  abundance ; a 
fowl  and  basket  of  meal  weighing  20  lbs.  were  sold  for  a yard  and 
a half  of  very  inferior  cotton  cloth,  worth  not  more  than  three- 
pence. An  idea  of  the  cheapness  of  food  may  be  formed  from  the 
fact  that  Captain  Neves  purchased  380  lbs.  of  tobacco  from  the 
Bangalas  for  about  two  pounds  sterling.  This,  when  carried  into 
central  Londa,  might  purchase  seven  thousand  five  hundred  fowls, 
or  feed  with  meal  and  fowls  seven  thousand  persons  for  one  day, 
giving  each  a' fowl  and  5 lbs.  of  meal.  When  food  is  purchased 
here  with  either  salt  or  coarse  calico,  four  persons  can  be  well  fed 
with  animal  and  vegetable  food  at  the  rate  of  one  penny  a day. 
The  chief  vegetable  food  is  the  manioc  and  lotsa  meal.  These 
contain  a very  large  proportion  of  starch,  and,  when  eaten  alone 
for  any  length  of  time  produce  most  distressing  heartburn.  As 
we  ourselves  experienced  in  coming  north,  they  also  cause  a weak- 
ness of  vision,  which  occurs  in  the  case  of  animals  fed  on  pure 
gluten  or  amylaceous  matter  only.  I now  discovered  that  when 
these  starchy  substances  are  eaten  along  with  a proportion  of 
ground-nuts,  which  contain  a considerable  quantity  of  oil,  no  inju- 
rious effects  follow. 

While  on  the  way  to  Cabango  we  saw  fresh  tracks  of  elands, 
the  first  we  had  observed  in  this  country.  A poor  little  slave  girl, 
being  ill,  turned  aside  in  the  path,  and,  though  we  waited  all  the 
next  day  making  search  for  her,  she  was  lost.  She  was  tall  and 
slender  for  her  age,  as  if  of  too  quick  growth,  and  probably,  unable 
to  bear  the  fatigue  of  the  march,  lay  down  and  slept  in  the  forest, 
then,  waking  in  the  dark,  went  farther  and  farther  astray.  The 


FUNERAL  OBSEQUIES. 


493 


treatment  of  tlie  slaves  witnessed  by  my  men  certainly  did  not 
raise  slaveholders  in  their  estimation.  Their  usual  exclamation 
was  “ Ga  ba  na  pelu”  (They  have  no  heart) ; and  they  added, 
with  reference  to  the  slaves,  “Why  do  they  let  them  ?”  as  if  they 
thought  that  the  slaves  had  the  natural  right  to  rid  the  world  of 
such  heartless  creatures,  and  ought  to  do  it.  The  uneasiness  of 
the  trader  was  continually  showing  itself,  and,  upon  the  whole,  he 
had  reason  to  be  on  the  alert  both  day  and  night.  The  carriers 
perpetually  stole  the  goods  intrusted  to  their  care,  and  he  could 
not  openly  accuse  them,  lest  they  should  plunder  him  of  all,  and 
leave  him  quite  in  the  lurch.  He  could  only  hope  to  manage  them 
after  getting  all  the  remaining  goods  safely  into  a house  in  Ca- 
bango ; he  might  then  deduct  something  from  their  pay  for  what 
they  had  purloined  on  the  way. 

Cabango  (lat.  9°  31/  S.,  long.  20°  31/  or  32'  E.)  is  the  dwelling- 
place  of  Muanzanza,  one  of  Matiamvo’s  subordinate  chiefs.  His 
village  consists  of  about  two  hundred  huts  and  ten  or  twelve 
square  houses,  constructed  of  poles  with  grass  interwoven.  The 
latter  are  occupied  by  half-caste  Portuguese  from  Ambaca,  agents 
for  the  Cassange  traders.  The  cold  in  the  mornings  was  now 
severe  to  the  feelings,  the  thermometer  ranging  from  58°  to  60°, 
though,  when  protected,  sometimes  standing  as  high  as  64°  at  six 
A.M.  When  the  sun  is  well  up,  the  thermometer  in  the  shade 
rises  to  80°,  and  in  the  evenings  it  is  about  78°. 

A person  having  died  in  this  village,  we  could  transact  no 
business  with  the  chief  until  the  funeral  obsequies  were  finished. 
These  occupy  about  four  days,  during  which  there  is  a constant 
succession  of  dancing,  wailing,  and  feasting.  Guns  are  fired  by 
day,  and  drums  beaten  by  night,  and  all  the  relatives,  dressed  in 
fantastic  caps,  keep  up  the  ceremonies  with  spirit  proportionate 
to  the  amount  of  beer  and  beef  expended.  When  there  is  a large 
expenditure,  the  remark  is  often  made  afterward,  “ What  a fine 
funeral  that  was!”  A figure,  consisting  chiefly  of  feathers  and 
beads,  is  paraded  on  these  occasions,  and  seems  to  be  regarded  as 
an  idol. 

Having  met  with  an  accident  to  one  of  my  eyes  by  a blow 
from  a branch  in  passing  through  a forest,  I remained  some  days 
here,  endeavoring,  though  with  much  pain,  to  draw  a sketch  of 
the  country  thus  far,  to  be  sent  back  to  Mr.  Gabriel  at  Loanda. 


494 


THE  KASAI  AND  QUANGO. 


I was  always  anxious  to  transmit  an  account  of  my  discoveries  on 
every  possible  occasion,  lest,  any  thing  happening  in  the  country 
to  which  I was  going,  they  should  be  entirely  lost.  I also  fondly 
expected  a packet  of  letters  and  papers  which  my  good  angel  at 
Loanda  would  be  sure  to  send  if  they  came  to  hand,  but  I after- 
ward found  that,  though  he  had  offered  a large  sum  to  any  one 
who  would  return  with  an  assurance  of  having  delivered  the  last 
packet  he  sent,  no  one  followed  me  with  it  to  Cabango.  The 
unwearied  attentions  of  this  good  Englishman,  from  his  first  wel- 
come to  me  when,  a weary,  dejected,  and  worn-down  stranger,  I 
arrived  at  his  residence,  and  his  whole  subsequent  conduct,  will 
be  held  in  lively  remembrance  by  me  to  my  dying  day. 

Several  of  the  native  traders  here  having  visited  the  country  of 
Luba,  lying  far  to  the  north  of  this,  and  there  being  some  visitors 
also  from  the  town  of  Mai,  which  is  situated  far  down  the  Kasai, 
I picked  up  some  information  respecting  those  distant  parts.  In 
going  to  the  town  of  Mai  the  traders  crossed  only  two  large  rivers, 
the  Loajima  and  Chihombo.  The  Kasai  flows  a little  to  the  east 
of  the  town  of  Mai,  and  near  it  there  is  a large  waterfall.  They 
describe  the  Kasai  as  being  there  of  very  great  size,  and  that  it 
thence  bends  round  to  the  west.  On  asking  an  old  man,  who 
was  about  to  return  to  his  chief  Mai,  to  imagine  himself  stand- 
ing at  his  home,  and  point  to  the  confluence  of  the  Quango  and 
Kasai,  he  immediately  turned,  and,  pointing  to  the  westward,  said, 
“When  we  travel  five  days  (thirty-five  or  forty  miles)  in  that 
direction,  we  come  to  it.”  He  stated  also  that  the  Kasai  received 
another  river,  named  the  Lubilash.  There  is  but  one  opinion 
among  the  Balonda  respecting  the  Kasai  and  Quango.  They  inva- 
riably describe  the  Kasai  as  receiving  the  Quango,  and,  beyond 
the  confluence,  assuming  the  name  of  Zaire  or  Zerezere.  And 
the  Kasai,  even  previous  to  the  junction,  is  much  larger  than  the 
Quango,  from  the  numerous  branches  it  receives.  Besides  those 
we  have  already  crossed,  there  is  the  Chihombo  at  Cabango ; 
and  forty-two  miles  beyond  this,  eastward,  runs  the  Kasai  itself ; 
fourteen  miles  beyond  that,  the  Kaunguesi ; then,  forty-two  miles 
farther  east,  flows  the  Lolua  ; besides  numbers  of  little  streams, 
all  of  which  contribute  to  swell  the  Kasai. 

About  thirty-four  miles  east  of  the  Lolua,  or  a hundred  and 
thirty-two  miles  E.N.E.  of  Cabango,  stands  the  town  of  Matiamvo, 


DRAINAGE  OE  LONDA. 


495 


the  paramount  chief  of  all  the  Balonda.  The  town  of  Mai  is 
pointed  out  as  to  the  N.N.W.  of  Cabango,  and  thirty-two  days  or 
two  hundred  and  twenty-four  miles  distant,  or  about  lat.  S.  5°  45'. 
The  chief  town  of  Luba,  another  independent  chief,  is  eight  days 
farther  in  the  same  direction,  or  lat.  S.  4°  50'.  Judging  from  the 
appearance  of  the  people  who  had  come  for  the  purposes  of 
trade  from  Mai,  those  in  the  north  are  in  quite  as  uncivilized  a 
condition  as  the  Balonda.  They  are  clad  in  a kind  of  cloth  made 
of  the  inner  bark  of  a tree.  Neither  guns  nor  native  traders  are 
admitted  into  the  country,  the  chief  of  Luba  entertaining  a dread 
of  innovation.  If  a native  trader  goes  thither,  he  must  dress  like 
the  common  people  in  Angola,  in  a loose  robe  resembling  a kilt. 
The  chief  trades  in  shells  and  beads  only.  His  people  kill  the 
elephants  by  means  of  spears,  poisoned  arrows,  and  traps.  All 
assert  that  elephants’  tusks  from  that  country  are  heavier  and 
of  greater  length  than  any  others. 

It  is  evident,  from  all  the  information  I could  collect  both  here 
and  elsewhere,  that  the  drainage  of  Londa  falls  to  the  north  and 
then  runs  westward.  The  countries  of  Luba  and  Mai  are  evidently 
lower  than  this,  and  yet  this  is  of  no  great  altitude — probably  not 
much  more  than  3500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Having 
here  received  pretty  certain  information  on  a point  in  which  I felt 
much  interest,  namely,  that  the  Kasai  is  not  navigable  from  the 
coast,  owing  to  the  large  waterfall  near  the  town  of  Mai,  and  that 
no  great  kingdom  exists  in  the  region  beyond,  between  this  and 
the  equator,  I would  fain  have  visited  Matiamvo.  This  seemed  a 
very  desirable  step,  as  it  is  good  policy  as  well  as  right  to  ac- 
knowledge the  sovereign  of  a country ; and  I was  assured,  both 
by  Balonda  and  native  traders,  that  a considerable  branch  of  the 
Zambesi  rises  in  the  country  east  of  his  town,  and  flows  away  to 
the  south.  The  whole  of  this  branch,  extending  down  even  to 
where  it  turns  westward  to  Masiko,  is  probably  placed  too  far 
eastward  on  the  map.  It  was  put  down  when  I believed 
Matiamvo  and  Cazembe  to  be  farther  east  than  I have  since 
seen  reason  to  believe  them.  All,  being  derived  from  native 
testimony,  is  offered  to  the  reader  with  diffidence,  as  needing 
verification  by  actual  explorers.  The  people  of  that  part,  named 
Kanyika  and  Kanyoka,  living  on  its  banks,  are  represented  as 
both  numerous  and  friendly,  but  Matiamvo  will  on  no  account 


496 


MATIAMV O’S  COUNTRY  AND  GOVERNMENT. 


permit  any  "white  person  to  visit  them,  as  his  principal  supplies  of 
ivory  are  drawn  from  them.  Thinking  that  we  might  descend 
this  branch  of  the  Zambesi  to  Masiko,  and  thence  to  the  Barotse,  1 
felt  a strong  inclination  to  make  the  attempt.  The  goods,  howev- 
er, we  had  brought  with  us  to  pay  our  way,  had,  by  the  long  de- 
tention from  fever  and  weakness  in  both  myself  and  men,  dwin- 
dled to  a mere  fragment ; and,  being  but  slightly  acquainted  with 
the  Balonda  dialect,  I felt  that  I could  neither  use  persuasion  nor 
presents  to  effect  my  object.  From  all  I could  hear  of  Matiamvo, 
there  was  no  chance  of  my  being  allowed  to  proceed  through  his 
country  to  the  southward.  If  I had  gone  merely  to  visit  him,  all 
the  goods  would  have  been  expended  by  the  time  I returned  to 
Cabango  ; and  we  had  not  found  mendicity  so  pleasant  on  our  way 
to  the  north  as  to  induce  us  to  desire  to  return  to  it. 

The  country  of  Matiamvo  is  said  to  be  well  peopled,  but  they 
have  little  or  no  trade.  They  receive  calico,  salt,  gunpowder, 
coarse  earthenware,  and  beads,  and  give  in  return  ivory  and  slaves. 
They  possess  no  cattle,  Matiamvo  alone  having  a single  herd, 
which  he  keeps  entirely  for  the  sake  of  the  flesh.  The  present 
chief  is  said  to  be  mild  in  his  government,  and  will  depose  an  un- 
der-chief for  unjust  conduct.  He  occasionally  sends  the  distance 
of  a hundred  miles  or  more  to  behead  an  offending  officer.  But, 
though  I was  informed  by  the  Portuguese  that  he  possesses  abso- 
lute power,  his  name  had  less  influence  over  his  subjects  with 
whom  I came  in  contact  than  that  of  Sekeletu  has  over  his  peo- 
ple living  at  a much  greater  distance  from  the  capital. 

As  we  thought  it  best  to  strike  away  to  the  S.E.  from  Cabango 
to  our  old  friend  Katema,  I asked  a guide  from  Muanzanza  as 
soon  as  the  funeral  proceedings  were  over.  He  agreed  to  furnish 
one,  and  also  accepted  a smaller  present  from  me  than  usual, 
when  it  was  represented  to  him  by  Pascoal  and  Faria  that  I was 
not  a trader.  He  seemed  to  regard  these  presents  as  lii^  proper 
dues ; and  as  a cargo  of  goods  had  come  by  Senhor  Pascoal,  he 
entered  the  house  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  his  share,  when 
Senhor  Faria  gravely  presented  him  with  the  commonest  earthen- 
ware vessel,  of  which  great  numbers  are  brought  for  this  trade. 
The  chief  received  it  with  expressions  of  abundant  gratitude,  as 
these  vessels  are  highly  valued,,  because  from  their  depth  they  can 
hold  so  much  food  or  beer.  The  association  of  ideas  is  some- 


A FAITHLESS  GUIDE.  497 

times  so  very  ludicrous  that  it  is  difficult  to  maintain  one’s 
gravity. 

Several  of  the  children  of  the  late  Matiamvo  came  to  beg  from 
me,  but  never  to  offer  any  food.  Having  spoken  to  one  young  man 
named  Liula  (Heavens)  about  their  stinginess,  he  soon  brought 
bananas  and  manioc.  I liked  his  appearance  and  conversation, 
and  believe  that  the  Balonda  would  not  be  difficult  to  teach,  but 
their  mode  of  life  would  be  a drawback.  The  Balonda  in  this 
quarter  are  much  more  agreeable-looking  than  any  of  the  inhab- 
itants nearer  the  coast.  The  women  allow  their  teeth  to  remain 
in  their  beautifully  white  state,  and  would  be  comely  but  for  the 
custom  of  inserting  pieces  of  reed  into  the  cartilage  of  the  nose. 
They  seem  generally  to  be  in  good  spirits,  and  spend  their  time 
in  everlasting  talk,  funeral  ceremonies,  and  marriages.  This  flow 
of  animal  spirits  must  be  one  reason  why  they  are  such  an  inde- 
structible race.  The  habitual  influence  on  their  minds  of  the 
agency  of  unseen  spirits  may  have  a tendency  in  the  same  direc- 
tion, by  preserving  the  mental  quietude  of  a kind  of  fatalism. 

We  were  forced  to  prepay  our  guide  and  his  father  too,  and  he 
went  but  one  day,  although  he  promised  to  go  with  us  to  Katema. 
He  was  not  in  the  least  ashamed  at  breaking  his  engagements, 
and  probably  no  disgrace  will  be  attached  to  the  deed  by  Muan- 
zanza.  Among  the  Bakwains  he  would  have  been  punished.  My 
men  would  have  stripped  him  of  the  wages  which  he  wore  on  his 
person,  but  thought  that,  as  we  had  always  acted  on  the  mildest 
principles,  they  would  let  him  move  off  with  his  unearned  gains. 

They  frequently  lamented  the  want  of  knowledge  in  these  peo- 
ple, saying,  in  their  own  tongue,  “Ah ! they  don’t  know  that  we 
are  men  as  well  as  they,  and  that  we  are  only  bearing  with  their 
insolence  with  patience  because  we  are  men.”  Then  would  follow 
a hearty  curse,  showing  that  the  patience  was  nearly  expended ; 
but  they  seldom  quarreled  in  the  language  of  the  Balonda.  The 
only  one  who  ever  lost  his  temper  was  the  man  who  struck  a head 
man  of  one  of  the  villages  on  the  mouth,  and  he  was  the  most  ab- 
ject individual  in  our  company. 

The  reason  why  we  needed  a guide  at  all  was  to  secure  the 
convenience  of  a path,  which,  though  generally  no  better  than  a 
sheep-walk,  is  much  easier  than  going  straight  in  one  direction, 
through  tangled  forests  and  tropical  vegetation.  We  knew  the 

I 1 


498 


CIVILITY  OF  A FEMALE  CHIEF. 


general  direction  we  ought  to  follow,  and  also  if  any  deviation 
occurred  from  our  proper  route ; but,  to  avoid  impassable  forests 
and  untreadable  bogs,  and  to  get  to  the  proper  fords  of  the  rivers, 
we  always  tried  to  procure  a guide,  and  he  always  followed  the 
common  path  from  one  village  to  another  when  that  lay  in  the 
direction  we  were  going. 

After  leaving  Cabango  on  the  21st,  we  crossed  several  little 
streams  running  into  the  Chihombo  on  our  left,  and  in  one  of 
them  I saw  tree  ferns  ( Cyathea  dregei ) for  the  first  time  in  Africa. 
The  trunk  was  about  four  feet  high  and  ten  inches  in  diameter. 
We  saw  also  grass  trees  of  two  varieties,  which,  in  damp  localities, 
had  attained  a height  of  forty  feet.  On  crossing  the  Chihombo, 
which  we  did  about  twelve  miles  above  Cabango,  we  found  it 
waist-deep  and  rapid.  We  were  delighted  to  see  the  evidences  of 
buffalo  and  hippopotami  on  its  banks.  As  soon  as  we  got  away 
from  the  track  of  the  slave-traders,  the  more  kindly  spirit  of  the 
southern  Balonda  appeared,  for  an  old  man  brought  a large  pres- 
ent of  food  from  one  of  the  villages,  and  volunteered  to  go  as  guide 
himself.  The  people,  however,  of  the  numerous  villages  which 
we  passed  always  made  efforts  to  detain  us,  that  they  might  have 
a little  trade  in  the  way  of  furnishing  our  suppers.  At  one  vil- 
lage, indeed,  they  would  not  show  us  the  path  at  all  unless  we  re- 
mained at  least  a day  with  them.  Having  refused,  we  took  a path 
in  the  direction  we  ought  to  go,  but  it  led  us  into  an  inextricable 
thicket.  Returning  to  the  village  again,  we  tried  another  footpath 
in  a-  similar  direction,  but  this  led  us  into  an  equally  impassable 
and  trackless  forest.  We  were  thus  forced  to  come  back  and  re- 
main. In  the  following  morning  they  put  us  in  the  proper  path, 
which  in  a few  hours  led  us  through  a forest  that  would  otherwise 
have  taken  us  days  to  penetrate. 

Beyond  this  forest  we  found  the  village  of  Nyakalonga,  a sister 
of  the  late  Matiamvo,  who  treated  us  handsomely.  She  wished 
her  people  to  guide  us  to  the  next  village,  but  this  they  declined 
unless  we  engaged  in  trade.  She  then  requested  us  to  wait  an 
hour  or  two  till  she  could  get  ready  a present  of  meal,  manioc 
roots,  ground-nuts,  and  a fowl.  It  was  truly  pleasant  to  meet 
with  people  possessing  some  civility,  after  the  hauteur  we  had 
experienced  on  the  slave-path.  She  sent  her  son  to  the  next 
village  without  requiring  payment.  The  stream  which  ran  past 


DESIRE  TO  POSSESS  A VILLAGE. 


499 


her  village  was  quite  impassable  there,  and  for  a distance  of  about 
a mile  on  either  side,  the  bog  being  soft  and  shaky,  and,  when  the 
crust  was  broken  through,  about  six  feet  deep. 

On  the  28th  we  reached  the  village  of  the  chief  Bango  (lat. 
12°  22'  53"  S.,  long.  20°  58'  E.),  who  brought  us  a handsome 
present  of  meal,  and  the  meat  of  an  entire  pallah.  We  here 
slaughtered  the  last  of  the  cows  presented  to  us  by  Mr.  Schut, 
which  I had  kept  milked  until  it  gave  only  a teaspoonful  at  a 
time.  My  men  enjoyed  a hearty  laugh  when  they  found  that  I 
had  given  up  all  hope  of  more,  for  they  had  been  talking  among 
themselves  about  my  perseverance.  We  offered  a leg  of  the  cow 
to  Bango,  but  he  informed  us  that  neither  he  nor  his  people  ever 
partook  of  beef,  as  they  looked  upon  cattle  as  human,  and  living 
at  home  like  men.  None  of  his  people  purchased  any  of  the 
meat,  which  was  always  eagerly  done  every  where  else.  There 
are  several  other  tribes  who  refuse  to  keep  cattle,  though  not  to 
eat  them  when  offered  by  others,  because,  say  they,  oxen  bring 
enemies  and  war ; but  this  is  the  first  instance  I have  met  with  in 
which  they  have  been  refused  as  food.  The  fact  of  killing  the 
pallahs  for  food  shows  that  the  objection  does  not  extend  to  meat 
in  general. 

The  little  streams  in  this  part  of  the  country  did  not  flow  in 
deep  dells,  nor  were  we  troubled  with  the  gigantic  grasses  which 
annoyed  our  eyes  on  the  slopes  of  the  streams  before  we  came  to 
Cabango.  The  country  was  quite  flat,  and  the  people  cultivated 
manioc  very  extensively.  There  is  no  large  collection  of  the 
inhabitants  in  any  one  spot.  The  ambition  of  each  seems  to  be 
to  have  his  own  little  village ; and  we  see  many  coming  from 
distant  parts  with  the  flesh  of  buffaloes  and  antelopes  as  the  trib- 
ute claimed  by  Bango.  We  have  now  entered  again  the  country 
of  the  game,  but  they  are  so  exceedingly  shy  that  we  have  not 
yet  seen  a single  animal.  The  arrangement  into  many  villages 
pleases  the  Africans  vastly,  for  every  one  who  has  a few  huts  under 
him  feels  himself  in  some  measure  to  be  a chief.  The  country  at 
this  time  is  covered  with  yellowish  grass  quite  dry.  Some  of  the 
bushes  and  trees  are  green ; others  are  shedding  their  leaves,  the 
young  buds  pushing  off  the  old  foliage.  Trees,  which  in  the  south 
stand  bare  during  the  winter  months,  have  here  but  a short  period 
of  leaflessness.  Occasionally,  however,  a cold  north  wind  comes 


500 


SPRING  AT  KOLOBENG. 


up  even  as  far  as  Cabango,  and  spreads  a wintry  aspect  on  all  the 
exposed  vegetation.  The  tender  shoots  of  the  evergreen  trees 
on  the  south  side  become  as  if  scorched ; the  leaves  of  manioc, 
pumpkins,  and  other  tender  plants  are  killed ; while  the  same 
kinds,  in  spots  sheltered  by  forests,  continue  green  through  the 
whole  year.  All  the  interior  of  South  Africa  has  a distinct  win- 
ter of  cold,  varying  in  intensity  with  the  latitudes.  In  the  cen- 
tral parts  of  the  Cape  Colony  the  cold  in  the  winter  is  often  severe, 
and  the  ground  is  covered  with  snow.  At  Kuruman  snow  sel- 
dom falls,  but  the  frost  is  keen.  There  is  frost  even  as  far  as  the 
Chobe,  and  a partial  winter  in  the  Barotse  valley,  but  beyond 
the  Orange  River  we  never  have  cold  and  damp  combined.  In- 
deed, a shower  of  rain  seldom  or  never  falls  during  winter,  and 
hence  the  healthiness  of  the  Bechuana  climate.  From  the 
Barotse  valley  northward  it  is  questionable  if  it  ever  freezes ; 
but,  during  the  prevalence  of  the  south  wind,  the  thermome- 
ter sinks  as  low  as  42°,  and  conveys  the  impression  of  bitter 
cold. 

Nothing  can  exceed  the  beauty  of  the  change  from  the  wintry 
appearance  to  that  of  spring  at  Kolobeng.  Previous  to  the  com- 
mencement of  the  rains,  an  easterly  wind  blows  strongly  by  day, 
but  dies  away  at  night.  The  clouds  collect  in  increasing  masses, 
and  relieve  in  some  measure  the  bright  glare  of  the  southern  sun. 
The  wind  dries  up  every  thing,  and  when  at  its  greatest  strength 
is  hot,  and  raises  clouds  of  dust.  The  general  temperature  dur- 
ing the  day  rises  above  96°  : then  showers  begin  to  fall ; and  if 
the  ground  is  but  once  well  soaked  with  a good  day’s  rain,  the 
change  produced  is  marvelous.  In  a day  or  two  a tinge  of  green 
is  apparent  all  over  the  landscape,  and  in  live  or  six  days  the 
fresh  leaves  sprouting  forth,  and  the  young  grass  shooting  up,  give 
an  appearance  of  spring  which  it  requires  weeks  of  a colder  cli- 
mate to  produce.  The  birds,  which  in  the  hot,  dry,  windy  season 
had  been  silent,  now  burst  forth  into  merry  twittering  songs,  and 
are  busy  building  their  nests.  Some  of  them,  indeed,  hatch  sev- 
eral times  a year.  The  lowering  of  the  temperature,  by  rains  or 
other  causes,  has  much  the  same  effect  as  the  increasing  mildness 
of  our  own  spring.  The  earth  teems  with  myriads  of  young  in- 
sects ; in  some  parts  of  the  country  hundreds  of  centipedes,  myri- 
apedes,  and  beetles  emerge  from  their  hiding-places,  somewhat  as 


WHITE  ANTS. 


501 


our  snails  at  home  do  ; and  in  the  evenings  the  white  ants  swarm 
by  thousands.  A stream  of  them  is  seen  to  rush  out  of  a hole, 
and,  after  flying  one  or  two  hundred  yards,  they  descend ; and  if 
they  light  upon  a piece  of  soil  proper  for  the  commencement  of  a 
new  colony,  they  bend  up  their  tails,  unhook  their  wings,  and, 
leaving  them  on  the  surface,  quickly  begin  their  mining  operations. 
If  an  attempt  is  made  to  separate  the  wings  from  the  body  by 
drawing  them  away  backward,  they  seem  as  if  hooked  into  the 
body,  and  tear  away  large  portions  of  the  insect ; but  if  turned  for- 
ward, as  the  ant  itself  does,  they  snap  off  with  the  greatest  ease. 
Indeed,  they  seem  formed  only  to  serve  the  insect  in  its  short 
flight  to  a new  habitation,  and  then  to  be  thrown  aside.  Nothing 
can  exceed  the  eagerness  with  which,  at  the  proper  time,  they  rush 
out  from  their  birth-place.  Occasionally  this  occurs  in  a house, 
and  then,  in  order  to  prevent  every  corner  from  being  filled  with 
them,  I have  seen  a fire  placed  over  the  orifice  ; but  they  hesitate 
not  even  to  pass  through  the  fire.  While  swarming  they  appear 
like  snow-flakes  floating  about  in  the  air,  and  dogs,  cats,  hawks, 
and  almost  every  bird,  may  be  seen  busily  devouring  them.  The 
natives,  too,  profit  by  the  occasion,  and  actively  collect  them  for 
food,  they  being  about  half  an  inch  long,  as  thick  as  a crow-quill, 
and  very  fat.  When  roasted  they  are  said  to  be  good,  and  some- 
what resemble  grains  of  boiled  rice.  An  idea  may  be  formed  of 
this  dish  by  what  once  occurred  on  the  banks  of  the  Zouga.  The 
Bayeiye  chief  Palani  visiting  us  while  eating,  I gave  him  a piece 
of  bread  and  preserved  apricots ; and  as  he  seemed  to  relish  it 
much,  I asked  him  if  he  had  any  food  equal  to  that  in  his  country. 
“Ah!”  said  he,  “did  you  ever  taste  white  ants?”  As  I never 
had,  he  replied,  “ Well,  if  you  had,  you  never  could  have  desired 
to  eat  any  thing  better.”  The  general  way  of  catching  them  is 
to  dig  into  the  ant-hill,  and  wait  till  the  builders  come  forth  to  re- 
pair the  damage,  then  brush  them  off  quickly  into  a vessel,  as  the 
ant-eater  does  into  his  mouth. 

The  fall  of  the  rain  makes  all  the  cattle  look  fresh  and  clean, 
and  both  men  and  women  proceed  cheerily  to  their  already  hoed 
gardens,  and  sow  the  seed.  The  large  animals  in  the  country 
leave  the  spots  where  they  had  been  compelled  to  congregate  for 
the  sake  of  water,  and  become  much  wilder.  Occasionally  a herd 
of  buffaloes  or  antelopes  smell  rain  from  afar,  and  set  off  in  a 


502 


VALLEY  OF  THE  LOEMBWE. 


straight  line  toward  the  place.  Sometimes  they  make  mistakes, 
and  are  obliged  to  return  to  the  water  they  had  left. 

Very  large  tracts  of  country  are  denuded  of  old  grass  during 
the  winter  by  means  of  fire,  in  order  to  attract  the  game  to  that 
which  there  springs  up  unmixed  with  the  older  crop.  This  new 
herbage  has  a renovating  tendency,  for  as  long  as  they  feed  on 
the  dry  grass  of  the  former  season  they  continue  in  good  condi- 
tion ; but  no  sooner  are  they  able  to  indulge  their  appetites  on 
the  fresh  herbage,  than  even  the  marrow  in  their  bones  becomes 
dissolved,  and  a red,  soft,  uneatable  mass  is  left  behind.  After 
this  commences  the  work  of  regaining  their  former  plumpness. 

May  30 th.  We  left  Bango,  and  proceeded  to  the  River 
Loembwe,  which  flows  to  the  N.N.E.,  and  abounds  in  hippo- 
potami. It  is  about  sixty  yards  wide,  and  four  feet  deep,  but 
usually  contains  much  less  water  than  this,  for  there  are  fishing- 
weirs  placed  right  across  it.  Like  all  the  African  rivers  in  this 
quarter,  it  has  morasses  on  each  bank,  yet  the  valley  in  which  it 
winds,  when  seen  from  the  high  lands  above,  is  extremely  beau- 
tiful. This  valley  is  about  the  fourth  of  a mile  wide,  and  it  was 
easy  to  fancy  the  similarity  of  many  spots  on  it  to  the  goodly 
manors  in  our  own  country,  and  feel  assured  that  there  was  still 
ample  territory  left  for  an  indefinite  increase  of  the  world’s  popu- 
lation. The  villages  are  widely  apart  and  difficult  of  access,  from 
the  paths  being  so  covered  with  tall  grass  that  even  an  ox  can 
scarcely  follow  the  track.  The  grass  cuts  the  feet  of  the  men ; 
yet  we  met  a woman  with  a little  child,  and  a girl,  wending  their 
way  home  with  loads  of  manioc.  The  sight  of  a white  man  always 
infuses  a tremor  into  their  dark  bosoms,  and  in  every  case  of  the 
kind  they  appeared  immensely  relieved  when  I had  fairly  passed 
without  having  sprung  upon  them.  In  the  villages  the  dogs  run 
away  with  their  tails  between  their  legs,  as  if  they  had  seen  a 
lion.  The  women  peer  from  behind  the  walls  till  he  comes  near 
them,  and  then  hastily  dash  into  the  house.  When  a little  child, 
unconscious  of  danger,  meets  you  in  the  street,  he  sets  up  a scream 
at  the  apparition,  and  conveys  the  impression  that  he  is  not  far 
from  going  into  fits.  Among  the  Bechuanas  I have  been  obliged 
to  reprove  the  women  for  making  a hobgoblin  of  the  white  man, 
and  telling  their  children  that  they  would  send  for  him  to  bite 
them. 


SPECIMEN  OF  QUARRELING. 


503 


Having  passed  the  Loembwe,  we  were  in  a more  open  country, 
with  every  few  hours  a small  valley,  through  which  ran  a little  rill 
in  the  middle  of  a bog.  These  were  always  difficult  to  pass,  and 
being  numerous,  kept  the  lower  part  of  the  person  constantly  wet. 
At  different  points  in  our  course  we  came  upon  votive  offerings  to 
the  Barimo.  These  usually  consisted  of  food  ; and  every  deserted 
village  still  contained  the  idols  and  little  sheds  with  pots  of  medi- 
cine in  them.  One  afternoon  we  passed  a small  frame  house  with 
the  head  of  an  ox  in  it  as  an  object  of  worship.  The  dreary  uni- 
formity of  gloomy  forests  and  open  flats  must  have  a depressing 
influence  on  the  minds  of  the  people.  Some  villages  appear  more 
superstitious  than  others,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  greater  number 
of  idols  they  contain. 

Only  on  one  occasion  did  we  witness  a specimen  of  quarreling. 
An  old  woman,  standing  by  our  camp,  continued  to  belabor  a 
good-looking  young  man  for  hours  with  her  tongue.  Irritated  at 
last,  he  uttered  some  words  of  impatience,  when  another  man 
sprang  at  him,  exclaiming,  “How  dare  you  curse  my  ‘Mama?’” 
They  caught  each  other,  and  a sort  of  pushing,  dragging  wrest- 
ling-match ensued.  The  old  Avoman  who  had  been  the  cause  of 
the  affray  wished  us  to  interfere,  and  the  combatants  themselves 
hoped  as  much ; but  we,  preferring  to  remain  neutral,  allowed 
them  to  fight  it  out.  It  ended  by  one  falling  under  the  other, 
both,  from  their  scuffling,  being  in  a state  of  nudity.  They 
picked  up  their  clothing  and  ran  off  in  different  directions,  each 
threatening  to  bring  his  gun  and  settle  the  dispute  in  mortal 
combat.  Only  one,  however,  returned,  and  the  old  woman  con- 
tinued her  scolding  till  my  men,  fairly  tired  of  her  tongue,  ordered 
her  to  be  gone.  This  trifling  incident  was  one  of  interest  to  me, 

, for,  during  the  whole  period  of  my  residence  in  the  Bechuana 
country,  I never  saw  unarmed  men  strike  each  other.  Their 
disputes  are  usually  conducted  with  great  volubility  and  noisy 
swearing,  but  they  generally  terminate  by  both  parties  bursting 
into  a laugh. 

At  every  village  attempts  were  made  to  induce  us  to  remain  a 
night.  Sometimes  large  pots  of  beer  were  offered  to  us  as  a 
temptation.  Occasionally  the  head  man  would  peremptorily  order 
us  to  halt  under  a tree  which  he  pointed  out.  At  other  times 
young  men  volunteered  to  guide  us  to  the  impassable  part  of  the 


504 


FUNERAL  OBSERVANCES. 


next  Tbog,  in  the  hope  of  bringing  us  to  a stand,  for  all  are  excess- 
ively eager  to  trade ; but  food  was  so  very  cheap  that  we  some- 
times preferred  paying  them  to  keep  it,  and  let  us  part  in  good 
humor.  A good-sized  fowl  could  be  had  for  a single  charge  of 
gunpowder.  Each  native  who  owns  a gun  carries  about  with  him 
a measure  capable  of  holding  but  one  charge,  in  which  he  receives 
his  powder.  Throughout  this  region  the  women  are  almost  en- 
tirely naked,  their  gowns  being  a patch  of  cloth  frightfully  narrow, 
with  no  flounces ; and  nothing  could  exceed  the  eagerness  with 
which  they  offered  to  purchase  strips  of  calico  of  an  inferior  de- 
scription. They  were  delighted  with  the  large  pieces  we  gave, 
though  only  about  two  feet  long,  for  a fowl  and  a basket  of  up- 
ward of  20  lbs.  of  meal.  As  we  had  now  only  a small  remnant 
of  our  stock,  we  were  obliged  to  withstand  their  importunity,  and 
then  many  of  their  women,  with  true  maternal  feelings,  held  up 
their  little  naked  babies,  entreating  us  to  sell  only  a little  rag  for 
them.  The  fire,  they  say,  is  their  only  clothing  by  night,  and  the 
little  ones  derive  heat  by  sticking  closely  to  their  parents.  Instead 
of  a skin  or  cloth  to  carry  their  babies  in,  the  women  plait  a belt 
about  four  inches  broad,  of  the  inner  bark  of  a tree,  and  this,  hung 
from  the  one  shoulder  to  the  opposite  side,  like  a soldier’s  belt, 
enables  them  to  support  the  child  by  placing  it  on  their  side  in  a 
sitting  position.  Their  land  is  very  fertile,  and  they  can  raise 
ground-nuts  and  manioc  in  abundance.  Here  I observed  no  cot- 
ton,  nor  any  domestic  animals  except  fowls  and  little  dogs.  The 
chief  possessed  a few  goats,  and  I never  could  get  any  satisfactory 
reason  why  the  people  also  did  not  rear  them. 

On  the  evening  of  the  2d  of  June  we  reached  the  village  of  Ka- 
wawa,  rather  an  important  personage  in  these  parts.  This  village 
consists  of  forty  or  fifty  huts,  and  is  surrounded  by  forest.  Drams 
were  beating  over  the  body  of  a man  who  had  died  the  preceding 
day,  and  some  women  were  making  a clamorous  wail  at  the  door 
of  his  hut,  and  addressing  the  deceased  as  if  alive.  The  drums 
continued  beating  the  whole  night,  with  as  much  regularity  as  a 
steam-engine  thumps  on  board  ship.  We  observed  that  a person 
dressed  fantastically  with  a great  number  of  feathers  left  the  peo- 
ple at  the  dance  and  wailing,  and  went  away  into  the  deep  forest 
in  the  morning,  to  return  again  to  the  obsequies  in  the  evening ; 
he  is  intended  to  represent  one  of  the  Barimo. 


KAWAWA’S  DEMAND. 


505 


In  the  morning  we  had  agreeable  intercourse  with  Kawawa ; he 
visited  us,  and  we  sat  and  talked  nearly  the  whole  day  Avith  him 
and  his  people.  When  we  visited  him  in  return,  we  found  him  in 
his  large  court-house,  which,  though  of  a beehive  shape,  Avas  re- 
markably well  built.  As  I had  shown  him  a number  of  curiosi- 
ties, he  now  produced  a jug,  of  English  ware,  shaped  like  an  old 
man  holding  a can  of  beer  in  his  hand,  as  the  greatest  curiosity  he 
had  to  exhibit. 

We  had  now  an  opportunity  of  hearing  a case  brought  before 
him  for  judgment.  A poor  man  and  his  Avife  Avere  accused  of 
having  bewitched  the  man  whose  Avake  was  now  held  in  the 
village.  Before  KaAvaAva  even  heard  the  defense,  he  said,  “You 
have  killed  one  of  my  children ; bring  all  yours  before  me,  that 
I may  choose  which  of  them  shall  be  mine  instead.”  The  Avife 
eloquently  defended  herself,  but  this  availed  little,  for  these  ac- 
cusations are  the  means  resorted  to  by  some  chiefs  to  secure  sub- 
jects for  the  slave-market.  He  probably  thought  that  I had  come 
to  purchase  slaves,  though  I had  already  given  a pretty  full  ex- 
planation of  my  pursuits  both  to  himself  and  his  people.  We 
exhibited  the  pictures  of  the  magic  lantern  in  the  evening,  and  all 
Avere  delighted  except  KaAvaAva  himself.  He  showed  symptoms 
of  dread,  and  several  times  started  up  as  if  to  run  away,  but  Avas 
prevented  by  the  crowd  behind.  Some  of  the  more  intelligent 
understood  the  explanations  well,  and  expatiated  eloquently  on 
them  to  the  more  obtuse.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  civilities 
which  had  passed  between  us  during  this  day ; but  Kawawa  had 
heard  that  the  Chiboque  had  forced  us  to  pay  an  ox,  and  now 
thought  he  might  do  the  same.  When,  therefore,  I sent  next 
morning  to  let  him  knoAV  that  we  Avere  ready  to  start,  he  replied 
in  his  figurative  way,  “If  an  ox  came  in  the  Avay  of  a man, 
ought  he  not  to  eat  it  ? I had  given  one  to  the  Chiboque,  and 
must  give  him  the  same,  together  Avith  a gun,  gunpowder,  and  a 
black  robe,  like  that  he  had  seen  spread  out  to  dry  the  day  be- 
fore ; that,  if  I refused  an  ox,  I must  give  one  of  my  men,  and  a 
book  by  which  he  might  see  the  state  of  Matiamvo’s  heart  toward 
him,  and  which  Avould  forewarn  him,  should  Matiamvo  ever  resolve 
to  cut  off  his  head.”  Kawawa  came  in  the  coolest  manner  possi- 
ble to  our  encampment  after  sending  this  message,  and  told  me 
he  had  seen  all  our  goods,  and  must  have  all  he  asked,  as  he  had 


506 


UNPLEASANT  PARTING. 


command  of  the  Kasai  in  our  front,  and  would  prevent  us  from 
passing  it  unless  we  paid  this  tribute.  I replied  that  the  goods 
were  my  property  and  not  his ; that  I would  never  have  it  said 
that  a white  man  had  paid  tribute  to  a black,  and  that  I should 
cross  the  Kasai  in  spite  of  him.  He  ordered  his  people  to  arm 
themselves,  and  when  some  of  my  men  saw  them  rushing  for  their 
bows,  arrows,  and  spears,  they  became  somewhat  panic-stricken. 
I ordered  them  to  move  away,  and  not  to  fire  unless  Kawawa’s 
people  struck  the  first  blow.  I took  the  lead,  and  expected  them 
all  to  follow,  as  they  usually  had  done,  but  many  of  my  men  re- 
mained behind.  When  I knew  this,  I jumped  off  the  ox,  and  made 
a rush  to  them  with  the  revolver  in  my  hand.  Kawawa  ran  away 
among  his  people,  and  they  turned  their  hacks  too.  I shouted  to 
my  men  to  take  up  their  luggage  and  march ; some  did  so  with 
alacrity,  feeling  that  they  had  disobeyed  orders  by  remaining ; but 
one  of  them  refused,  and  was  preparing  to  fire  at  Kawawa,  until  I 
gave  him  a punch  on  the  head  with  the  pistol,  and  made  him  go 
too.  I felt  here,  as  elsewhere,  that  subordination  must  be  main- 
tained at  all  risks.  We  all  moved  into  the  forest,  the  people  of 
Kawawa  standing  about  a hundred  yards  off,  gazing,  but  not  firing 
a shot  or  an  arrow.  It  is  extremely  unpleasant  to  part  with  these 
chieftains  thus,  after  spending  a day  or  two  in  the  most  amicable 
intercourse,  and  in  a part  where  the  people  are  generally  civil. 
This  Kawawa,  however,  is  not  a good  specimen  of  the  Balonda 
chiefs,  and  is  rather  notorious  in  the  neighborhood  for  his  folly. 
We  were  told  that  he  has  good  reason  to  believe  that  Matiamvo 
will  some  day  cut  off  his  head  for  his  disregard  of  the  rights  of 
strangers. 

Kawawa  was  not  to  be  balked  of  his  supposed  rights  by  the 
•unceremonious  way  in  which  we  had  left  him ; for,  when  we  had 
reached  the  ford  of  the  Kasai,  about  ten  miles  distant,  we  found 
that  he  had  sent  four  of  his  men,  with  orders  to  the  ferrymen  to 
refuse  us  passage.  We  were  here  duly  informed  that  we  must 
deliver  up  all  the  articles  mentioned,  and  one  of  our  men  besides. 
This  demand  for  one  of  our  number  always  nettled  every  heart. 
The  canoes  were  taken  away  before  our  eyes,  and  we  were  sup- 
posed to  be  quite  helpless  without  them,  at  a river  a good  hundred 
yards  broad,  and  very  deep.  Pitsane  stood  on  the  bank,  gazing 
with  apparent  indifference  on  the  stream,  and  made  an  accurate 


A STKATAGEM. 


507 


observation  of  where  the  canoes  were  hidden  among  the  reeds. 
The  ferrymen  casually  asked  one  of  my  Batoka  if  they  had  rivers 
in  his  country,  and  he  answered  with  truth,  “ No,  we  have  none.” 
Kawawa’s  people  then  felt  sure  we  could  not  cross.  I thought  of 
swimming  when  they  were  gone ; but  after  it  was  dark,  by  the 
unasked  loan  of  one  of  the  hidden  canoes,  we  soon  were  snug  in 
our  bivouac  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Kasai.  I left  some  beads 
as  payment  for  some  meal  which  had  been  presented  by  the  ferry- 
men ; and,  the  canoe  having  been  left  on  their  own  side  of  the 
river,  Pitsane  and  his  companions  laughed  uproariously  at  the  dis- 
gust our  enemies  would  feel,  and  their  perplexity  as  to  who  had 
been  our  paddler  across.  They  were  quite  sure  that  Kawawa 
would  imagine  that  we  had  been  ferried  over  by  his  own  people, 
and  would  be  divining  to  find  out  who  had  done  the  deed.  When 
ready  to  depart  in  the  morning,  Kawawa’s  people  appeared  on  the 
opposite  heights,  and  could  scarcely  believe  their  eyes  when  they 
saw  us  prepared  to  start  away  to  the  south.  At  last  one  of  them 
called  out,  “Ah!  ye  are  bad,”  to  which  Pitsane  and  his  compan- 
ions retorted,  “Ah!  ye  are  good,  and  we  thank  you  for  the  loan 
of  your  canoe.”  We  were  careful  to  explain  the  whole  of  the  cir- 
cumstances to  Katcma  and  the  other  chiefs,  and  they  all  agreed 
that  we  were  perfectly  justifiable  under  the  circumstances,  and 
that  Matiamvo  would  approve  our  conduct.  When  any  thing  that 
might  bear  an  unfavorable  construction  happens  among  them- 
selves, they  send  explanations  to  each  other.  The  mere  fact  of 
doing  so  prevents  them  from  losing  their  character,  for  there  is 
public  opinion  even  among  them. 


508 


LEVEL  PLAIN S. — BIRDS. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Level  Plains. — Vultures  and  other  Birds. — Diversity  of  Color  in  Flowers  of  the 
same  Species. — The  Sundew. — Twenty-seventh  Attack  of  Fever. — A Eiver  which 
flows  in  opposite  Directions. — Lake  Dilolo  the  Watershed  between  the  Atlantic 
and  Indian  Oceans. — Position  of  Rocks. — Sir  Roderick  Murchison’s  Explanation. 
— Characteristics  of  the  Rainy  Season  in  connection  with  the  Floods  of  the  Zam- 
besi and  the  Nile. — Probable  Reason  of  Difference  in  Amount  of  Rain  South  and 
North  of  the  Equator. — Arab  Reports  of  Region  east  of  Londa. — Probable  Wa- 
tershed of  the  Zambesi  and  the  Nile. — Lake  Dilolo. — Reach  Katema’s  Town: 
his  renewed  Hospitality ; desire  to  appear  like  a White  Man ; ludicrous  Depart- 
ure.— Jackdaws. — Ford  southern  Branch  of  Lake  Dilolo. — Small  Fish. — Project 
for  a Makololo  Village  near  the  Confluence  of  the  Leeba  and  the  Leeambye. — 
Hearty  Welcome  from  Sliinte. — Kolimbota’s  Wound. — Plant-seeds  and  Fruit- 
trees  brought  from  Angola. — Masiko  and  Limboa’s  Quarrel. — Nyamoana  now  a 
Widow. — Purchase  Canoes  and  descend  the  Leeba. — Herds  of  wild  Animals  on 
its  Banks. — Unsuccessful  Buffalo-hunt. — Frogs. — Sinbad  and  the  Tsetse. — Dis- 
patch a Message  to  Manenko. — Arrival  of  her  Husband  Sambanza. — The  Cere- 
mony called  Kasendi. — Unexpected  Fee  for  performing  a surgical  Operation. — 
Social  Condition  of  the  Tribes. — Desertion  of  Mboenga. — Stratagem  of  Mam- 
bowe  Hunters. — Water-turtles. — Charged  by  a Buffalo. — Reception  from  the  Peo- 
ple of  Libonta. — Explain  the  Causes  of  our  long  Delay. — Pitsane’s  Speech. — 
Thanksgiving  Services. — Appearance  of  my  “ Braves.” — Wonderful  Kindness  of 
the  People. 

After  leaving  the  Kasai,  we  entered  upon  the  extensive  level 
plains  which  we  had  formerly  found  in  a flooded  condition.  The 
water  on  them  was  not  yet  dried  up,  as  it  still  remained  in  cer- 
tain hollow  spots.  Vultures  were  seen  floating  in  the  air,  show- 
ing that  carrion  was  to  be  found  ; and,  indeed,  we  saw  several  of 
the  large  game,  but  so  exceedingly  wild  as  to  be  unapproachable. 
Numbers  of  caterpillars  mounted  the  stalks  of  grass,  and  many 
dragonflies  and  butterflies  appeared,  though  this  was  winter.  The 
caprimulgus  or  goat-sucker,  swifts,  and  different  kinds  of  swal- 
lows, with  a fiery-red  bee-eater  in  flocks,  showed  that  the  lowest 
temperature  here  does  not  destroy  the  insects  on  which  they  feed. 
Jet-black  larks,  with  yellow  shoulders,  enliven  the  mornings  with 
their  songs,  but  they  do  not  continue  so  long  on  the  wing  as  ours, 
nor  soar  so  high.  We  saw  many  of  the  pretty  white  ardea,  and 


FLOWERS. — SUNDEW. 


509 


other  water-birds,  flying  over  the  spots  not  yet  dried  up ; and 
occasionally  wild  ducks,  but  these  only  in  numbers  suflicient  to 
remind  us  that  we  were  approaching  the  Zambesi,  where  every 
water-fowl  has  a home. 

While  passing  across  these  interminable-looking  plains,  the  eye 
rests  with  pleasure  on  a small  flower,  which  exists  in  such  num- 
bers as  to  give  its  own  hue  to  the  ground.  One  broad  band  of 
yellow  stretches  across  our  path.  On  looking  at  the  flowers  which 
formed  this  golden  carpet,  we  saw  every  variety  of  that  color,  from 
the  palest  lemon  to  the  richest  orange.  Crossing  a hundred  yards 
of  this,  we  came  upon  another  broad  band  of  the  same  flower,  but 
blue,  and  this  color  is  varied  from  the  lightest  tint  to  dark  blue, 
and  even  purple.  I had  before  observed  the  same  flower  possess- 
ing different  colors  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  and  once 
a great  number  of  liver-colored  flowers,  which  elsewhere  were  yel- 
low. Even  the  color  of  the  birds  changed  with  the  district  we 
passed  through  ; but  never  before  did  I see  such  a marked  change 
as  from  yellow  to  blue,  repeated  again  and  again  on  the  same 
plain.  Another  beautiful  plant  attracted  my  attention  so  strong- 
ly on  these  plains  that  I dismounted  to  examine  it.  To  my  great 
delight  I found  it  to  be  an  old  home  acquaintance,  a species  of 
Drosera,  closely  resembling  our  own  sundew  ( Drosera  Anglia). 
The  flower-stalk  never  attains  a height  of  more  than  two  or  three 
inches,  and  the  leaves  are  covered  with  reddish  hairs,  each  of 
which  has  a drop  of  clammy  fluid  at  its  tip,  making  the  whole  ap- 
pear as  if  spangled  over  with  small  diamonds.  I noticed  it  first 
in  the  morning,  and  imagined  the  appearance  was  caused  by  the 
sun  shining  on  drops  of  dew  ; but,  as  it  continued  to  maintain  its 
brilliancy  during  the  heat  of  the  day,  I proceeded  to  investigate 
the  cause  of  its  beauty,  and  found  that  the  points  of  the  hairs  ex- 
uded pure  liquid,  in,  apparently,  capsules  of  clear,  glutinous  mat- 
ter. They  were  thus  like  dewdrops  preserved  from  evaporation. 
The  clammy  fluid  is  intended  to  entrap  insects,  which,  dying  on 
the  leaf,  probably  yield  nutriment  to  the  plant. 

During  our  second  day  on  this  extensive  plain  I suffered  from 
my  twenty-seventh  attack  of  fever,  at  a part  where  no  surface- 
water  was  to  be  found.  We  never  thought  it  necessary  to  carry 
water  with  us  in  this  region ; and  now,  when  I was  quite  unable 
to  move  on,  my  men  soon  found  water  to  allay  my  burning  thirst 


510 


PHENOMENON  OF  THE  LOTEMBWA. 


by  digging  with  sticks  a few  feet  beneath  the  surface.  We  had 
thus  an  opportunity  of  observing  the  state  of  these  remarkable 
plains  at  different  seasons  of  the  year.  Next  day  we  pursued  our 
way,  and  on  the  8th  of  June  we  forded  the  Lotembwa  to  the  N.  W. 
of  Dilolo,  and  regained  our  former  path. 

The  Lotembwa  here  is  about  a mile  wide,  about  three  feet  deep, 
and  full  of  the  lotus,  papyrus,  arum,  mat-rushes,  and  other  aquatic 
plants.  I did  not  observe  the  course  in  which  the  water  flowed 
while  crossing ; but,  having  noticed  before  that  the  Lotembwa  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Lake  Dilolo  flowed  in  a southerly  direction,  I 
supposed  that  this  was  simply  a prolongation  of  the  same  river 
beyond  Dilolo,  and  that  it  rose  in  this  large  marsh,  which  we  had 
not  seen  in  our  progress  to  the  N.W.  But  when  we  came  to  the 
Southern  Lotembwa,  we  were  informed  by  Shakatwala  that  the 
river  we  had  crossed  flowed  in  an  opposite  direction — not  into  Di- 
lolo, but  into  the  Ivasai.  This  phenomenon  of  a river  running  in 
opposite  directions  struck  even  his  mind  as  strange ; and,  though 
I did  not  observe  the  current,  simply  from  taking  it  for  granted 
that  it  was  toward  the  lake,  I have  no  doubt  that  his  assertion, 
corroborated  as  it  was  by  others,  is  correct,  and  that  the  Dilolo  is 
actually  the  watershed  between  the  river  systems  that  flow  to  the 
east  and  west. 

I would  have  returned  in  order  to  examine  more  carefully  this 
most  interesting  point,  but,  having  had  my  lower  extremities 
chilled  in  crossing  the  Northern  Lotembwa,  I was  seized  with 
vomiting  of  blood,  and,  besides,  saw  no  reason  to  doubt  the  native 
testimony.  The  distance  between  Dilolo  and  the  valleys  leading 
to  that  of  the  Kasai  is  not  more  than  fifteen  miles,  and  the  plains 
between  are  perfectly  level ; and,  had  I returned,  I should  only 
have  found  that  this  little  lake  Dilolo,  by  giving  a portion  to  the 
Kasai  and  another  to  the  Zambesi,  distributes  its  waters  to  the 
Atlantic  and  Indian  Oceans.  I state  the  fact  exactly  as  it  opened 
to  my  own  mind,  for  it  was  only  now  that  I apprehended  the  true 
form  of  the  river  systems  and  continent.  I had  seen  the  various 
rivers  of  this  country  on  the  western  side  flowing  from  the  sub- 
tending ridges  into  the  centre,  and  had  received  information  from 
natives  and  Arabs  that  most  of  the  rivers  on  the  eastern  side  of 
the  same  great  region  took  a somewhat  similar  course  from  an  el- 
evated ridge  there,  and  that  all  united  in  two  main  drains,  the  one 


POSITION  OF  ROCKS. 


• 511 


flowing  to  the  north  and  the  other  to  the  south,  and  that  the  north- 
ern drain  found  its  way  out  by  the  Congo  to  the  west,  and  the 
southern  by  the  Zambesi  to  the  east.  I was  thus  on  the  water- 
shed, or  highest  point  of  these  two  great  systems,  but  still  not 
more  than  4000  feet  above  the  level  of  thp  sea,  and  1000  feet  lower 
than  the  top  of  the  western  ridge  wre  had  already  crossed ; yet, 
instead  of  lofty  snow-clad  mountains  appearing  to  verify  the  con- 
jectures of  the  speculative,  we  had  extensive  plains,  over  which 
one  may  travel  a month  without  seeing  any  thing  higher  than  an 
ant-hill  or  a tree.  I was  not  then  aware  that  any  one  else  had 
discovered  the  elevated  trough  form  of  the  centre  of  Africa. 

I had  observed  that  the  old  schistose  rocks  on  the  sides  dipped 
in  toward  the  centre  of  the  country,  and  their  strike  nearly  cor- 
responded with  the  major  axis  of  the  continent ; and  also  that 
where  the  later  erupted  trap  rocks  had  been  spread  out  in  tabular 
masses  over  the  central  plateau,  they  had  borne  angular  fragments 
of  the  older  rocks  in  their  substance ; but  the  partial  generaliza- 
tion which  the  observations  led  to  was,  that  great  volcanic  action 
had  taken  place  in  ancient  times,  somewhat  in  the  same  wray  it 
does  now,  at  distances  of  not  more  than  three  hundred  miles  from 
the  sea,  and  that  this  igneous  action,  extending  along  both  sides 
of  the  continent,  had  tilted  up  the  lateral  rocks  in  the  manner  they 
are  now  seen  to  lie.  The  greater  energy  and  more  extended 
range  of  igneous  action  in  those  very  remote  periods  when  Africa 
was  formed,  embracing  all  the  flanks,  imparted  to  it  its  present 
very  simple  literal  outline.  This  was  the  length  to  which  I had 
come. 

The  trap  rocks,  which  now  constitute  the  “ filling  up”  of  the 
great  valley,  were  always  a puzzle  to  me  till  favored  with  Sir 
Eoderick  Murchison’s  explanation  of  the  original  form  of  the 
continent,  for  then  I could  see  clearly  why  these  trap  rocks, 
which  still  lie  in  a perfectly  horizontal  position  on  extensive  areas, 
held  in  their  substance  angular  fragments,  containing  algaj  of  the 
old  schists,  which  form  the  bottom  of  the  original  lacustrine  basin  : 
the  traps,  in  bursting  through,  had  broken  them  off  and  preserved 
them.  There  are,  besides,  ranges  of  hills  in  the  central  parts, 
composed  of  clay  and  sandstone  schists,  with  the  ripple  mark  dis- 
tinct, in  which  no  fossils  appear ; but  as  they  are  usually  tilted 
away  from  the  masses  of  horizontal  trap,  it  is  probable  that  they 


512 


SIR  R.  MURCHISON’S  EXPLANATION. 


too  were  a portion  of  the  original  bottom,  and  fossils  may  yet  be 
found  in  them.* 

The  characteristics  of  the  rainy  season  in  this  wonderfully 
humid  region  may  account  in  some  measure  for  the  periodical 
floods  of  the  Zambesi,  and  perhaps  the  Nile.  The  rains  seem  to 
follow  the  course  of  the  sun,  for  they  fall  in  October  and  Novem- 
ber, when  the  sun  passes  over  this  zone  on  his  way  south.  On 
reaching  the  tropic  of  Capricorn  in  December,  it  is  dry ; and  De- 
cember and  January  are  the  months  in, which  injurious  droughts 
are  most  dreaded  near  that  tropic  (from  Ivolobeng  to  Linyanti). 
As  he  returns  again  to  the  north  in  February,  March,  and  April, 
we  have  the  great  rains  oi  the  year;  and  the  plains,  which  in 
October  and  November  were  well  moistened,  and  imbibed  rain 
like  sponges,  now  become  supersaturated,  and  pour  forth  those 
floods  of  clear  water  which  inundate  the  banks  of  the  Zambesi. 
Somewhat  the  same  phenomenon  probably  causes  the  periodical 
inundations  of  the  Nile.  The  two  rivers  rise  in  the  same  region  ; 
but  there  is  a difference  in  the  period  of  flood,  possibly  from  their 


* After  dwelling  upon  the  geological  structure  of  the  Cape  Colony  as  developed 
by  Mr.  A.  Bain,  and  the  existence  in  very  remote  periods  of  lacustrine  conditions 
in  the  central  part  of  South  Africa,  as  proved  by  fresh-water  and  terrestrial  fossils, 
Sir  Roderick  Murchison  thus  writes : 

“ Such  as  South  Africa  is  now,  such  have  been  her  main  features  during  count- 
less past  ages  anterior  to  the  creation  of  the  human  race  ; for  the  old  rocks  which 
form  her  outer  fringe  unquestionably  circled  round  an  interior  marshy  or  lacustrine 
country,  in  which  the  Dicynodon  flourished,  at  a time  when  not  a single  animal  vras 
similar  to  any  living  thing  which  now  inhabits  the  surface  of  our  globe.  The  pres- 
ent central  and  meridian  zone  of  waters,  whether  lakes  or  marshes,  extending  from 
Lake  Tchad  to  Lake  ’Ngami,  with  hippopotami  on  their  banks,  are  therefore  hut  the 
great  modern  residual  geographical  phenomena  of  those  of  a mesozoic  age.  The 
differences,  however,  between  the  geological  past  of  Africa  and  her  present  state  are 
enormous.  Since  that  primeval  time,  the  lands  have  been  much  elevated  above 
the  sea-level — eruptive  rocks  piercing  in  parts  through  them  ; deep  rents  and  de- 
files have  been  suddenly  formed  in  the  subtending  ridges  through  which  some  riv- 
ers escape  outward. 

“Travelers  will  eventually  ascertain  whether  the  basin-shaped  structure,  which 
is  here  announced  as  having  been  the  great  feature  of  the  most  ancient,  as  it  is  of 
the  actual  geography  of  South  Africa  (i.  e.,  from  primeval  times  to  the  present  day), 
does,  or  does  not,  extend  into  Northern  Africa.  Looking  at  that  much  broader 
portion  of  the  continent,  we  have  some  reason  to  surmise  that  the  higher  mount- 
ains also  form,  in  a general  sense,  its  flanks  only.” — President's  Address,  Royal  Ge- 
ographical Society , 1852,  p.  cxxiii. 


REGION  EAST  OF  LONDA. 


513 


being  on  opposite  sides  of  tlie  equator.  The  waters  of  the  Nile 
are  said  to  become  turbid  in  June;  and  the  flood  attains  its 
greatest  height  in  August,  or  the  period  when  we  may  suppose 
the  supersaturation  to  occur.  The  subject  is  worthy  the  inves- 
tigation of  those  who  may  examine  the  region  between  the 
equator  and  10°  S.  ; for  the  Nile  does  not  show  much  increase 
when  the  sun  is  at  its  farthest  point  north,  or  tropic  of  Cancer, 
but  at  the  time  of  its  returning  to  the  equator,  exactly  as  in 
the  other  case  when  he  is  on  Capricorn,  and  the  Zambesi  is 
affected.* 

From  information  derived  from  Arabs  of  Zanzibar,  whom  I met 
at  Naliele  in  the  middle  of  the  country,  the  region  to  the  east  of 
the  parts  of  Londa  over  which  we  have  traveled  resembles  them 
in  its  conformation.  They  report  swampy  steppes,  some  of  which 
have  no  trees,  where  the  inhabitants  use  grass,  and  stalks  of 
native  corn,  for  fuel.  A large  shallow  lake  is  also  pointed  out  in 
that  direction,  named  Tanganyenka,  which  requires  three  days 
for  crossing  in  canoes.  It  is  connected  with  another  named 
Kalagwe  (Garague?),  farther  north,  and  may  be  the  Nyanja  of 
the  Maravim.  From  this  lake  is  derived,  by  numerous  small 
streams,  the  River  Loapula,  the  eastern  branch  of  the  Zam- 
besi, which,  coming  from  the  N.E.,  flows  past  the  town  of 
Cazembe. 

The  southern  end  of  this  lake  is  ten  days  northeast  of  the  town 
of  Cazembe ; and  as  that  is  probably  more  than  five  days  from 
Shinte,  we  can  not  have  been  nearer  to  it  than  150  miles.  Proba- 


* The  above  is  from  my  own  observation,  together  with  information  derived  from 
the  Portuguese  in  the  interior  of  Angola  ; and  I may  add  that  the  result  of  many 
years’  observation  by  Messrs.  Gabriel  and  Brand  at  Loanda,  on  the  west  coast,  is  in 
accordance  therewith.  It  rains  there  between  the  1st  and  30th  of  November,  but 
January  and  December  are  usually  both  warm  and  dry.  The  heavier  rains  com- 
mence about  the  1st  of  February,  and  last  until  the  15th  of  May.  Then  no  rain 
falls  between  the  20th  of  May  and  the  1st  of  November.  The  rain  averages  from 
12  to  15  inches  per  annum.  In  1852  it  was  12.034  inches  ; in  1853,  15.473  inches. 
Although  I had  no  means  of  measuring  the  amount  of  rain  which  fell  in  Londa,  I 
feel  certain  that  the  annual  quantity  exceeds  very  much  that  which  falls  on  the 
coast,  because  for  a long  time  we  noticed  that  every  dawn  was  marked  by  a delu- 
ging shower,  which  began  without  warning-drops  or  thunder.  I observed  that  the 
rain  ceased  suddenly  on  the  28th  of  April,  and  the  lesser  rains  commenced  about  a 
fortnight  before  the  beginning  of  November. 

K K 


514 


CAUSES  OF  ARIDITY  AND  MOISTURE. 


bly  this  lake  is  the  watershed  between  the  Zambesi  and  the  Nile, 
as  Lake  Dilolo  is  that  between  the  Leeba  and  Kasai.  But,  how- 
ever this  may  be,  the  phenomena  of  the  rainy  season  show  that 
it  is  not  necessary  to  assume  the  existence  of  high  snowy  mount- 
ains until  we  get  reliable  information.  This,  it  is  to  be  hoped, 
will  be  one  of  the  results  of  the  researches  of  Captain  Burton  in 
his  present  journey. 

The  original  valley  formation  of  the  continent  determined  the 
northern  and  southern  course  of  the  Zambesi  in  the  centre,  and 
also  of  the  ancient  river  which  once  flowed  from  the  Linyanti 
basin  to  the  Orange  River.  It  also  gave  direction  to  the  southern 
and  northern  flow  of  the  Kasai  and  the  Nile.  We  find  that  be- 
tween the  latitudes,  say  6°  and  12°  S.,  from  which,  in  all  proba- 
bility, the  head  waters  of  those  rivers  diverge,  there  is  a sort  of 
elevated  partition  in  the  great  longitudinal  valley.  Presuming 
on  the  correctness  of  the  native  information,  which  places  the 
humid  region  to  which  the  Nile  and  Zambesi  probably  owe  their 
origin  within  the  latitudes  indicated,  why  does  so  much  more 
rain  fall  there  than  in  the  same  latitudes  north  of  the  equator? 
Why  does  Darfur  not  give  rise  to  great  rivers,  like  Londa  and 
the  country  east  of  it  ? The  prevailing  winds  in  the  ocean 
opposite  the  territory  pointed  out  are  said  to  be  from  the  N.E. 
and  S.E.  during  a great  part  of  the  year ; they  extend  their 
currents  on  one  side  at  least  of  the  equator  quite  beyond  the 
middle  of  the  continent,  and  even  until  in  Angola  they  meet  the 
sea-breeze  from  the  Atlantic.  If  the  reader  remembers  the 
explanation  given  at  page  109,*  that  the  comparative  want  of 

* Since  the  explanation  in  page  109  was  printed,  I have  been  pleased  to  see  the 
same  explanation  given  by  the  popular  astronomer  and  natural  philosopher,  M. 
Babinet,  in  reference  to  the  climate  of  France.  It  is  quoted  from  a letter  of  a 
correspondent  of  the  Times  in  Paris  : 

“In  the  normal  meteorological  state  of  France  and  Europe,  the  west  wind, 
which  is  the  counter-current  of  the  trade-winds  that  constantly  blow  from  the  east 
under  the  tropics — the  west  wind,  I say,  after  having  touched  France  and  Europe 
by  the  western  shores,  re-descends  by  Marseilles  and  the  Mediterranean,  Constanti- 
nople and  the  Archipelago,  Astrakan  and  the  Caspian  Sea,  in  order  to  merge  again 
into  the  great  circuit  of  the  general  winds,  and  be  thus  carried  again  into  the  equa- 
torial current.  Whenever  these  masses  of  air,  impregnated  with  humidity  during 
their  passage  over  the  ocean,  meet  with  an  obstacle,  such  as  a chain  of  mountains, 
for  example,  they  slide  up  the  acclivity,  and,  when  they  reach  the  crest,  find  them- 


CAUSES  OF  ARIDITY  AND  MOISTURE. 


515 


rain  on  the  Kalahari  Desert  is  caused  by  the  mass  of  air  losing 
its  humidity  as  it  passes  up  and  glides  over  the  subtending 
ridge,  and  will  turn  to  the  map,  he  may  perceive  that  the 
same  cause  is  in  operation  in  an  intense  degree  by  the  moun- 
tains of  Abyssinia  to  render  the  region  about  Darfur  still 
more  arid,  and  that  the  flanking  ranges  mentioned  lie  much 
nearer  the  equator  than  those  which  rob  the  Kalahari  of  hu- 
midity. The  Nile,  even  while  running  through  a part  of  that 
region,  receives  remarkably  few  branches.  Observing  also  that 
there  is  no  known  abrupt  lateral  mountain-range  between  6° 
and  12°  S.,  but  that  there  is  an  elevated  partition  there,  and 
that  the  southing  and  northing  of  the  southeasters  and  north- 
easters probably  cause  a confluence  of  the  two  great  atmospheric 
currents,  he  will  perceive  an  accumulation  of  humidity  on  the 
flanks  and  crown  of  the  partition,  instead  of,  as  elsewhere, 
opposite  the  Kalahari  and  Darfur,  a deposition  of  the  atmos- 
pheric moisture  on  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  subtending  ridges. 
This  explanation  is  offered  with  all  deference  to  those  wdio  have 
made  meteorology  their  special  study,  and  as  a hint  to  travelers 
who  may  have  opportunity  to  examine  the  subject  more  fully. 

selves  relieved  from  a portion  of  the  column  of  air  which  pressed  upon  them.  Thus, 
dilating  by  reason  of  their  elasticity,  they  cause  a considerable  degree  of  cold,  and 
a precipitation  of  humidity  in  the  form  of  fogs,  clouds,  rain,  or  snow.  A similar 
effect  occurs  whatever  be  the  obstacle  they  find  in  their  way.  Now  this  is  what  had 
gradually  taken  place  before  1856.  By  some  cause  or  other  connected  with  the 
currents  of  the  atmosphere,  the  warm  current  from  the  west  had  annually  ascended 
northward,  so  that,  instead  of  passing  through  France,  it  came  from  the  Baltic  and 
the  north  of  Germany,  thus  momentarily  disturbing  the  ordinary  law  of  the  tempera- 
tures of  Europe.  Butin  1856  a sudden  change  occurred.  The  western  current 
again  passed,  as  before,  through  the  centre  of  France.  It  met  with  an  obstacle  in 
the  air  which  had  not  yet  found  its  usual  outlet  toward  the  west  and  south.  Hence 
a stoppage,  a rising,  a consequent  dilation  and  fall  of  temperature,  extraordinary 
rains  and  inundations.  But,  now  that  the  natural  state  of  things  is  restored,  nothing 
appears  to  prognosticate  the  return  of  similar  disasters.  Were  the  western  current 
found  annually  to  move  further  north,  we  might  again  experience  meteorological 
effects  similar  to  those  of  1856.  Hence  the  regular  seasons  may  be  considered 
re-established  in  France  for  several  years  to  come.  The  important  meteorological 
communications  which  the  Imperial  Observatory  is  daily  establishing  with  the  other 
countries  of  Europe,  and  the  introduction  of  apparatus  for  measuring  the  velocity 
of  the  aijrial  currents  and  prevailing  winds,  will  soon  afford  prognostics  sufficiently 
certain  to  enable  an  enlightened  government  to  provide  in  time  against  future 
evils.” 


510 


LAKE  DILOLO. 


I often  observed,  while  on  a portion  of  tlie  partition,  that  the  air 
by  night  was  generally  quite  still,  but  as  soon  as  the  sun’s  rays 
began  to  shoot  across  the  upper  strata  of  the  atmosphere  in  the 
early  morning,  a copious  discharge  came  suddenly  down  from  the 
accumulated  clouds.  It  always  reminded  me  of  the  experiment 
of  putting  a rod  into  a saturated  solution  of  a certain  salt,  causing 
instant  crystallization.  This,  too,  was  the  period  when  I often  ob- 
served the  greatest  amount  of  cold. 

After  crossing  the  Northern  Lotembwa  we  met  a party  of  the 
people  of  Kangenke,  who  had  treated  us  kindly  on  our  way  to  the 
north,  and  sent  him  a robe  of  striped  calico,  with  an  explanation 
of  the  reason  for  not  returning  through  his  village.  We  then  went 
on  to  the  Lake  Dilolo.  It  is  a fine  sheet  of  water,  six  or  eight 
miles  long,  and  one  or  two  broad,  and  somewhat  of  a triangular 
shape.  A branch  proceeds  from  one  of  the  angles,  and  flows  into 
the  Southern  Lotembwa.  Though  laboring  under  fever,  the  sight 
of  the  blue  waters,  and  the  waves  lashing  the  shore,  had  a most 
soothing  influence  on  the  mind,  after  so  much  of  lifeless,  flat,  and 
gloomy  forest.  The  heart  yearned  for  the  vivid  impressions  which 
are  always  created  by  the  sight  of  the  broad  expanse  of  the  grand 
old  ocean.  That  has  life  in  it ; but  the  flat  uniformities  over 
which  we  had  roamed  made  me  feel  as  if  buried  alive.  We  found 
Moene  Dilolo  (Lord  of  the  Lake)  a fat,  jolly  fellow,  who  lamented 
that  when  they  had  no  strangers  they  had  plenty  of  beer,  and  al- 
ways none  when  they  came.  He  gave  us  a handsome  present  of 
meal  and  putrid  buffalo’s  flesh.  Meat  can  not  be  too  far  gone  for 
them,  as  it  is  used  only  in  small  quantities,  as  a sauce  to  their 
tasteless  manioc.  They  were  at  this  time  hunting  antelopes,  in 
order  to  send  the  skins  as  a tribute  to  Matiamvo.  Great  quanti- 
ties of  fish  are  caught  in  the  lake ; and  numbers  of  young  water- 
fowl  are  now  found  in  the  nests  among  the  reeds. 

Our  progress  had  always  been  slow,  and  I found  that  our  rate 
of  traveling  could  only  be  five  hours  a day  for  five  successive  days. 
On  the  sixth,  both  men  and  oxen  showed  symptoms  of  knocking 
up.  We  never  exceeded  two  and  a half  or  three  miles  an  hour  in 
a straight  line,  though  all  were  anxious  to  get  home.  The  differ- 
ence in  the  rate  of  traveling  between  ourselves  and  the  slave- 
traders  was  our  having  a rather  quicker  step,  a longer  day’s  jour- 
ney, and  twenty  traveling  days  a month  instead  of  their  ten. 


KATEMA’S  HOSPITALITY  AND  DIGNITY. 


517 


When  one  of  my  men  became  ill,  but  still  could  walk,  others  part- 
ed his  luggage  among  them  ; yet  we  had  often  to  stop  one  day  a 
week,  besides  Sundays,  simply  for  the  sake  of  rest.  The  latitude 
of  Lake  Dilolo  is  11°  32'  1"  S.,  long.  22°  27'  E. 

June  14 th.  We  reached  the  collection  of  straggling  villages 
over  which  Katema  rules,  and  were  thankful  to  see  old  familiar 
faces  again.  Shakatwala  performed  the  part  of  a chief  by  bring- 
ing forth  abundant  supplies  of  food  in  his  master’s  name.  He  in- 
formed us  that  Katema,  too,  was  out  hunting  skins  for  Matiamvo. 

In  different  parts  of  this  country,  we  remarked  that  when  old 
friends  were  inquired  for,  the  reply  wras,  “Ba  hola”  (They  are  get- 
ting better) ; or  if  the  people  of  a village  were  inquired  for,  the 
answer  was,  “ They  are  recovering,”  as  if  sickness  was  quite  a com- 
mon thing.  Indeed,  many  with  whom  we  had  made  acquaintance 
in  going  north  we  now  found  were  in  their  graves.  On  the  15th 
Katema  came  home  from  his  hunting,  having  heard  of  our  arrival. 
He  desired  me  to  rest  myself  and  eat  abundantly,  for,  being  a 
great  man,  I must  feel  tired ; and  he  took  good  care  to  give  the 
means  of  doing  so.  All  the  people  in  these  parts  are  exceedingly 
kind  and  liberal  with  their  food,  and  Katema  was  not  behindhand. 
When  he  visited  our  encampment,  I presented  him  with  a cloak  of 
red  baize,  ornamented  with  gold  tinsel,  which  cost  thirty  shillings, 
according  to  the  promise  I had  made  in  going  to  Londa;  also  a 
cotton  robe,  both  large  and  small  beads,  an  iron  spoon,  and  a tin 
pannikin  containing  a quarter  of  a pound  of  powder.  He  seemed 
greatly  pleased  with  the  liberality  shown,  and  assured  me  that 
the  way  was  mine,  and  that  no  ohe  should  molest  me  in  it  if  he 
could  help  it.  We  were  informed  by  Shakatwala  that  the  chief 
never  used  any  part  of  a present  before  making  an  offer  of  it  to 
his  mother,  or  the  departed  spirit  to  whom  he  prayed.  Katema 
asked  if  I could  not  make  a dress  for  him  like  the  one  I wore,  so 
that  he  might  appear  as  a white  man  when  any  stranger  visited 
him.  One  of  the  councilors,  imagining  that  he  ought  to  second 
this  by  begging,  Katema  checked  him  by  saying,  “Whatever 
strangers  give,  be  it  little  or  much,  I always  receive  it  with  thank- 
fulness, and  never  trouble  them  for  more.”  On  departing,  he 
mounted  on  the  shoulders  of  his  spokesman,  as  the  most  dignified 
mode  of  retiring.  The  spokesman  being  a slender  man,  and  the 
chief  six  feet  high,  and  stout  in  proportion,  there  would  have  been 


518 


KATEMA’S  HERD.— JACKDAWS. 


a break-down  had  he  not  been  accustomed  to  it.  We  were  very- 
much  pleased  with  Katema ; and  next  day  he  presented  us  with 
a cow,  that  we  might  enjoy  the  abundant  supplies  of  meal  he  had 
given  with  good  animal  food.  He  then  departed  for  the  hunting- 
ground,  after  assuring  me  that  the  town  and  every  thing  in  it  were 
mine,  and  that  his  factotum,  Shakatwala,  would  remain  and  attend 
to  every  want,  and  also  conduct  us  to  the  Leeba. 


On  attempting  to  slaughter  the  cow  Katema  had  given,  we 
found  the  herd  as  wild  as  buffaloes ; and  one  of  my  men  having- 
only  wounded  it,  they  fled  many  miles  into  the  forest,  and  were 
with  great  difficulty  brought  back.  Even  the  herdsman  was  afraid 
to  go  near  them.  The  majority  of  them  were  white,  and  they 
were  all  beautiful  animals.  After  hunting  it  for  two  days  it  was 
dispatched  at  last  by  another  ball.  Here  we  saw  a flock  of  jack- 
daws, a rare  sight  in  Londa,  busy  with  the  grubs  in  the  valley, 
which  are  eaten  by  the  people  too. 


PROJECT  FOR  A MAKOLOLO  VILLAGE. 


519 


Leaving  Katema’s  town  on  the  19th,  and  proceeding  four  miles 
to  the  eastward,  we  forded  the  southern  branch  of  Lake  Dilolo. 
We  found  it  a mile  and  a quarter  broad  ; and,  as  it  flows  into  the 
Lotembwa,  the  lake  would  seem  to  be  a drain  of  the  surrounding 
flats,  and  to  partake  of  the  character  of  a fountain.  The  ford  was 
waist-deep,  and  very  difficult,  from  the  masses  of  arum  and  rushes 
through  which  we  waded.  Going  to  the  eastward  about  three 
miles,  we  came  to  the  Southern  Lotembwa  itself,  running  in  a 
valley  two  miles  broad.  It  is  here  eighty  or  ninety  yards  wide, 
and  contains  numerous  islands  covered  with  dense  sylvan  vegeta- 
tion. In  the  rainy  season  the  valley  is  flooded,  and  as  the  waters 
dry  up  great  multitudes  of  fish  are  caught.  This  happens  very 
extensively  over  the  country,  and  fishing-weirs  are  met  with  every 
where.  A species  of  small  fish,  about  the  size  of  the  minnow,  is 
caught  in  bagfuls  and  dried  in  the  sun.  The  taste  is  a pungent 
aromatic  bitter,  and  it  was  partaken  of  freely  by  my  people,  al- 
though they  had  never  met  with  it  before.  On  many  of  the  paths 
which  had  been  flooded  a nasty  sort  of  slime  of  decayed  vegetable 
matter  is  left  behind,  and  much  sickness  prevails  during  the  dry- 
ing up  of  the  water.  We  did  not  find  our  friend  Mozinkwa  at 
his  pleasant  home  on  the  Lokaloeje ; his  wife  was  dead,  and  he 
had  removed  elsewhere.  He  followed  us  some  distance,  but  our 
reappearance  seemed  to  stir  up  his  sorrows.  We  found  the  pon- 
toon at  the  village  in  which  we  left  it.  It  had  been  carefully  pre- 
served, but  a mouse  had  eaten  a hole  in  it  and  rendered  it  useless. 

We  traversed  the  extended  plain  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
Leeba,  and  crossed  this  river  a little  farther  on  at  Ivanyonke’s 
village,  which  is  about  twenty  miles  west  of  the  Peri  hills,  our 
former  ford.  The  first  stage  beyond  the  Leeba  was  at  the  rivulet 
Loamba,  by  the  village  of  Chebende,  nephew  of  Shinte ; and  next 
day  we  met  Chebende  himself  returning  from  the  funeral  of 
Samoana,  his  father.  He  was  thin  and  haggard-looking  compared 
to  what  he  had  been  before,  the  probable  effect  of  the  orgies  in 
which  he  had  been  engaged.  Pitsane  and  Moliorisi,  having  con- 
cocted the  project  of  a Makololo  village  on  the  banks  of  the  Leeba, 
as  an  approach  to  the  white  man’s  market,  spoke  to  Chebende, 
as  an  influential  man,  on  the  subject,  but  he  cautiously  avoided 
expressing  an  opinion.  The  idea  which  had  sprung  up  in  then- 
own  minds  of  an  establishment  somewhere  near  the  confluence  of 


520 


WELCOME  FROM  SHINTE. 


tlie  Leeba  and  Leeambye,  commended  itself  to  my  judgment  at 
the  time  as  a geographically  suitable  point  for  civilization  and 
commerce.  The  right  bank  of  the  Leeba  there  is  never  flooded ; 
and  from  that  point  there  is  communication  by  means  of  canoes 
to  the  country  of  the  Ivanyika,  and  also  to  Cazembe  and  beyond, 
with  but  one  or  two  large  waterfalls  between.  There  is  no  ob- 
struction down  to  the  Barotse  valley ; and  there  is  probably  canoe 
navigation  down  the  Kafue  or  Bashukulompo  River,  though  it  is 
reported  to  contain  many  cataracts.  It  flows  through  a fertile 
country,  well  peopled  with  Bamasasa,  who  cultivate  the  native 
produce  largely. 

As  this  was  the  middle  of  winter,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  the 
temperature  of  the  water  in  the  morning  was  47°,  and  that  of  the 
air  50°,  which,  being  loaded  with  moisture,  was  very  cold  to  the 
feelings.  Yet  the  sun  was  very  hot  by  day,  and  the  temperature  in 
the  coolest  shade  from  88°  to  90° ; in  the  evenings  from  76°  to  78°. 

Before  reaching  the  town  of  Shinte  we  passed  through  many 
large  villages  of  the  Balobale,  who  have  fled  from  the  chief  Kan- 
genke.  The  Mambari  from  Bihe  come  constantly  to  him  for 
trade ; and,  as  he  sells  his  people,  great  numbers  of  them  escape 
to  Shinte  and  Katema,  who  refuse  to  give  them  up. 

We  reached  our  friend  Shinte,  and  received  a hearty  welcome 
from  this  friendly  old  man,  and  abundant  provisions  of  the  best 
he  had.  On  hearing  the  report  of  the  journey  given  by  my 
companions,  and  receiving  a piece  of  cotton  cloth  about  two  yards 
square,  he  said,  “These  Mambari  cheat  us  by  bringing  little  pieces 
only ; but  the  next  time  you  pass  I shall  send  men  with  you  to 
trade  for  me  in  Loanda.”  When  I explained  the  use  made  of  the 
slaves  he  sold,  and  that  he  was  just  destroying  his  own  tribe  by 
selling  his  people,  and  enlarging  that  of  the  Mambari  for  the  sake 
of  these  small  pieces  of  cloth,  it  seemed  to  him  quite  a new  idea. 
He  entered  into  a long  detail  of  his  troubles  with  Masiko,  who 
had  prevented  him  from  cultivating  that  friendship  with  the  Ma- 
kololo  which  I had  inculcated,  and  had  even  plundered  the  mes- 
sengers he  had  sent  with  Kolimbota  to  the  Barotse  valley.  Shinte 
was  particularly  anxious  to  explain  that  Kolimbota  had  remained 
after  my  departure  of  his  own  accord,  and  that  he  had  engaged 
in  the  quarrels  of  the  country  without  being  invited;  that,  in 
attempting  to  capture  one  of  the  children  of  a Balobale  man, 


PLANTS  AND  TREES  FROM  ANGOLA. 


521 


who  had  offended  the  Balonda  by  taking  honey  from  a hive  which 
did  not  belong  to  him,  Kolimbota  had  got  wounded  by  a shot 
in  the  thigh,  but  that  he  had  cured  the  wound,  given  him  a wife, 
and  sent  a present  of  cloth  to  Sekeletu,  with  a full  account  of 
the  whole  affair.  From  the  statement  of  Shinte  we  found  that 
Kolimbota  had  learned,  before  we  left  his  town,  that  the  way  we 
intended  to  take  was  so  dangerous  that  it  would  be  better  for  him 
to  leave  us  to  our  fate ; and,  as  he  had  taken  one  of  our  canoes 
with  him,  it  seemed  evident  that  he  did  not  expect  us  to  return. 
Shinte,  however,  sent  a recommendation  to  his  sister  Nyamoana 
to  furnish  as  many  canoes  as  we  should  need  for  our  descent  of 
the  Leeba  and  Leeambye. 

As  I had  been  desirous  of  introducing  some  of  the  fruit-trees 
of  Angola,  both  for  my  own  sake  and  that  of  the  inhabitants,  we 
had  carried  a pot  containing  a little  plantation  of  orange,  cashew- 
trees,  custard-apple-trees  ( anona ),  and  a fig-tree,  with  coffee,  ara9as 
(Arapa.  pomifera),  and  papaws  [Carica  papaya).  Fearing  that, 
if  we  took  them  farther  south  at  present,  they  might  be  killed  by 
the  cold,  we  planted  them  out  in  an  inclosure  of  one  of  Shintc’s 
principal  men,  and,  at  his  request,  promised  to  give  Shinte  a share 
when  grown.  They  know  the  value  of  fruits,  but  at  present  have 
none  except  wild  ones.  A wild  fruit  we  frequently  met  with  in 
Londa  is  eatable,  and,  when  boiled,  yields  a large  quantity  of 
oil,  Avhich  is  much  used  in  anointing  both  head  and  body.  He 
eagerly  accepted  some  of  the  seeds  of  the  palm-oil-tree  ( Elceis 
Guineensis ),  when  told  that  this  would  produce  oil  in  much  great- 
er quantity  than  their  native  tree,  which  is  not  a palm.  There 
are  very  few  palm-trees  in  this  country,  but  near  Bango  we  saw  a 
few  of  a peculiar  palm,  the  ends  of  the  leaf-stalks  of  which  remain 
attached  to  the  trunk,  giving  it  a triangular  shape. 

It  is  pleasant  to  observe  that  all  the  tribes  in  Central  Africa 
are  fond  of  agriculture.  My  men  had  collected  quantities  of 
seeds  in  Angola,  and  now  distributed  them  among  their  friends. 
Some  even  carried  onions,  garlic,  and  bird’s-eye  pepper,  growing 
in  pannikins.  The  courts  of  the  Balonda,  planted  with  tobacco, 
sugar-cane,  and  plants  used  as  relishes,  led  me  to  the  belief  that 
care  would  be  taken  of  my  little  nursery. 

The  thermometer  early  in  the  mornings  ranged  from  42°  to 
52°,  at  noon  94°  to  96°,  and  in  the  evening  about  70°.  It  was 


522 


MASIIvO  AND  LIMBOA’S  QUARREL. 


placed  in  the  shade  of  my  tent,  which  was  pitched  under  the 
thickest  tree  we  could  find.  The  sensation  of  cold,  after  the  heat 
of  the  day,  was  very  keen.  The  Balonda  at  this  season  never 
leave  their  fires  till  nine  or  ten  in  the  morning.  As  the  cold  was 
so  great  here,  it  was  probably  frosty  at  Linyanti ; I therefore  fear- 
ed to  expose  my  young  trees  there.  The  latitude  of  Shinte’s  town 
is  12°  37'  35"  S.,  longitude  22°  47'  E. 

We  remained  with  Shinte  till  the  6th  of  July,  he  being  unwill- 
ing to  allow  us  to  depart  before  hearing  in  a formal  manner,  in 
the  presence  of  his  greatest  councilor  Chebende,  a message  from 
Limboa,  the  brother  of  Masiko.  When  Masiko  fled  from  the 
Makololo  country  in  consequence  of  a dislike  of  being  in  a state 
of  subjection  to  Sebituane,  he  came  into  the  territory  of  Shinte, 
who  received  him  kindly,  and  sent  orders  to  all  the  villages  in  his 
vicinity  to  supply  him  with  food.  Limboa  fled  in  a westerly 
direction  with  a number  of  people,  and  also  became  a chief.  His 
country  was  sometimes  called  Nyenko,  but  by  the  Mambari  and 
native  Portuguese  traders  “Mboela” — the  place  where  they 
“turned  again,”  or  back.  As  one  of  the  fruits  of  polygamy,  the 
children  of  different  mothers  are  always  in  a state  of  variance. 
Each  son  endeavors  to  gain  the  ascendency  by  enticing  away 
the  followers  of  the  others.  The  mother  of  Limboa  being  of  a 
high  family,  he  felt  aggrieved  because  the  situation  chosen  by 
Masiko  was  better  than  his.  Masiko  lived  at  a convenient  dis- 
tance from  the  Saloisho  hills,  where  there  is  abundance  of  iron 
ore,  with  which  the  inhabitants  manufacture  hoes,  knives,  etc. 
They  are  also  skillful  in  making  wooden  vessels.  Limboa  felt 
annoyed  because  he  was  obliged  to  apply  for  these  articles  through 
his  brother,  whom  he  regarded  as  his  inferior,  and  accordingly 
resolved  to  come  into  the  same  district.  As  this  was  looked  upon 
as  an  assertion  of  superiority  which  Masiko  would  resist,  it  was 
virtually  a declaration  of  war.  Both  Masiko  and  Shinte  pleaded 
my  injunction  to  live  in  peace  and  friendship,  but  Limboa,  con- 
fident of  success,  now  sent  the  message  which  I was  about  to 
hear — “ That  he,  too,  highly  approved  of  the  ‘ word’  I had  given, 
but  would  only  for  once  transgress  a little,  and  live  at  peace  for 
ever  afterward.”  He  now  desired  the  aid  of  Shinte  to  subdue 
his  brother.  Messengers  came  from  Masiko  at  the  same  time, 
desiring  assistance  to  repel  him.  Shinte  felt  inclined  to  aid 


THE  LEEBA. 


523 


Limboa,  but,  as  he  had  advised  them  both  to  wait  till  I came,  I 
now  urged  him  to  let  the  quarrel  alone,  and  he  took  my  advice. 

We  parted  on  the  best  possible  terms  with  our  friend  Sliinte, 
and  proceeded  by  our  former  path  to  the  village  of  his  sister 
Nyamoana,  who  is  now  a widow.  She  received  us  with  much 
apparent  feeling,  and  said,  “We  had  removed  from  our  former 
abode  to  the  place  where  you  found  us,  and  had  no  idea  then  that 
it  was  the  spot  where  my  husband  was  to  die.”  She  had  come 
to  the  River  Lofuje,  as  they  never  remain  in  a place  where  death 
has  once  visited  them.  We  received  the  loan  of  five  small  canoes 
from  her,  and  also  one  of  those  we  had  left  here  before,  to  proceed 
down  the  Leeba.  After  viewing  the  Coanza  at  Massangano,  I 
thought  the  Leeba  at  least  a third  larger,  and  upward  of  two 
hundred  yards  wide.  We  saw  evidence  of  its  rise  during  its 
last  flood  having  been  upward  of  forty  feet  in  perpendicular 
height ; but  this  is  probably  more  than  usual,  as  the  amount  of 
rain  was  above  the  average.  My  companions  purchased  also  a 
number  of  canoes  from  the  Balonda.  These  are  very  small,  and 
can  carry  only  two  persons.  They  are  njade  quite  thin  and  light, 
and  as  sharp  as  racing-skiffs,  because  they  are  used  in  hunting 
animals  in  the  water.  The  price  paid  was  a string  of  beads  equal 
to  the  length  of  the  canoe.  We  advised  them  to  bring  canoes  for 
sale  to  the  Makololo,  as  they  would  gladly  give  them  cows  in 
exchange. 

In  descending  the  Leeba  we  saw  many  herds  of  wild  animals, 
especially  the  tahetsi  ( Aigoceros  equma),  one  magnificent  ante- 
lope, the  putokuane  ( Ant  Hope  niger),  and  two  fine  lions.  The 
Balobale,  however,  are  getting  well  supplied  with  guns,  and  will 
soon  thin  out  the  large  game.  At  one  of  the  villages  we  were 
entreated  to  attack  some  buffaloes  which  grazed  in  the  gardens 
every  night  and  destroyed  the  manioc.  As  we  had  had  no 
success  in  shooting  at  the  game  we  had  seen,  and  we  all  longed 
to  have  a meal  of  meat,  we  followed  the  footprints  of  a number 
of  old  bulls.  They  showed  a great  amount  of  cunning  by  select- 
ing the  densest  parts  of  very  closely-planted  forests  to  stand  or  re- 
cline in  during  the  day.  We  came  within  six  yards  of  them  sev- 
eral times  before  we  knew  that  they  were  so  near.  We  ordy  heard 
them  rush  away  among  the  crashing  branches,  catching  only  a 
glimpse  of  them.  It  was  somewhat  exciting  to  feel,  as  we  trod 


524 


FROGS  AND  TOADS. 


on  the  dry  leaves  with  stealthy  steps,  that,  for  any  thing  we  knew, 
we  might  next  moment  he  charged  by  one  of  the  most  dangerous 
beasts  of  the  forest.  We  threaded  out  their  doublings  for  hours, 
drawn  on  by  a keen  craving  for  animal  food,  as  we  had  been  en- 
tirely without  salt  for  upward  of  two  months,  but  never  could  get 
a shot. 

In  passing  along  the  side  of  the  water  every  where  except  in 
Londa,  green  frogs  spring  out  at  your  feet,  and  light  in  the  water 
as  if  taking  a “ header and  on  the  Leeambye  and  Chobe  we 
have  great  numbers  of  small  green  frogs  [liana  fasciata,  Boie), 
which  light  on  blades  of  grass  with  remarkable  precision  ; but  on 
coming  along  the  Leeba  I was  struck  by  the  sight  of  a light  green 
toad  about  an  inch  long.  The  leaf  might  be  nearly  perpendicu- 
lar, but  it  stuck  to  it  like  a fly.  It  was  of  the  same  size  as  the 
Brachymerus  bi-fasciatus  (Smith),*  which  I saw  only  once  in  the 
Bakwain  country.  Though  small,  it  was  hideous,  being  colored 
jet  black,  with  vermilion  spots. 

Before  reaching  the  Makondo  rivulet,  latitude  13°  23'  12"  S., 
we  came  upon  the  tsetse  in  such  numbers  that  many  bites  were 
inflicted  on  my  poor  ox,  in  spite  of  a man  with  a branch  ward- 
ing them  off.  The  bite  of  this  insect  does  not  affect  the  don- 
key as  it  does  cattle.  The  next  morning,  the  spots  on  which 


* The  discovery  of  this  last  species  is  thus  mentioned  by  that  accomplished 
naturalist,  Dr.  Smith  : “ On  the  banks  of  the  Limpopo  River,  close  to  the  tropic  of 
Capricorn,  a massive  tree  was  cut  down  to  obtain  wood  to  repair  a wagon.  The 
workman,  while  sawing  the  trunk  longitudinally  nearly  along  its  centre,  remarked, 
on  reaching  a certain  point,  ‘ It  is  hollow,  and  will  not  answer  the  purpose  for  which 
it  is  wanted.’  He  persevered,  however,  and  when  a division  into  equal  halves  was 
effected,  it  was  discovered  that  the  saw  in  its  course  had  crossed  a large  hole,  in 
which  were  five  specimens  of  the  species  just  described,  each  about  an  inch  in 
length.  Every  exertion  was  made  to  discover  a means  of  communication  between 
the  external  air  and  the  cavity,  but  without  success.  Every  part  of  the  latter  was 
probed  with  the  utmost  care,  and  water  was  kept  in  each  half  for  a considerable 
time,  without  any  passing  into  the  wood.  The  inner  surface  of  the  cavity  was 
black,  as  if  charred,  and  so  was  likewise  the  adjoining  wood  for  half  an  inch  from 
the  cavity.  The  tree,  at  the  part  where  the  latter  existed,  w'as  19  inches  in  di- 
ameter; the  length  of  the  trunk  was  18  feet.  When  the  Batrachia  above  men- 
tioned were  discovered,  they  appeared  inanimate,  but  the  influence  of  a w'arm  sun 
to  which  they  were  subjected  soon  imparted  to  them  a moderate  degree  of  vigor. 
In  a few  hours  from  the  time  they  were  liberated  they  were  tolerably  active,  and 
able  to  move  from  place  to  place  apparently  with  great  ease.” 


THE  “KASENDI.’ 


525 


my  ox  had  been  bitten  were  marked  by  patches  of  hair  about 
halt’  an  inch  broad  being  wetted  by  exudation.  Poor  Sinbad 
had  carried  me  all  the  way  from  the  Leeba  to  Golungo  Alto, 
and  all  the  way  back  again,  without  losing  any  of  his  peculi- 
arities, or  ever  becoming  reconciled  to  our  perversity  in  forcing 
him  away  each  morning  from  the  pleasant  pasturage  on  which 
he  had  fed.  I wished  to  give  the  climax  to  his  usefulness,  and 
allay  our  craving  for  animal  food  at  the  same  time  ; but  my  men 
having  some  compunction,  we  carried  him  to  end  his  days  in  peace 
at  Naliele. 

Having  dispatched  a message  to  our  old  friend  Manenko,  we 
waited  a day  opposite  her  village,  which  was  about  fifteen  miles 
from  the  river.  Her  husband  was  instantly  dispatched  to  meet 
us  with  liberal  presents  of  food,  she  being  unable  to  travel  in  con- 
sequence of  a burn  on  the  foot.  Sambanza  gave  us  a detailed  ac- 
count of  the  political  affairs  of  the  country,  and  of  Kolimbota’s 
evil  doings,  and  next  morning  performed  the  ceremony  called 
“ Ka&endi ,”  for  cementing  our  friendship.  It  is  accomplished 
thus  : The  hands  of  the  parties  are  joined  (in  this  case  Pitsane  and 
Sambanza  were  the  parties  engaged) ; small  incisions  are  made  on 
the  clasped  hands,  on  the  pits  of  the  stomach  of  each,  and  on  the 
right  cheeks  and  foreheads.  A small  quantity  of  blood  is  taken 
off  from  these  points  in  both  parties  by  means  of  a stalk  of  grass. 
The  blood  from  one  person  is  put  into  a pot  of  beer,  and  that  of 
the  second  into  another ; each  then  drinks  the  other’s  blood,  and 
they  are  supposed  to  become  perpetual  friends  or  relations.  Dur- 
ing the  drinking  of  the  beer,  some  of  the  party  continue  beating 
the  ground  with  short  clubs,  and  utter  sentences  by  way  of  rati- 
fying the  treaty.  The  men  belonging  to  each  then  finish  the 
beer.  The  principals  in  the  performance  of  “ Kasendr  are  hence- 
forth considered  blood-relations,  and  are  bound  to  disclose  to  each 
other  any  impending  evil.  If  Sekeletu  should  resolve  to  attack 
the  Balonda,  Pitsane  would  be  under  obligation  to  give  Sambanza 
warning  to  escape,  and  so  on  the  other  side.  They  now  present- 
ed each  other  with  the  most  valuable  presents  they  had  to  bestow. 
Sambanza  walked  off  with  Pitsane’s  suit  of  green  baize  faced  with 
red,  which  had  been  made  in  Loanda,  and  Pitsane,  besides  abund- 
ant supplies  of  food,  obtained  two  shells  similar  to  that  I had  re- 
ceived from  Shinte. 


526 


SOCIAL  CONDITION  OF  TRIBES. 


On  one  occasion  I became  blood-relation  to  a young  woman  by 
accident.  She  bad  a large  cartilaginous  tumor  between  the  bones 
of  the  fore-arm,  which,  as  it  gradually  enlarged,  so  distended  the 
muscles  as  to  render  her  unable  to  work.  She  applied  to  me  to 
excise  it.  I requested  her  to  bring  her  husband,  if  he  were  will- 
ing to  have  the  operation  performed,  and,  while  removing  the  tumor, 
one  of  the  small  arteries  squirted  some  blood  into  my  eye.  She 
remarked,  when  I was  wiping  the  blood  out  of  it,  “You  were  a 
friend  before,  now  you  are  a blood-relation ; and  when  you  pass 
this  way,  always  send  me  word,  that  I may  cook  food  for  you.” 
In  creating  these  friendships,  my  men  had  the  full  intention  of  re- 
turning ; each  one  had  his  Molekane  {friend)  in  every  village  of 
the  friendly  Balonda.  Mohorisi  even  married  a wife  in  the  town 
of  Katema,  and  Pitsane  took  another  in  the  town  of  Shinte. 
These  'alliances  were  looked  upon  with  great  favor  by  the  Balonda 
chiefs,  as  securing  the  good-will  of  the  Makololo. 

In  order  that  the  social  condition  of  the  tribes  may  be  under- 
stood by  the  reader,  I shall  mention  that,  while  waiting  for  Sam- 
banza,  a party  of  Barotse  came  from  Nyenko,  the  former  residence 
of  Limboa,  who  had  lately  crossed  the  Leeba  on  his  way  toward 
Masiko.  The  head  man  of  this  party  had  brought  Limboa’s  son 
to  his  father,  because  the  Barotse  at  Nyenko  had,  since  the  de- 
parture of  Limboa,  elected  Nananko,  another  son  of  Santuru,  in 
his  stead ; and  our  visitor,  to  whom  the  boy  had  been  intrusted 
as  a guardian,  thinking  him  to  be  in  danger,  fled  with  him  to  his 
father.  The  Barotse,  whom  Limboa  had  left  behind  at  Nyenko, 
on  proceeding  to  elect  Nananko,  said,  “No,  it  is  quite  too  much 
for  Limboa  to  rule  over  two  places.”  I woidd  have  gone  to  visit 
Limboa  and  Masiko  too,  in  order  to  prevent  hostilities,  but  the 
state  of  my  ox  would  not  allow  it.  I therefore  sent  a message 
to  Limboa  by  some  of  his  men,  protesting  against  war  with  his 
brother,  and  giving  him  formal  notice  that  the  path  up  the 
Leeba  had  been  given  to  us  by  the  Balonda,  the  owners  of  the 
country,  and  that  no  attempt  must  ever  be  made  to  obstruct  free 
intercourse. 

On  leaving  this  place  we  were  deserted  by  one  of  our  party, 
Mboenga,  an  Ambonda  man,  who  had  accompanied  us  all  the  way 
to  Loanda  and  back.  His  father  was  living  with  Masiko,  and  it 
was  natural  for  him  to  wish  to  join  his  own  family  again.  He 


WATER-TURTLES. 


527 


went  off  honestly,  with  the  exception  of  taking  a tine  “ tari”  skin 
given  me  by  Nyamoana,  but  he  left  a parcel  of  gun-flints  which  he 
had  carried  for  me  all  the  way  from  Loanda.  I regretted  parting 
with  him  thus,  and  sent  notice  to  him  that  he  need  not  have  run 
away,  and  if  he  wished  to  come  to  Sekeletu  again  he  would  be 
welcome.  We  subsequently  met  a large  party  of  Barotse  fleeing 
in  the  same  direction ; but  when  I represented  to  them  that  there 
was  a probability  of  their  being  sold  as  slaves  in  Londa,  and  none 
in  the  country  of  Sekeletu,  they  concluded  to  return.  The  griev- 
ance which  the  Barotse  most  feel  is  being  obliged  to  live  with  Se- 
keletu at  Linyanti,  where  there  is  neither  fish  nor  fowl,  nor  any 
other  kind  of  food,  equal  in  quantity  to  what  they  enjoy  in  their 
own  fat  valley. 

A short  distance  below  the  confluence  of  the  Leeba  and  Lee- 
ambye  we  met  a number  of  hunters  belonging  to  the  tribe  called 
Mambowe,  who  live  under  Masiko.  They  had  dried  flesh  of 
hippopotami,  buffaloes,  and  alligators.  They  stalk  the  animals 
by  using  the  stratagem  of  a cap  made  of  the  skin  of  a leche’s  or 
poku’s  head,  having  the  horns  still  attached,  and  another  made 
so  as  to  represent  the  upper  white  part  of  the  crane  called  jabiru 
(Mycteru  Senegalensis),  with  its  long  neck  and  beak  above.  With 
these  on,  they  crawl  through  the  grass ; they  can  easily  put  up 
their  heads  so  far  as  to  see  their  prey  without  being  recognized 
until  they  are  within  bow-shot.  They  presented  me  with  three 
fine  water-turtles,*  one  of  which,  when  cooked,  had  upward  of 
forty  eggs  in  its  body.  The  shell  of  the  egg  is  flexible,  and  it  is 
of  the  same  size  at  both  ends,  like  those  of  the  alligator.  The 
flesh,  and  especially  the  liver,  is  excellent.  The  hunters  informed 
us  that,  when  the  message  inculcating  peace  among  the  tribes 
came  to  Masiko,  the  common  people  were  so  glad  at  the  prospect 
of  “binding  up  the  spears,”  that  they  ran  to  the  river,  and 
bathed  and  plunged  in  it  for  joy.  This  party  had  been  sent  by 
Masiko  to  the  Makololo  for  aid  to  repel  their  enemy,  but,  afraid  to 
go  thither,  had  spent  the  time  in  hunting.  They  have  a dread  of 
the  Makololo,  and  hence  the  joy  they  expressed  when  peace  was 

* It  is  probably  a species  allied  to  the  Sternotherus  sinuatus  of  Dr.  Smith,  as  it 
has  no  disagreeable  smell.  This  variety  annually  leaves  the  water  with  so  much 
regularity  for  the  deposit  of  its  eggs,  that  the  natives  decide  on  the  time  of  sowing 
their  seed  by  its  appearance. 


528 


CHARGE  OF  A BUFFALO. 


proclaimed.  The  Mambowe  hunters  were  much  alarmed  until  my 
name  was  mentioned.  They  then  joined  our  party,  and  on  the 
following  day  discovered  a hippopotamus  dead,  which  they  had 
previously  wounded.  This  was  the  first  feast  of  flesh  my  men 
had  enjoyed,  for,  though  the  game  was  wonderfully  abundant,  I 
had  quite  got  out  of  the  way  of  shooting,  and  missed  perpetually. 
Once  I went  with  the  determination  of  getting  so  close  that  I should 
not  miss  a zebra.  We  went  along  one  of  the  branches  that  stretch 
out  from  the  river  in  a small  canoe,  and  two  men,  stooping  down 
as  low  as  they  could,  paddled  it  slowly  along  to  an  open  space 
near  to  a herd  of  zebras  and  pokus.  Peering  over  the  edge  of  the 
canoe,  the  open  space  seemed  like  a patch  of  wet  ground,  such  as 
is  often  seen  on  the  banks  of  a river,  made  smooth  as  the  resting- 
place  of  alligators.  When  we  came  within  a few  yards  of  it,  we 
found  by  the  precipitate  plunging  of  the  reptile  that  this  was  a 
large  alligator  itself.  Although  I had  been  most  careful  to  approach 
near  enough,  I unfortunately  only  broke  the  hind  leg  of  a zebra. 
My  two  men  pursued  it,  but  the  loss  of  a hind  leg  does  not  prevent 
this  animal  from  a gallop.  As  I walked  slowly  after  the  men  on 
an  extensive  plain  covered  with  a great  crop  of  grass,  which  was 
laid  by  its  own  weight,  I observed  that  a solitary  buffalo,  disturbed 
by  others  of  my  own  party,  was  coming  to  me  at  a gallop.  I 
glanced  around,  but  the  only  tree  on  the  plain  was  a hundred 
yards  off,  and  there  was  no  escape  elsewhere.  I therefore  cocked 
my  rifle,  with  the  intention  of  giving  him  a steady  shot  in  the 
forehead  when  he  should  come  within  three  or  four  yards  of  me. 
The  thought  flashed  across  my  mind,  “What  if  your  gun  misses 
fire  ?”  I placed  it  to  my  shoulder  as  he  came  on  at  full  speed, 
and  that  is  tremendous,  though  generally  he  is  a lumbering-looking 
animal  in  his  paces.  A small  bush  and  bunch  of  grass  fifteen 
yards  off  made  him  swerve  a little,  and  exposed  his  shoulder. 
I just  heard  the  ball  crack  there  as  I fell  flat  on  my  face.  The 
pain  must  have  made  him  renounce  his  purpose,  for  he  bounded 
close  past  me  on  to  the  water,  where  he  was  found  dead.  In 
expressing  my  thankfulness  to  God  among  my  men,  they  were 
much  offended  with  themselves  for  not  being  present  to  shield  me 
from  this  danger.  The  tree  near  me  was  a camel-thorn,  and  re- 
minded me  that  we  had  come  back  to  the  land  of  thorns  again,  for 
the  country  we  had  left  is  one  of  evergreens. 


EECEPTION  AT  LIBONTA.  529 

July  21th.  We  readied  the  town  of  Libonta,  and  were  re- 
ceived with  demonstrations  of  joy  such  as  I had  never  witnessed 
before.  The  women  came  forth  to  meet  us,  making  their  curious 
dancing  gestures  and  loud  lulliloos.  Some  carried  a mat  and 
stick,  in  imitation  of  a spear  and  shield.  Others  rushed  forward 
and  kissed  the  hands  and  cheeks  of  the  different  persons  of  their 
acquaintance  among  us,  raising  such  a dust  that  it  was  quite  a 
relief  to  get  to  the  men  assembled  and  sitting  with  proper  African 
decorum  in  the  kotla.  We  were  looked  upon  as  men  risen  from 
the  dead,  for  the  most  skillful  of  their  diviners  had  pronounced 
us  to  have  perished  long  ago.  After  many  expressions  of  joy  at 
meeting,  I arose,  and,  thanking  them,  explained  the  causes  of  our 
long  delay,  but  left  the  report  to  be  made  by  their  own  country- 
men. Formerly  I had  been  the  chief  speaker,  now  I would  leave 
the  task  of  speaking  to  them.  Pitsane  then  delivered  a speech 
of  upward  of  an  hour  in  length,  giving  a highly  flattering 
picture  of  the  whole  journey,  of  the  kindness  of  the  white  men 
in  general,  and  of  Mr.  Gabriel  in  particular.  ITe  concluded  by 
saying  that  I had  done  more  for  them  than  they  expected  ; that 
I had  not  only  opened  up  a path  for  them  to  the  other  white 
men,  but  conciliated  all  the  chiefs  along  the  route.  The  oldest 
man  present  rose  and  answered  this  speech,  and,  among  other 
things,  alluded  to  the  disgust  I felt  at  the  Makololo  for  engaging 
in  marauding  expeditions  against  Lechulatebe  and  Sebolamak- 
waia,  of  which  we  had  heard  from  the  first  persons  we  met, 
and  which  my  companions  most  energetically  denounced  as 
“ mashue  hela,”  entirely  bad.  He  entreated  me  not  to  lose 
heart,  but  to  reprove  Sekeletu  as  my  child.  Another  old  man 
followed  with  the  same  entreaties.  The  following  day  we  ob- 
served as  our  thanksgiving  to  God  for  his  goodness  in  bringing 
us  all  back  in  safety  to  our  friends.  My  men  decked  themselves 
out  in  their  best,  and  I found  that,  although  their  goods  were 
finished,  they  had  managed  to  save  suits  of  European  clothing, 
which,  being  white,  with  their  red  caps,  gave  them  rather  a 
dashing  appearance.  They  tried  to  walk  like  the  soldiers  they 
had  seen  in  Loanda,  and  called  themselves  my  “braves”  (batla- 
bani).  During  the  service  they  all  sat  with  their  guns  over  their 
shoulders,  and  excited  the  unbounded  admiration  of  the  women 
and  children.  I addressed  them  all  on  the  goodness  of  God  in 

L L 


530 


KINDNESS  OF  THE  PEOPLE. 


preserving  us  from  all  the  dangers  of  strange  tribes  and  disease. 
We  had  a similar  service  in  the  afternoon.  The  men  gave  us  two 
fine  oxen  for  slaughter,  and  the  women  supplied  us  abundantly 
with  milk,  meal,  and  butter.  It  was  all  quite  gratuitous,  and  I 
felt  ashamed  that  I could  make  no  return.  My  men  explained 
the  total  expenditure  of  our  means,  and  the  Libontese  answered 
gracefully,  “ It  does  not  matter ; you  have  opened  a path  for  us, 
and  we  shall  have  sleep.”  Strangers  came  flocking  from  a dis- 
tance, and  seldom  empty-handed.  Their  presents  I distributed 
among  my  men. 

Our  progress  down  the  Barotse  valley  was  just  like  this.  Ev- 
ery village  gave  us  an  ox,  and  sometimes  two.  The  people  were 
wonderfully  kind.  I felt,  and  still  feel,  most  deeply  grateful,  and 
tried  to  benefit  them  in  the  only  way  I could,  by  imparting  the 
knowledge  of  that  Savior  who  can  comfort  and  supply  them  in  the 
time  of  need,  and  my  prayer  is  that  he  may  send  his  good  Spirit 
to  instruct  them  and  lead  them  into  his  kingdom.  Even  now  1 
earnestly  long  to  return,  and  make  some  recompense  to  them  for 
their  kindness.  In  passing  them  on  our  way  to  the  north,  their 
liberality  might  have  been  supposed  to  be  influenced  by  the  hope 
of  repayment  on  our  return,  for  the  white  man’s  land  is  imagined 
to  be  the  source  of  every  ornament  they  prize  most.  But,  though 
we  set  out  from  Loanda  with  a considerable  quantity  of  goods, 
hoping  both  to  pay  our  way  through  the  stingy  Chiboque,  and  to 
make  presents  to  the  kind  Balonda  and  still  more  generous  Mako- 
lolo,  the  many  delays  caused  by  sickness  made  us  expend  all  my 
stock,  and  all  the  goods  my  men  procured  by  their  own  labor  at 
Loanda,  and  we  returned  to  the  Makololo  as  poor  as  when  we  set 
out.  Yet  no  distrust  was  shown,  and  my  poverty  did  not  lessen 
my  influence.  They  saw  that  I had  been  exerting  myself  for  their 
benefit  alone,  and  even  my  men  remarked,  “ Though  we  return  as 
poor  as  we  went,  we  have  not  gone  in  vain.”  They  began  imme- 
diately to  collect  tusks  of  hippopotami  and  other  ivory  for  a sec- 
ond journey. 


COLONY  OF  BIRDS. 


531 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Colony  of  Birds  called  Linkololo. — The  Village  of  Chitlane. — Murder  of  Mpololo’s 
Daughter. — Execution  of  the  Murderer  and  his  Wife. — My  Companions  find  that 
their  Wives  have  married  other  Husbands. — Sunday. — A Party  from  Masiko. — 
Freedom  of  Speech. — Canoe  struck  by  a Hippopotamus. — Gonye. — Appearance 
of  Trees  at  the  end  of  Winter. — Murky  Atmosphere. — Surprising  Amount  of 
organic  Life.  — Hornets. — The  Packages  forwarded  by  Mr.  Moffat. — Makololo 
Suspicions  and  Reply  to  the  Matebele  who  brought  them. — Convey  the  Goods  to 
an  Island  and  build  a Hut  over  them. — Ascertain  that  Sir  R.  Murchison  had  rec- 
ognized the  true  Form  of  African  Continent. — Arrival  at  Linyanti. — A grand 
Picho. — Shrewd  Inquiry. — Sekeletu  in  his  Uniform. — A Trading-party  sent  to 
Loanda  with  Ivory. — Mr.  Gabriel’s  Kindness  to  them. — Difficulties  in  Trading. — 
Two  Makololo  Forays  during  our  Absence. — Report  of  the  Country  to  the  N.E. 
— Death  of  influential  Men. — The  Makololo  desire  to  be  nearer  the  Market. — 
Opinions  upon  a Change  of  Residence. — Climate  of  Barotse  Valley. — Diseases. 
— Author’s  Fevers  not  a fair  Criterion  in  the  Matter. — The  Interior  an  inviting 
Field  for  the  Philanthropist. — Consultations  about  a Path  to  the  East  Coast. — 
Decide  on  descending  North  Bank  of  Zambesi. — Wait  for  the  Rainy  Season. — 
Native  way  of  spending  Time  during  the  period  of  greatest  Heat. — Favorable 
Opening  for  Missionary  Enterprise. — Ben  Habib  wishes  to  marry. — A Maiden’s 
Choice.  — Sekeletu ’s  Hospitality'. — Sulphureted  Hydrogen  and  Malaria. — Con- 
versations with  Makololo. — Their  moral  Character  and  Conduct. — Sekeletu  wish- 
es to  purchase  a Sugar-mill,  etc. — The  Donkeys. — Influence  among  the  Natives. 
— “Food  fit  for  a Chief.” — Parting  Words  of  Mamire. — Motibe’s  Excuses. 

On  the  31st  of  July  we  parted  with  our  kind  Libonta  friends. 
We  planted  some  of  our  palm-tree  seeds  in  different  villages  of 
this  valley.  They  began  to  sprout  even  while  we  were  there,  but, 
unfortunately,  they  were  always  destroyed  by  the  mice  which 
swarm  in  every  hut. 

At  Chitlane’s  village  we  collected  the  young  of  a colony  of 
the  linkololo  ( Anastomus  lamalligerus ),  a black,  long-legged  bird, 
somewhat  larger  than  a crow,  which  lives  on  shellfish  (Arrqndlaria), 
and  breeds  in  society  at  certain  localities  among  the  reeds.  These 
places  are  well  known,  as  they  continue  there  from  year  to  year,  and 
belong  to  the  chiefs,  who  at  particular  times  of  the  year  gather  most 
of  the  young.  The  produce  of  this  “ harvest,”  as  they  call  it,  which 


532 


CHITLANE’S  VILLAGE. 


was  presented  to  me,  was  a hundred  and  seventy-five  unfledged 
birds.  They  had  been  rather  late  in  collecting  them,  in  conse- 
quence of  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  Mpololo,  who  acts  the  part  of 
chief,  but  gave  them  to  me,  knowing  that  this  would  be  pleasing 
to  him,  otherwise  this  colony  would  have  yielded  double  the 
amount.  The  old  ones  appear  along  the  Leeambye  in  vast  flocks, 
and  look  lean  and  scraggy.  The  young  are  very  fat,  and,  when 
roasted,  are  esteemed  one  of  the  dainties  of  the  Barotse  valley.  In 
presents  of  this  kind,  as  well  as  of  oxen,  it  is  a sort  of  feast  of  joy, 
the  person  to  whom  they  are  presented  having  the  honor  of  dis- 
tributing the  materials  of  the  feast.  We  generally  slaughtered 
every  ox  at  the  village  where  it  was  presented,  and  then  our  friends 
and  we  rejoiced  together. 

The  village  of  Chitlane  is  situated,  like  all  others  in  the  Barotse 
valley,  on  an  eminence,  over  which  floods  do  not  rise ; but  this 
last  year  the  water  approached  nearer  to  an  entire  submergence 
of  the  whole  valley  than  has  been  known  in  the  memory  of  man. 
Great  numbers  of  people  were  now  suffering  from  sickness,  which 
always  prevails  when  the  waters  are  drying  up,  and  I found 
much  demand  for  the  medicines  I had  brought  from  Loanda.  The 
great  variation  of  the  temperature  each  day  must  have  a trying 
effect  upon  the  health.  At  tins  village  there  is  a real  Indian 
banian-tree,  which  has  spread  itself  over  a considerable  space  by 
means  of  roots  from  its  branches ; it  has  been  termed,  in  conse- 
quence, “ the  tree  with  legs”  (more  oa  maotu).  It  is  curious  that 
trees  of  this  family  are  looked  upon  with  veneration,  and  all  the 
way  from  the  Barotse  to  Loanda  are  thought  to  be  preservatives 
from  evil. 

On  reaching  Naliele  on  the  1st  of  August  we  found  Mpololo 
in  great  affliction  on  account  of  the  death  of  his  daughter  and 
her  child.  She  had  been  lately  confined ; and  her  father  natu- 
rally remembered  her  when  an  ox  was  slaughtered,  or  when  the 
tribute  of  other  food,  which  he  receives  in  lieu  of  Sekeletu,  came 
in  his  way,  and  sent  frequent  presents  to  her.  This  moved  the 
envy  of  one  of  the  Makololo  who  hated  Mpololo,  and,  wishing  to 
vex  him,  he  entered  the  daughter’s  hut  by  night,  and  strangled 
both  her  and  her  child.  He  then  tried  to  make  fire  in  the  hut 
and  burn  it,  so  that  the  murder  might  not  be  known ; but  the 
squeaking  noise  of  rubbing  the  sticks  awakened  a servant,  and 


MESSAGE  FROM  MASIKO. 


533 


the  murderer  was  detected.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  thrown 
into  the  river;  the  latter  having  “known  of  her  husband’s  in- 
tentions, and  not  revealing  them.”  She  declared  she  had  dis- 
suaded him  from  the  crime,  and,  had  any  one  interposed  a word, 
she  might  have  been  spared. 

Mpololo  exerted  himself  in  every  way  to  supply  us  with  other 
canoes,  and  we  left  Shinte’s  writh  him.  The  Mambowe  were 
well  received,  and  departed  with  friendly  messages  to  their  chief 
Masiko.  My  men  were  exceedingly  delighted  with  the  cordial 
reception  we  met  with  every  where ; but  a source  of  annoyance 
was  found  where  it  was  not  expected.  Many  of  their  wives  had 
married  other  men  during  our  two  years’  absence.  Mashuana’s 
wife,  who  had  borne  him  two  children,  was  among  the  number. 
He  wished  to  appear  not  to  feel  it  much,  saying,  “ Why,  wives 
are  as  plentiful  as  grass,  and  I can  get  another : she  may  go 
but  he  would  add,  “ If  I had  that  fellow,  I would  open  his  ears 
for  him.”  As  most  of  them  had  more  wives  than  one,  I tried  to 
console  them  by  saying  that  they  had  still  more  than  I had,  and 
that  they  had  enough  yet ; but  they  felt  the  reflection  to  be  gall- 
ing, that  while  they  were  toiling,  another  had  been  devouring  their 
corn.  Some  of  their  wives  came  with  very  young  infants  in  their 
arms.  This  excited  no  discontent ; and  for  some  I had  to  speak 
to  the  chief  to  order  the  men,  wrho  had  married  the  only  wives 
some  of  my  companions  ever  had,  to  restore  them. 

-Sunday,  August  5th.  A large  audience  listened  most  attentive- 
ly to  my  morning  address.  Surely  some  will  remember  the  ideas 
conveyed,  and  pray  to  our  merciful  Father,  who  would  never  have 
thought  of  Him  but  for  this  visit.  The  invariably  kind  and  re- 
spectful treatment  I have  received  from  these,  and  many  other 
heathen  tribes  in  this  central  country,  together  with  the  attentive 
observations  of  many  years,  have  led  me  to  the  belief  that,  if  one 
exerts  himself  for  their  good,  he  will  never  be  ill  treated.  There 
may  be  opposition  to  his  doctrine,  but  none  to  the  man  himself. 

While  still  at  Naliele,  a party  which  had  been  sent  after  me  by 
Masiko  arrived.  He  was  much  disappointed  because  I had  not 
visited  him.  They  brought  an  elephant’s  tusk,  two  calabashes  of 
honey,  two  baskets  of  maize,  and  one  of  ground-nuts,  as  a present. 
Masiko  wished  to  say  that  he  had  followed  the  injunction  which 
I had  given  as  the  will  of  God,  and  lived  in  peace  until  his 


534 


FREEDOM  OF  SPEECH. 


brother  Limboa  came,  captured  his  women  as  they  went  to  then- 
gardens,  and  then  appeared  before  his  stockade.  Masiko  offered 
to  lead  his  men  out ; but  they  objected,  saying,  “ Let  us  servants 
be  killed,  you  must  not  be  slain.”  Those  who  said  this  were  young 
Barotse  who  had  been  drilled  to  fighting  by  Sebituane,  and  used 
shields  of  ox-hide.  They  beat  off  the  party  of  Limboa,  ten  being 
wounded,  and  ten  slain  in  the  engagement.  Limboa  subsequently 
sent  three  slaves  as  a self-imposed  fine  to  Masiko  for  attacking 
him.  I succeeded  in  getting  the  Makololo  to  treat  the  messengers 
of  Masiko  well,  though,  as  they  regarded  them  as  rebels,  it  was 
somewhat  against  the  grain  at  first  to  speak  civilly  to  them. 

Mpololo,  attempting  to  justify  an  opposite  line  of  conduct,  told 
me  how  they  had  fled  from  Sebituane,  even  though  he  had  given 
them  numbers  of  cattle  after  their  subjection  by  his  arms,  and  was 
rather  surprised  to  find  that  I was  disposed  to  think  more  highly 
of  them  for  having  asserted  their  independence,  even  at  the  loss 
of  milk.  For  this  food,  all  who  have  been  accustomed  to  it  from 
infancy  in  Africa  have  an  excessive  longing.  I pointed  out  how 
they  might  be  mutually  beneficial  to  each  other  by  the  exchange 
of  canoes  and  cattle. 

There  are  some  very  old  Barotse  living  here  who  were  the  com- 
panions of  the  old  chief  Santuru.  These  men,  protected  by  their 
age,  were  very  free  in  their  comments  on  the  “ upstart”  Makololo. 
One  of  them,  for  instance,  interrupted  my  conversation  one  day 
with  some  Makololo  gentlemen  with  the  advice  “ not  to  believe 
them,  for  they  were  only  a set  of  thieves and  it  was  taken  in 
quite  a good-natured  way.  It  is  remarkable  that  none  of  the  an- 
cients here  had  any  tradition  of  an  earthquake  having  occurred  in 
this  region.  Their  quick  perception  of  events  recognizable  by  the 
senses,  and  retentiveness  of  memory,  render  it  probable  that  no 
perceptible  movement  of  the  earth  has  taken  place  between  7°  and 
27°  S.  in  the  centre  of  the  continent  during  the  last  two  centuries 
at  least.  There  is  no  appearance  of  recent  fracture  or  disturbance 
of  rocks  to  be  seen  in  the  central  country,  except  the  falls  of 
Gonye ; nor  is  there  any  evidence  or  tradition  of  hurricanes. 

I left  Naliele  on  the  13th  of  August,  and,  when  proceeding 
along  the  shore  at  midday,  a hippopotamus  struck  the  canoe  with 
her  forehead,  lifting  one  half  of  it  quite  out  of  the  water,  so  as 
nearly  to  overturn  it.  The  force  of  the  butt  she  gave  tilted 


uirroroTAMUS  eobbed  of  iieb  tofng. 


GONYE.— END  OF  WINTER. 


537 


Hashauana  out  into  the  river ; the  rest  of  us  sprang  to  the  shore, 
which  was  only  about  ten  yards  off.  Glancing  back,  I saw  her 
come  to  the  surface  a short  way  off,  and  look  to  the  canoe,  as  if  to 
see  if  she  had  done  much  mischief.  It  was  a female,  whose  young 
one  had  been  speared  the  day  before.  No  damage  was  done  ex- 
cept wetting  person  and  goods.  This  is  so  unusual  an  occur- 
rence, when  the  precaution  is  taken  to  coast  along  the  shore,  that 
my  men  exclaimed,  “ Is  the  beast  mad  ?”  There  were  eight  of  us 
in  the  canoe  at  the  time,  and  the  shake  it  received  shows  the  im- 
mense power  of  this  animal  in  the  water. 

On  reaching  Gonye,  Mokwala,  the  head  man,  having  presented 
me  with  a tusk,  I gave  it  to  Pitsane,  as  he  was  eagerly  collecting 
ivory  for  the  Loanda  market.  The  rocks  of  Gonye  are  reddish 
gray  sandstone,  nearly  horizontal,  and  perforated  by  madrepores, 
the  holes  showing  the  course  of  the  insect  in  different  directions. 
The  rock  itself  has  been  impregnated  with  iron,  and  that  hardened, 
forms  a glaze  on  the  surface — an  appearance  common  to  many  of 
the  rocks  of  this  country. 

August  2 2d.  This  is  the  end  of  winter.  The  trees  which  line 
the  banks  begin  to  bud  and  blossom,  and  there  is  some  show  of 
the  influence  of  the  new  sap,  which  will  soon  end  in  buds  that 
push  off  the  old  foliage  by  assuming  a very  bright  orange  color. 
This  orange  is  so  bright  that  I mistook  it  for  masses  of  yellow 
blossom.  There  is  every  variety  of  shade  in  the  leaves — yellow, 
purple,  copper,  liver-color,  and  even  inky  black. 

Having  got  the  loan  of  other  canoes  from  Mpololo,  and  three 
oxen  as  provision  for  the  way,  which  made  the  number  we  had 
been  presented  with  in  the  Barotse  valley  amount  to  thirteen,  wc 
proceeded  down  the  river  toward  Sesheke,  and  were  as  much 
struck  as  formerly  with  the  noble  river.  The  whole  scenery  is 
lovely,  though  the  atmosphere  is  murky  in  consequence  of  the 
continuance  of  the  smoky  tinge  of  winter. 

This  peculiar  tinge  of  the  atmosphere  was  observed  every  win- 
ter at  Kolobeng,  but  it  was  not  so  observable  in  Londa  as  in  the 
south,  though  I had  always  considered  that  it  was  owing  to  the 
extensive  burnings  of  the  grass,  in  which  hundreds  of  miles  of 
pasturage  are  annually  consumed.  As  the  quantity  burned  in  the 
north  is  very  much  greater  than  in  the  south,  and  the  smoky 
tinge  of  winter  was  not  observed,  some  other  explanation  than 


538 


HORNETS. 


these  burnings  must  be  sought  for.  I have  sometimes  imagined 
that  the  lowering  of  the  temperature  in  the  winter  rendered  the 
vapor  in  the  upper  current  of  air  visible,  and  imparted  this  hazy 
appearance. 

The  amount  of  organic  life  is  surprising.  At  the  time  the 
river  begins  to  rise,  the  Ibis  religiosa  comes  down  in  flocks  of 
fifties,  with  prodigious  numbers  of  other  water-fowl.  Some  of  the 
sand-banks  appear  whitened  during  the  day  with  flocks  of  peli- 
cans— I once  counted  three  hundred ; others  are  brown  with 
ducks  ( Anas  histrionica )— I got  fourteen  of  these  by  one  shot 
( Querquedula,  Hottentota,  Smith),  and  other  kinds.  Great  num- 
bers of  gulls  ( Procellaria  turtur , Smith),  and  several  others,  float 
over  the  surface.  The  vast  quantity  of  small  birds,  which  feed 
on  insects,  show  that  the  river  teems  also  with  specimens  of  mi- 
nute organic  life.  In  walking  among  bushes  on  the  banks  we  arc 
occasionally  stung  by  a hornet,  which  makes  its  nest  in  form  like 
that  of  our  own  wasp,  and  hangs  it  on  the  branches  of  trees.  The 
breeding  aTopyrj  is  so  strong  in  this  insect  that  it  pursues  any  one 
twenty  or  thirty  yards  who  happens  to  brush  too  closely  past  its 
nest.  The  sting,  which  it  tries  to  inflict  near  the  eye,  is  more 
like  a discharge  of  electricity  from  a powerful  machine,  or  a vio- 
lent blow,  than  aught  else.  It  produces  momentary  insensibility, 
and  is  followed  by  the  most  pungent  pain.  Yet  this  insect  is 
quite  timid  when  away  from  its  nest.  It  is  named  Murotuani  by 
the  Bechuanas. 

We  have  tsetse  between  Nameta  and  Sekhosi.  An  insect  of 
prey,  about  an  inch  in  length,  long-legged  and  gaunt-looking,  may 
be  observed  flying  about  and  lighting  upon  the  bare  ground.  It 
is  a tiger  in  its  way,  for  it  springs  upon  tsetse  and  other  flies,  and, 
sucking  out  their  blood,  throws  the  bodies  aside. 

Long  before  reaching  Sesheke  we  had  been  informed  that  a 
party  of  Matebele,  the  people  of  Mosilikatse,  had  brought  some 
packages  of  goods  for  me  to  the  south  bank  of  the  river,  near 
the  Victoria  Falls,  and,  though  they  declared  that  they  had  been 
sent  by  Mr.  Moffat,  the  Makololo  had  refused  to  credit  the  state- 
ment of  their  sworn  enemies.  They  imagined  that  the  parcels 
were  directed  to  me  as  a mere  trick,  whereby  to  place  witch- 
craft-medicine into  the  hands  of  the  Makololo.  When  the  Mate- 
bele on  the  south  bank  called  to  the  Makololo  on  the  north  to 


DISCOVERT  FORESTALLED. 


539 


come  over  in  canoes  and  receive  the  goods  sent  by  Moffat  to 
“Nake,”  the  Makololo  replied,  “Go  along  with  you,  we  know 
better  than  that ; how  could  he  tell  Moffat  to  send  his  things 
here,  he  having  gone  away  to  the  north  ?”  The  Matebele  an- 
swered, “ Here  are  the  goods ; we  place  them  now  before  you, 
and  if  you  leave  them  to  perish  the  guilt  will  be  yours.”  When 
they  had  departed  the  Makololo  thought  better  of  it,  and,  after 
much  divination,  went  over  with  fear  and  trembling,  and  carried 
the  packages  carefully  to  an  island  in  the  middle  of  the  stream ; 
then,  building  a hut  over  them  to  protect  them  from  the  weather, 
they  left  them ; and  there  I found  they  had  remained  from  Sep- 
tember, 1854,  till  September,  1855,  in  perfect  safety.  Here,  as 
I had  often  experienced  before,  I found  the  news  was  very  old, 
and  had  lost  much  of  its  interest  by  keeping,  but  there  were 
some  good  eatables  from  Mrs.  Moffat.  Among  other  things, 
I discovered  that  my  friend,  Sir  Roderick  Murchison,  while  in 
his  study  in  London,  had  arrived  at  the  same  conclusion  respect- 
ing the  form  of  the  African  continent  as  I had  lately  come  to  on 
the  spot  (see  note  p.  512) ; and  that,  from  the  attentive  study  of 
the  geological  map  of  Mr.  Bain  and  other  materials,  some  of 
which  were  furnished  by  the  discoveries  of  Mr.  Oswell  and  my- 
self, he  had  not  only  clearly  enunciated  the  peculiar  configura- 
tion as  an  hypothesis  in  his  discourse  before  the  Geographical 
Society  in  1852,  but  had  even  the  assurance  to  send  me  out 
a copy  for  my  information ! There  was  not  much  use  in  nurs- 
ing my  chagrin  at  being  thus  fairly  “cut  out”  by  the  man  who 
had  foretold  the  existence  of  the  Australian  gold  before  its  dis- 
covery, for  here  it  was  in  black  and  white.  In  his  easy-chair  he 
had  forestalled  me  by  three  years,  though  I had  been  working- 
hard  through  jungle,  marsh,  and  fever,  and,  since  the  light  dawn- 
ed on  my  mind  at  Dilolo,  had  been  cherishing  the  pleasing  delu- 
sion that  I should  be  the  first  to  suggest  the  idea  that  the  inte- 
rior of  Africa  was  a watery  plateau  of  less  elevation  than  flanking 
hilly  ranges. 

Having  waited  a few  days  at  Sesheke  till  the  horses  which  we 
had  left  at  Linyanti  should  arrive,  we  proceeded  to  that  town, 
and  found  the  wagon,  and  every  thing  we  had  left  in  November, 
1853,  perfectly  safe.  A grand  meeting  of  all  the  people  was 
called  to  receive  our  report,  and  the  articles  which  had  been  sent 


540 


TRADING-PARTY  TO  LOANDA. 


by  the  governor  and  merchants  of  Loanda.  I explained  that 
none  of  these  were  my  property,  but  that  they  were  sent  to  show 
the  friendly  feelings  of  the  white  men,  and  their  eagerness  to  en- 
ter into  commercial  relations  with  the  Makololo.  I then  request- 
ed my  companions  to  give  a true  account  of  what  they  had  seen. 
The  wonderful  things  lost  nothing  in  the  telling,  the  climax  al- 
ways being  that  they  had  finished  the  whole  world,  and  had 
turned  only  when  there  was  no  more  land.  One  glib  old  gentle- 
man asked,  “Then  you  reached  Ma  Robert  (Mrs.  L.)?”  They 
were  obliged  to  confess  that  she  lived  a little  beyond  the  world. 
The  presents  were  received  with  expressions  of  great  satisfaction 
and  delight ; and  on  Sunday,  when  Sekeletu  made  his  appearance 
at  church  in  his  uniform,  it  attracted  more  attention  than  the  ser- 
mon ; and  the  kind  expressions  they  made  use  of  respecting  my- 
self were  so  very  flattering  that  I felt  inclined  to  shut  my  eyes. 
Their  private  opinion  must  have  tallied  with  their  public  report, 
for  I very  soon  received  offers  from  volunteers  to  accompany  me 
to  the  east  coast.  They  said  they  wished  to  he  able  to  return 
and  relate  strange  things  like  my  recent  companions  ; and  Seke- 
letu immediately  made  arrangements  with  the  Arab  Ben  Habib  to 
conduct  a fresh  party  with  a load  of  ivory  to  Loanda.  These,  he 
said,  must  go  with  him  and  learn  to  trade  : they  were  not  to  have 
any  thing  to  do  in  the  disposal  of  the  ivory,  but  simply  look  and 
leam.  My  companions  were  to  remain  and  rest  themselves,  and 
then  return  to  Loanda  when  the  others  had  come  home.  Seke- 
letu consulted  me  as  to  sending  presents  back  to  the  governor  and 
merchants  of  Loanda,  but,  not  possessing  much  confidence  in  this 
Arab,  I advised  him  to  send  a present  by  Pitsane,  as  he  knew  who 
ought  to  receive  it. 

Since  my  arrival  in  England,  information  has  been  received 
from  Mr.  Gabriel  tliat  this  party  had  arrived  on  the  west  coast, 
but  that  the  ivory  had  been  disposed  of  to  some  Portuguese  mer- 
chants in  the  interior,  and  the  men  had  been  obliged  to  carry  it 
down  to  Loanda.  They  had  not  been  introduced  to  Mr.  Gabriel, 
but  that  gentleman,  having  learned  that  they  were  in  the  city,  went 
to  them,  and  pronounced  the  names  Pitsane,  Mashauana,  when  all 
started  up  and  crowded  round  him.  When  Mr.  G.  obtained  an 
interpreter,  he  learned  that  they  had  been  ordered  by  Sekeletu  to 
be  sure  and  go  to  my  brother,  as  he  termed  him.  Mr.  G.  behaved 


DIFFICULTIES  IN  TRADING. 


541 


in  the  same  liberal  manner  as  he  had  done  to  my  companions,  and 
they  departed  for  their  distant  home  after  bidding  him  a formal 
and  affectionate  adieu. 

It  was  to  be  expected  that  they  would  be  imposed  upon  in  their 
first  attempt  at  trading,  but  I believe  that  this  could  not  be  so 
easily  repeated.  It  is,  however,  unfortunate  that  in  dealing  with 
the  natives  in  the  interior  there  is  no  attempt  made  at  the  estab- 
lishment of  fair  prices.  The  trader  shows  a quantity  of  goods, 
the  native  asks  for  more,  and  more  is  given.  The  native,  being 
ignorant  of  the  value  of  the  goods  or  of  his  ivory,  tries  what  an- 
other demand  will  bring.  After  some  haggling,  an  addition  is 
made,  and  that  bargain  is  concluded  to  the  satisfaction  of  both 
parties.  Another  trader  comes,  and  perhaps  offers  more  than  the 
first ; the  customary  demand  for  an  addition  is  made,  and  he  yields. 
The  natives  by  this  time  are  beginning  to  believe  that  the  more 
they  ask  the  more  they  will  get : they  continue  to  urge,  the  trader 
bursts  into  a rage,  and  the  trade  is  stopped,  to  be  renewed  next 
day  by  a higher  offer.  The  natives  naturally7  conclude  that  they 
were  right  the  day  before,  and  a most  disagreeable  commercial  in- 
tercourse is  established.  A great  amount  of  time  is  spent  in  con- 
cluding these  bargains.  In  other  parts,  it  is. quite  common  to  see 
the  natives  going  from  one  trader  to  another  till  they  have  fin- 
ished the  whole  village ; and  some  give  presents  of  brandy  to 
tempt  their  custom.  Much  of  this  unpleasant  state  of  feeling  be- 
tween natives  and  Europeans  results  from  the  commencements 
made  by  those  who  were  ignorant  of  the  language,  and  from  the 
want  of  education  being  given  at  the  same  time. 

During  the  time  of  our  absence  at  Loanda,  the  Makololo  had 
made  two  forays,  and  captured  large  herds  of  cattle.  One,  to  the 
lake,  was  in  order  to  punish  Lechulatebe  for  the  insolence  he 
had  manifested  after  procuring  some  fire-arms ; and  the  other  to 
Sebola  Makwaia,  a chief  living  far  to  the  N.E.  This  was  most 
unjustifiable,  and  had  been  condemned  by  all  the  influential 
Makololo.  Ben  Habib,  however,  had,  in  coming  from  Zanzibar, 
visited  Sebola  Makwaia,  and  found  that  the  chief  town  was  gov- 
erned by  an  old  woman  of  that  name.  She  received  him  kindly, 
and  gave  him  a large  quantity  of  magnificent  ivory,  sufficient  to 
set  him  up  as  a trader,  at  a very  small  cost ; but,  his  party  having 
discharged  their  guns,  Ben  Habib  observed  that  the  female  chief 


542 


DEATH  OF  INFLUENTIAL  MEN. 


and  her  people  were  extremely  alarmed,  and  would  have  fled  and 
left  their  cattle  in  a panic,  had  he  not  calmed  their  fears.  Ben 
Habib  informed  the  uncle  of  Sekeletu  that  he  could  easily  guide 
him  thither,  and  he  might  get  a large  number  of  cattle  without 
any  difficulty.  This  uncle  advised  Sekeletu  to  go ; and,  as  the 
only  greatness  he  knew  was  imitation  of  his  father’s  deeds,  he 
went,  but  was  not  so  successful  as  was  anticipated.  Sebola 
Makwaia  had  fled  on  hearing  of  the  approach  of  the  Makololo ; 
and,  as  the  country  is  marshy  and  intersected  in  every  direction 
by  rivers,  they  could  not  easily  pursue  her.  They  captured  ca- 
noes, and,  pursuing  up  different  streams,  came  to  a small  lake 
called  “ Shuia.”  Having  entered  the  Loangwa,  flowing  to  the 
eastward,  they  found  it  advisable  to  return,  as  the  natives  in  those 
parts  became  more  warlike  the  further  they  went  in  that  direc- 
tion. Before  turning,  the  Arab  pointed  out  an  elevated  ridge  in 
the  distance,  and  said  to  the  Makololo,  “ When  we  see  that,  we 
always  know  that  we  are  only  ten  or  fifteen  days  from  the  sea.” 
On  seeing  him  afterward,  he  informed  me  that  on  the  same  ridge, 
but  much  further  to  the  north,  the  Banyassa  lived,  and  that  the 
rivers  flowed  from  it  toward  the  S.W.  He  also  confirmed  the 
other  Arab’s  account  that  the  Loapula,  which  he  had  crossed  at 
the  town  of  Cazembe,  flowed  in  the  same  direction,  and  into  the 
Leeambye. 

Several  of  the  influential  Makololo  who  had  engaged  in  these 
marauding  expeditions  had  died  before  our  arrival,  and  Nokwane 
had  succumbed  to  his  strange  disease.  Ramosantane  had  perished 
through  vomiting  blood  from  over-fatigue  in  the  march,  and  Leri- 
rao  was  affected  by  a leprosy  peculiar  to  the  Barotse  valley.  In 
accordance  with  the  advice  of  my  Libonta  friends,  I did  not  fail  to 
reprove  “ my  child  Sekeletu”  for  his  marauding.  This  was  not 
done  in  an  angry  manner,  for  no  good  is  ever  achieved  by  fierce 
denunciations.  Motibe,  his  father-in-law,  said  to  me,  “Scold  him 
much,  but  don’t  let  others  hear  you.” 

The  Makololo  expressed  great  satisfaction  with  the  route  we 
had  opened  up  to  the  west,  and  soon  after  our  arrival  a “picho” 
was  called,  in  order  to  discuss  the  question  of  removal  to  the 
Barotse  valley,  so  that  they  might  be  nearer  the  market.  Some 
of  the  older  men  objected  to  abandoning  the  line  of  defense  afford- 
ed by  the  rivers  Chobe  and  Zambesi  against  their  southern  ene- 


CLIMATE.— DISEASES. 


543 


mies  the  Matebele.  The  Makololo  generally  have  an  aversion  to 
the  Barotse  valley,  on  account  of  the  fevers  which  are  annually 
engendered  in  it  as  the  waters  dry  up.  They  prefer  it  only  as  a 
cattle  station ; for,  though  the  herds  are  frequently  thinned  by 
an  epidemic  disease  ( 'peripneumonia ),  they  breed  so  fast  that 
the  losses  are  soon  made  good.  Wherever  else  the  Makololo  go, 
they  always  leave  a portion  of  their  stock  in  the  charge  of  herds- 
men in  that  prolific  valley.  Some  of  the  younger  men  objected 
to  removal,  because  the  rankness  of  the  grass  at  the  Barotse  did 
not  allow  of  their  running  fast,  and  because  there  “it  never  be- 
comes cool.” 

Sekeletu  at  last  stood  up,  and,  addressing  me,  said,  “I  am  per- 
fectly satisfied  as  to  the  great  advantages  for  trade  of  the  path 
which  you  have  opened,  and  think  that  we  ought  to  go  to  the  Ba- 
rotse, in  order  to  make  the  way  from  us  to  Loanda  shorter ; but 
with  whom  am  I to  live  there?  If  you  were  coming  with  us,  1 
would  remove  to-morrow ; but  now  you  are  going  to  the  white  man's 
country  to  bring  Ma  Robert,  and  when  you  return  you  will  find 
me  near  to  the  spot  on  which  you  wish  to  dwell.”  I had  then  no 
idea  that  any  healthy  spot  existed  in  the  country,  and  thought 
only  of  a convenient  central  situation,  adapted  for  intercourse  with 
the  adjacent  tribes  and  with  the  coast,  such  as  that  near  to  the 
confluence  of  the  Leeba  and  Leeambye. 

The  fever  is  certainly  a drawback  to  this  otherwise  important 
missionary  field.  The  great  humidity  produced  by  heavy  rains 
and  inundations,  the  exuberant  vegetation  caused  by  fervid  heat 
in  rich  moist  soil,  and  the  prodigious  amount  of  decaying  vegeta- 
ble matter  annually  exposed  after  the  inundations  to  the  rays  of 
a ton-id  sun,  with  a flat  surface  often  covered  by  forest  through 
which  the  winds  can  not  pass,  all  combine  to  render  the  climate 
far  from  salubrious  for  any  portion  of  the  human  family.  But 
the  fever,  thus  caused  and  rendered  virulent,  is  almost  the  only 
disease  prevalent  in  it.  There  is  no  consumption  or  scrofula, 
and  but  little  insanity.  Smallpox  and  measles  visited  the  coun- 
try some  thirty  years  ago  and  cut  off  many,  but  they  have 
since  made  no  return,  although  the  former  has  been  almost 
constantly  in  one  part  or  another  of  the  coast.  Singularly 
enough,  the  people  used  inoculation  for  this  disease ; and  in 
one  village,  where  they  seem  to  have  chosen  a malignant  case 


544 


FIELD  FOR  THE  PHILANTHROPIST. 


from  which  to  inoculate  the  rest,  nearly  the  whole  village  was  cut 
off.  I have  seen  "but  one  case  of  hydrocephalus,  a few  of  epilepsy, 
none  of  cholera  or  cancer,  and  many  diseases  common  in  England 
are  here  quite  unknown.  It  is  true  that  I suffered  severely  from 
fever,  hut  my  experience  can  not  he  taken  as  a fair  criterion  in 
the  matter.  Compelled  to  sleep  on  the  damp  ground  month  after 
month,  exposed  to  drenching  showers,  and  getting  the  lower 
extremities  wetted  two  or  three  times  every  day,  living  on  native 
food  (with  the  exception  of  sugarless  coffee,  during  the  journey  to 
the  north  and  the  latter  half  of  the  return  journey),  and  that  food 
the  manioc  roots  and  meal,  which  contain  so  much  uncombined  _ 
starch  that  the  eyes  become  affected  (as  in  the  case  of  animals 
fed  for  experiment  on  pure  gluten  or  starch),  and  being  exposed 
during  many  hours  each  day  in  comparative  inaction  to  the  direct 
rays  of  the  sun,  the  thermometer  standing  above  96°  in  the  shade 
— these  constitute  a more  pitiful  hygiene  than  any  missionaries 
who  may  follow  will  ever  have  to  endure.  I do  not  mention 
these  privations  as  if  I considered  them  to  be  “ sacrifices”  for  I 
think  that  the  word  ought  never  to  be  applied  to  any  thing  we 
can  do  for  Him  who  came  down  from  heaven  and  died  for  us ; 
but  I suppose  it  is  necessary  to  notice  them,  in  order  that  no  un- 
favorable opinion  may  be  formed  from  my  experience  as  to  what 
that  of  others  might  be,  if  less  exposed  to  the  vicissitudes  of  the 
weather  and  change  of  diet. 

I believe  that  the  interior  of  this  country  presents  a much  more 
inviting  field  for  the  philanthropist  than  does  the  west  coast,  where 
missionaries  of  the  Church  Missionary,- United  Presbyterian,  and 
other  societies  have  long  labored  with  most  astonishing  devoted- 
ness and  never-flagging  zeal.  There  the  fevers  are  much  more 
virulent  and  more  speedily  fatal  than  here,  for  from  8°  south 
they  almost  invariably  take  the  intermittent  or  least  fatal  type ; 
and  their  effect  being  to  enlarge  the  spleen,  a complaint  which  is 
best  treated  by  change  of  climate,  we  have  the  remedy  at  hand  by 
passing  the  20tli  parallel  on  our  way  south.  But  I am  not  to  be 
understood  as  intimating  that  any  of  the  numerous  tribes  are 
anxious  for  instruction  : they  are  not  the  inquiring  spirits  we 
read  of  in  other  countries  ; they  do  not  desire  the  Gospel,  because 
they  know  nothing  about  either  it  or  its  benefits ; but  there  is  no 
impediment  in  the  way  of  instruction.  Every  head  man  would 


PATH  TO  THE  EAST  COAST. 


545 


"be  proud  of  a European  visitor  or  resident  in  liis  territory,  and 
there  is  perfect  security  for  life  and  property  all  over  the  interior 
country.  The  great  barriers  -which  have  kept  Africa  shut  are  the 
unhealthiness  of  the  coast,  and  the  exclusive,  illiberal  disposition 
of  the  border  tribes.  It  has  not  within  the  historic  period  been 
cut  into  by  deep  arms  of  the  sea,  and  only  a small  fringe  of  its 
population  have  come  into  contact  with  the  rest  of  mankind. 
Race  has  much  to  do  in  the  present  circumstances  of  nations ; 
yet  it  is  probable  that  the  unhealthy  coast-climate  has  reacted  on 
the  people,  and  aided  both  in  perpetuating  their  own  degradation 
and  preventing  those  more  inland  from  having  intercourse  with 
the  rest  of  the  world.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  these  obstacles  will 
be  overcome  by  the  more  rapid  means  of  locomotion  possessed  in 
the  present  age,  if  a good  highway  can  become  available  from  the 
coast  into  the  interior. 

Having  found  it  impracticable  to  open  up  a carriage-path  to 
the  west,  it  became  a question  as  to  which  part  of  the  east  coast 
we  should  direct  our  steps.  The  Arabs  had  come  from  Zanzibar 
through  a peaceful  country.  They  assured  me  that  the  powerful 
chiefs  beyond  the  Cazembe  on  the  N.E.,  viz.,  Moatutu,  Moaroro, 
and  Mogogo,  chiefs  of  the  tribes  Batutu,  Baroro,  and  Bagogo, 
would  have  no  objection  to  my  passing  through  their  country. 
They  described  the  population  there  as  located  in  small  villages 
like  the  Balonda,  and  that  no  difficulty  is  experienced  in  travel- 
ing among  them.  They  mentioned  also  that,  at  a distance  of  ten 
days  beyond  Cazembe,  their  path  winds  round  the  end  of  Lake 
Tanganyenka.  But  whea  they  reach  this  lake,  a little  to  the 
northwest  of  its  southern  extremity,  they  find  no  difficulty  in 
obtaining  canoes  to  carry  them  over.  They  sleep  on  islands,  for 
it  is  said  to  require  three  days  in  crossing,  and  may  thus  be  forty 
or  fifty  miles  broad.  Here  they  punt  the  canoes  the  whole  way, 
showing  that  it  is  shallow.  There  are  many  small  streams  in  the 
path,  and  three  large  rivers.  This,  then,  appeared  to  me  to  be 
the  safest ; but  my  present  object  being  a path  admitting  of  water 
rather  than  land  carnage,  this  route  did  not  promise  so  much  as 
that  by  way  of  the  Zambesi  or  Leeambye.  The  Makololo  knew 
all  the  country  eastward  as  far  as  the  Kafue,  from  having  lived  in 
former  times  near  the  confluence  ofi  that  river  with  the  Zambesi, 
and  they  all  advised  this  path  in  preference  to  that  by  the  way  of 

M M 


546 


PATH  TO  THE  EAST  COAST. 


Zanzibar.  Tlie  only  difficulty  that  they  assured  me  of  was  that  in 
the  falls  of  Victoria.  Some  recommended  my  going  to  Sesheke, 
and  crossing  over  in  a K.E.  direction  to  the  Kafue,  which  is  only 
six  days  distant,  and  descending  that  river  to  the  Zambesi.  Oth- 
ers recommended  me  to  go  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Zambesi  until 
I had  passed  the  falls,  then  get  canoes  and  proceed  farther  down 
the  river.  All  spoke  strongly  of  the  difficulties  of  traveling  on 
the  north  bank,  on  account  of  the  excessively  broken  and  rocky 
nature  of  the  country  near  the  river  on  that  side.  And  when 
Ponuane,  who  had  lately  headed  a foray  there,  proposed  that  I 
should  carry  canoes  along  that  side  till  we  reached  the  spot  where 
the  Leeambye  becomes  broad  and  placid  again,  others  declared 
that,  from  the  difficulties  he  himself  had  experienced  in  forcing  the 
men  of  his  expedition  to  do  this,  they  believed  that  mine  would 
be  sure  to  desert  me  if  I attempted  to  impose  such  a task  upon 
them.  Another  objection  to  traveling  on  either  bank  of  the  river 
was  the  prevalence  of  the  tsetse,  which  is  so  abundant  that  the  in- 
habitants can  keep  no  domestic  animals  except  goats. 

While  pondering  over  these  different  paths,  I could  not  help  re- 
gretting my  being  alone.  If  I had  enjoyed  the  company  of  my 
former  companion,  Mr.  Oswell,  one  of  us  might  have  taken  the 
Zambesi,  and  the  other  gone  by  way  of  Zanzibar.  The  latter  route 
was  decidedly  the  easiest,  because  all  the  inland  tribes  were  friend- 
ly, while  the  tribes  in  the  direction  of  the  Zambesi  were  inimical, 
and  I should  now  be  obliged  to  lead  a party,  which  the  Batoka  of 
that  country  view  as  hostile  invaders,  through  an  enemy’s  land ; 
but,  as  the  prospect  of  permanent  water-conveyance  was  good,  I 
decided  on  going  down  the  Zambesi,  and  keeping  on  the  north 
bank,  because,  in  the  map  given  by  Bowditch,  Tete,  the  farthest 
inland  station  of  the  Portuguese,  is  erroneously  placed  on  that 
side.  Being  near  the  end  of  September,  the  rains  were  expected 
daily ; the  clouds  were  collecting,  and  the  wind  blew  strongly 
from  the  east,  but  it  was  excessively  hot.  All  the  Makololo  urged 
me  strongly  to  remain  till  the  ground  should  be  cooled  by  the 
rains  ; and  as  it  was  probable  that  I should  get  fever  if  I com- 
menced my  journey  now,  I resolved  to  wait.  The  parts  of  the 
country  about  17°  and  18°  suffer  from  drought  and  become  dusty. 
It  is  but  the  commencement  of  the  humid  region  to  the  north,  and 
partakes  occasionally  of  the  character  of  both  the  wet  and  dry  re- 


BEN  HABIB’S  PROPOSAL. 


547 


gions.  Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  heat  in  October  by  the 
fact  that  the  thermometer  (protected)  stood,  in  the  shade  of  my 
wagon,  at  100°  through  the  day.  It  rose  to  110°  if  unprotected 
from  the  wind ; at  dark  it  showed  89°  ; at  10  o’clock,  80° ; and 
then  gradually  sunk  till  sunrise,  when  it  was  70°.  That  is  usu- 
ally the  period  of  greatest  cold  in  each  twenty-four  hours  in  this 
region.  The  natives,  during  the  period  of  greatest  heat,  keep  in 
their  huts,  which  are  always  pleasantly  cool  by  day,  but  close  and 
suffocating  by  night.  Those  who  are  able  to  afford  it  sit  guz- 
zling beer  or  boyaloa.  The  perspiration  produced  by  copious 
draughts  seems  to  give  enjoyment,  the  evaporation  causing  a feel- 
ing of  coolness.  The  attendants  of  the  chief,  on  these  occasions, 
keep  up  a continuous  roar  of  bantering,  raillery,  laughing,  and 
swearing.  The  dance  is  kept  up  in  the  moonlight  till  past  mid- 
night. The  women  stand  clapping  their  hands  continuously,  and 
the  old  men  sit  admiringly,  and  say,  “It  is  really  very  fine.” 
As  crowds  came  to  see  me,  I employed  much  of  my  time  in  con- 
versation, that  being  a good  mode  of  conveying  instruction.  In 
the  public  meetings  for  worship  the  people  listened  very  attentive- 
ly, and  behaved  with  more  decorum  than  formerly.  They  really 
form  a very  inviting  field  for  a missionary.  Surely  the  oft-told 
tale  of  the  goodness  and  love  of  our  heavenly  Father,  in  giving  up 
his  own  Son  to  death  for  us  sinners,  will,  by  the  power  of  his 
Holy  Spirit,  beget  love  in  some  of  these  heathen  hearts. 

1st  October.  Before  Ben  Habib  started  for  Loanda,  he  asked  the 
daughter  of  Sebituane  in  marriage.  This  is  the  plan  the  Arabs 
adopt  for  gaining  influence  in  a tribe,  and  they  have  been  known 
to  proceed  thus  cautiously  to  form  connections,  and  gradually  gain 
so  much  influence  as  to  draw  all  the  tribe  over  to  their  religion.  I 
never  heard  of  any  persecution,  although  the  Arabs  with  whom  I 
came  in  contact  seemed  much  attached  to  their  religion.  This 
daughter  of  Sebituane,  named  Manchunyane,  was  about  twelve 
years  of  age.  As  I was  the  bosom-friend  of  her  father,  I was  sup- 
posed to  have  a voice  in  her  disposal,  and,  on  being  asked,  object- 
ed to  her  being  taken  away,  we  knew  not  whither,  and  where  we 
might  never  see  her  again.  As  her  name  implies,  she  was  only  a 
little  black,  and,  besides  being  as  fair  as  any  of  the  Arabs,  had 
quite  the  Arab  features  ; but  I have  no  doubt  that  Ben  Habib 
will  renew  his  suit  more  successfully  on  some  other  occasion.  In 


/ 


548 


A MAIDEN’S  CHOICE. 


these  cases  of  marriage,  the  consent  of  the  young  women  is  seldom 
asked.  A maid-servant  of  Sekeletu,  however,  pronounced  by  the 
Makololo  to  be  good-looking,  was  at  this  time  sought  in  marriage 
by  five  young  men.  Sekeletu,  happening  to  be  at  my  wagon 
when  one  of  these  preferred  his  suit,  very  coolly  ordered  all  five 
to  stand  in  a row  before  the  young  woman,  that  she  might  make 
her  choice.  Two  refused  to  stand,  apparently,  because  they  could 
not  brook  the  idea  of  a repulse,  although  willing  enough  to  take 
her  if  Sekeletu  had  acceded  to  their  petition  without  reference  to 
her  will.  Three  dandified  fellows  stood  forth,  and  she  unhesitat- 
ingly decided  on  taking  one  who  was  really  the  best  looking.  It 
was  amusing  to  see  the  mortification  exhibited  on  the  black  faces 
of  the  unsuccessful  candidates,  while  the  spectators  greeted  them 
with  a hearty  laugh. 

During  the  whole  of  my  stay  with  the  Makololo,  Sekeletu 
supplied  my  wants  abundantly,  appointing  some  cows  to  furnish 
me  with  milk,  and,  when  he  went  out  to  hunt,  sent  home  orders 
for  slaughtered  oxen  to  be  given.  That  the  food  was  not  given  in 
a niggardly  spirit  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that,  when  I pro- 
posed to  depart  on  the  20th  of  October,  he  protested  against  my 
going  off  in  such  a hot  sun.  “ Only  wait,”  said  he,  “ for  the  first 
shower,  and  then  I will  let  you  go.”  This  was  reasonable,  for 
the  thermometer,  placed  upon  a deal  box  in  the  sun,  rose  to  138°. 
It  stood  at  108°  in  the  shade  by  day,  and  96°  at  sunset.  If 
my  experiments  were  correct,  the  blood  of  a European  is  of  a 
higher  temperature  than  that  of  an  African.  The  bulb,  held 
under  my  tongue,  stood  at  100° ; under  that  of  the  natives,  at  98°. 
There  was  much  sickness  in  the  town,  and  no  wonder,  for  part  of 
the  water  left  by  the  inundation  still  formed  a large  pond  in  the 
centre.  Even  the  plains  between  Linyanti  and  Seslieke  had  not 
yet  been  freed  from  the  waters  of  the  inundation.  They  had 
risen  higher  than  usual,  and  for  a long  time  canoes  passed  from 
the  one  place  to  the  other,  a distance  of  upward  of  120  miles,  in 
nearly  a straight  line.  We  found  many  patches  of  stagnant  wa- 
ter, which,  when  disturbed  by  our  passing  through  them,  evolved 
strong  effluvia  of  sulphureted  hydrogen.  At  other  times  these 
spots  exhibit  an  efflorescence  of  the  nitrate  of  soda ; they  also  con- 
tain abundance  of  lime,  probably  from  decaying  vegetable  matter, 
and  from  these  may  have  emanated  the  malaria  which  caused 


CONVERSATIONS  WITH  MAKOLOLO. 


549 


the  present  sickness.  I have  often  remarked  this  effluvium  in 
sickly  spots,  and  can  not  help  believing  but  that  it  has  some  con- 
nection with  fever,  though  I am  quite  aware  of  Dr.  MacWilliams’s 
unsuccessful  efforts  to  discover  sulphureted  hydrogen,  by  the  most 
delicate  tests,  in  the  Niger  expedition. 

I had  plenty  of  employment,  for,  besides  attending  to  the  severer 
cases,  I had  perpetual  calls  on  my  attention.  The  town  contained 
at  least  7000  inhabitants,  and  every  one  thought  that  he  might 
come,  and  at  least  look  at  me.  In  talking  with  some  of  the  more 
intelligent  in  the  evenings,  the  conversation  having  turned  from 
inquiries  respecting  eclipses  of  the  sun  and  moon  to  that  other 
world  where  Jesus  reigns,  they  let  me  know  that  my  attempts  to 
enlighten  them  had  not  been  without  some  small  effect.  “Many 
of  the  children,”  said  they,  “ talk  about  the  strange  things  you 
bring  to  their  ears,  but  the  old  men  show  a little  opposition  by 
saying,  ‘ Do  we  know  what  he  is  talking  about  V ” Ntlaria  and 
others  complain  of  treacherous  memories,  and  say,  “ When  we 
hear  words  about  other  things,  we  hold  them  fast ; but  when  we 
hear  you  tell  much  more  wonderful  things  than  any  we  have  ever 
heard  before,  we  don’t  know  how  it  is,  they  run  away  from  our 
hearts.”  These  are  the  more  intelligent  of  my  Makololo  friends. 
On  the  majority  the  teaching  produces  no  appreciable  effect ; 
they  assent  to  the  truth  with  the  most  perplexing  indifference, 
adding,  “ But  we  don’t  know,”  or,  “ We  do  not  understand.”  My 
medical  intercourse  with  them  enabled  me  to  ascertain  their  moral 
status  better  than  a mere  religious  teacher  could  do.  They  do 
not  attempt  to  hide  the  evil,  as  men  often  do,  from  their  spiritual 
instructors ; but  I have  found  it  difficult  to  come  to  a conclusion 
on  their  character.  They  sometimes  perform  actions  remarkably 
good,  and  sometimes  as  strangely  the  opposite.  I have  been 
unable  to  ascertain  the  motive  for  the  good,  or  account  for  the 
callousness  of  conscience  with  which  they  perpetrate  the  bad. 
After  long  observation,  I came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  are  just 
such  a strange  mixture  of  good  and  evil  as  men  are  every  where 
else.  There  is  not  among  them  an  approach  to  that  constant 
stream  of  benevolence  flowing  from  the  rich  to  the  poor  which  we 
have  in  England,  nor  yet  the  unostentatious  attentions  which  we 
have  among  our  own  poor  to  each  other.  Yet  there  are  frequent 
instances  of  genuine  kindness  and  liberality,  as  well  as  actions  of 


550 


MORAL  CHARACTER  OF  THE  MAKOLOLO. 


an  opposite  character.  The  rich  show  kindness  to  the  poor  in 
expectation  of  services,  and  a poor  person  who  has  no  relatives 
will  seldom  be  supplied  even  with  water  in  illness,  and,  when  dead, 
will  be  dragged  out  to  be  devoured  by  the  hyaenas  instead  of  be- 
ing buried.  Relatives  alone  will  condescend  to  touch  a dead  body. 
It  would  be  easy  to  enumerate  instances  of  inhumanity  which  I 
have  witnessed.  An  interesting-looking  girl  came  to  my  wagon 
one  day  in  a state  of  nudity,  and  almost  a skeleton.  She  was  a 
captive  from  another  tribe,  and  had  been  neglected  by  the  man 
who  claimed  her.  Having  supplied  her  wants,  I made  inquiry  for 
him,  and  found  that  he  had  been  unsuccessful  in  raising  a crop  of 
corn,  and  had  no  food  to  give  her.  I volunteered  to  take  her ; 
but  he  said  he  would  allow  me  to  feed  her  and  make  her  fat,  and 
then  take  her  away.  I protested  against  his  heartlessness ; and, 
as  he  said  he  could  “ not  part  with  his  child,”  I was  precluded 
from  attending  to  her  wants.  In  a day  or  two  she  was  lost  sight 
of.  She  had  gone  out  a little  way  from  the  town,  and,  being  too 
weak  to  return,  had  been  cruelly  left  to  perish.  Another  day  I 
saw  a poor  boy  going  to  the  water  to  drink,  apparently  in  a 
starving  condition.  This  case  I brought  before  the  chief  in 
council,  and  found  that  his  emaciation  was  ascribed  to  disease  and 
want  combined.  He  was  not  one  of  the  Makololo,  but  a member 
of  a subdued  tribe.  I showed  them  that  any  one  professing  to 
claim  a child,  and  refusing  proper  nutriment,  would  be  guilty  of 
his  death.  Sekeletu  decided  that  the  owner  of  this  boy  should 
give  up  his  alleged  right  rather  than  destroy  the  child.  When  I 
took  him  he  was  so  far  gone  as  to  be  in  the  cold  stage  of  starva- 
tion, but  was  soon  brought  round  by  a little  milk  given  three  or 
four  times  a day.  On  leaving  Linyanti  I handed  him  over  to  the 
charge  of  his  chief,  Sekeletu,  who  feeds  his  servants  very  well. 
On  the  other  hand,  I have  seen  instances  in  which  both  men  and 
women  have  taken  up  little  orphans  and  carefully  reared  them  as 
their  own  children.  By  a selection  of  cases  of  either  kind,  it 
would  not  be  difficult  to  make  these  people  appear  excessively 
good  or  uncommonly  bad. 

I still  possessed  some  of  the  coffee  which  I had  brought  from 
Angola,  and  some  of  the  sugar  which  I had  left  in  my  wagon. 
So  long  as  the  sugar  lasted,  Sekeletu  favored  me  with  his  com- 
pany at  meals ; but  the  sugar  soon  came  to  a close.  The 


SEKELETU’S  COMMISSIONS. 


551 


Makololo,  as  formerly  mentioned,  were  well  acquainted  with  the 
sugar-cane,  as  it  is  cultivated  by  the  Barotse,  but  never  knew 
that  sugar  could  be  got  from  it.  When  I explained  the  process 
by  which  it  was  produced,  Sekeletu  asked  if  I could  not  buy 
him  an  apparatus  for  the  purpose  of  making  sugar.  He  said 
that  he  would  plant  the  cane  largely  if  he  only  had  the  means 
of  making  the  sugar  from  it.  I replied  that  I was  unable  to 
purchase  a mill,  when  he  instantly  rejoined,  “Why  not  take 
ivory  to  buy  it?”  As  I had  been  living  at  his  expense,  I was 
glad  of  the  opportunity  to  show  my  gratitude  by  serving  him ; 
and  when  he  and  his  principal  men  understood  that  I was  willing 
to  execute  a commission,  Sekeletu  gave  me  an  order  for  a sugar- 
mill,  and  for  all  the  different  varieties  of  clothing  that  he  had 
ever  seen,  especially  a mohair  coat,  a good  rifle,  beads,  brass- 
wire,  etc.,  etc.,  and  wound  up  by  saying,  “And  any  other  beau- 
tiful thing  you  may  see  in  your  own  country.”  As  to  the 
quantity  of  ivory  required  to  execute  the  commission,  I said  I 
feared  that  a large  amount  would  be  necessary.  Both  he  and  his 
councilors  replied,  “The  ivory  is  all  your  own;  if  you  leave  any 
in  the  country  it  will  be  your  own  fault.”  He  was  also  anxious 
for  horses.  The  two  I had  left  with  him  when  I went  to  Loanda 
were  still  living,  and  had  been  of  great  use  to  him  in  hunting  the 
giraffe  and  eland,  and  he  was  now  anxious  to  have  a breed.  This, 
I thought,  might  be  obtained  at  the  Portuguese  settlements.  All 
were  very  much  delighted  with  the  donkeys  we  had  brought  from 
Loanda.  As  we  found  that  they  were  not  affected  by  the  bite  of 
the  tsetse,  and  there  was  a prospect  of  the  breed  being  continued, 
it  was  gratifying  to  see  the  experiment  of  their  introduction  so  far 
successful.  The  donkeys  came  as  frisky  as  kids  all  the  way  from 
Loanda  until  we  began  to  descend  the  Leeambye.  There  we 
came  upon  so  many  interlacing  branches  of  the  river,  and  were 
obliged  to  drag  them  through  such  masses  of  tangled  aquatic 
plants,  that  we  half  drowned  them,  and  were  at  last  obliged  to 
leave  them  somewhat  exhausted  at  Naliele.  They  excited  the 
unbounded  admiration  of  my  men  by  their  knowledge  of  the  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  plants,  which,  as  they  remarked,  “ the  animals  had 
never  before  seen  in  their  own  country;”  and  when  the  donkeys 
indulged  in  their  music,  they  startled  the  inhabitants  more  than  if 
they  had  been  lions.  We  never  rode  them,  nor  yet  the  horse 


552 


AUTHOR’S  INFLUENCE  WITH  NATIVES. 


which  had  been  given  by  the  bishop,  for  fear  of  hurting  them  by 
any  work. 

Although  the  Makololo  were  so  confiding,  the  reader  must  not 
imagine  that  they  would  be  so  to  every  individual  who  might  visit 
them.  Much  of  my  influence  depended  upon  the  good  name  given 
me  by  the  Bakwains,  and  that  I secured  only  through  a long 
course  of  tolerably  good  conduct.  No  one  ever  gains  much  in- 
fluence in  this  country  without  purity  and  uprightness.  The  acts 
of  a stranger  are  keenly  scrutinized  by  both  young  and  old,  and 
seldom  is  the  judgment  pronounced,  even  by  the  heathen,  unfair 
or  uncharitable.  I have  heard  women  speaking  in  admiration  of 
a white  man  because  he  was  pure,  and  never  was  guilty  of  any 
secret  immorality.  Had  he  been,  they  would  have  known  it,  and, 
untutored  heathen  though  they  be,  would  have  despised  him  in 
consequence.  Secret  vice  becomes  known  throughout  the  tribe ; 
and  while  one,  unacquainted  with  the  language,  may  imagine  a 
peccadillo  to  be  hidden,  it  is  as  patent  to  all  as  it  would  be  in 
London  had  he  a placard  on  his  back. 

27 th  October , 1855.  The  first  continuous  rain  of  the  season 
commenced  during  the  night,  the  wind  being  from  the  N.E.,  as  it 
always  was  on  like  occasions  at  Kolobeng.  The  rainy  season  was 
thus  begun,  and  I made  ready  to  go.  The  mother  of  Sekeletu 
prepared  a bag  of  ground-nuts,  by  frying  them  in  cream  with  a 
little  salt,  as  a sort  of  sandwiches  for  my  journey.  This  is  con- 
sidered food  fit  for  a chief.  Others  ground  the  maize  from  my 
own  garden  into  meal,  and  Sekeletu  pointed  out  Sekwebu  and 
Kanyata  as  the  persons  who  should  head  the  party  intended  to 
form  my  company.  Sekwebu  had  been  captured  by  the  Matebele 
when  a little  boy,  and  the  tribe  in  which  he  was  a captive  had 
migrated  to  the  country  near  Tete ; he  had  traveled  along  both 
banks  of  the  Zambesi  several  times,  and  was  intimately  acquainted 
with  the  dialects  spoken  there.  I found  him  to  be  a person  of 
great  prudence  and  sound  judgment,  and  his  subsequent  loss  at 
the  Mauritius  has  been,  ever  since,  a source  of  sincere  regret.  He 
at  once  recommended  our  keeping  well  away  from  the  river,  on 
account  of  the  tsetse  and  rocky  country,  assigning  also  as  a rea- 
son for  it  that  the  Leeambye  beyond  the  falls  turns  round  to  the 
N.N.E.  Marnire,  who  had  married  the  mother  of  Sekeletu,  on 
coming  to  bid  me  farewell  before  starting,  said,  “You  are  now 


MOTIBE’S  EXCUSES. 


553 


going  among  people  who  can  not  be  trusted  because  we  have  used 
them  badly ; but  you  go  with  a different  message  from  any  they 
ever  heard  before,  and  Jesus  will  be  with  you  and  help  you,  though 
among  enemies  ; and  if  he  carries  you  safely,  and  brings  you  and 
Ma  Kobert  back  again,  I shall  say  he  has  bestowed  a great  favor 
upon  me.  May  wre  obtain  a path  whereby  we  may  visit  and  be 
visited  by  other  tribes,  and  by  white  men!”  On  telling  him  my 
fears  that  he  was  still  inclined  to  follow  the  old  marauding  sys- 
tem, which  prevented  intercourse,  and  that  he,  from  his  influential 
position,  was  especially  guilty  in  the  late  forays,  he  acknowledged 
all  rather  too  freely  for  my  taste,  but  seemed  quite  aware  that  the 
old  system  was  far  from  right.  Mentioning  my  inability  to  pay 
the  men  who  were  to  accompany  me,  he  replied,  “A  man  wishes, 
of  course,  to  appear  among  his  friends,  after  a long  absence,  with 
something  of  his  own  to  show ; the  whole  of  the  ivory  in  the  coun- 
try is  yours,  so  you  must  take  as  much  as  you  can,  and  Sekeletu 
will  furnish  men  to  carry  it.”  These  remarks  of  Mamire  are  quoted 
literally,  in  order  to  show  the  state  of  mind  of  the  most  influential 
in  the  tribe.  And  as  I wish  to  give  the  reader  a fair  idea  of  the 
other  side  of  the  question  as  well,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  Mo- 
tibe  parried  the  imputation  of  the  guilt  of  marauding  by  every  pos- 
sible subterfuge.  He  would  not  admit  that  they  had  done  Avrong, 
and  laid  the  guilt  of  the  wars  in  which  the  Makololo  had  engaged 
on  the  Boers,  the  Matebele,  and  every  other  tribe  except  his  own. 
When  quite  a youth,  Motibe’s  family  had  been  attacked  by  a party 
of  Boers;  he  hid  himself  in  an  ant-eater’s  hole,  but  was  drawn  out 
and  thrashed  with  a whip  of  hippopotamus  hide.  When  enjoined 
to  live  in  peace,  he  would  reply,  “ Teach  the  Boers  to  lay  down 
their  arms  first.”  Yet  Motibe,  on  other  occasions,  seemed  to  feel 
the  difference  between  those  who  are  Christians  indeed  and  those 
who  are  so  only  in  name.  In  all  our  discussions  we  parted  good 
friends. 


554 


A THUNDER-STORM. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Departure  from  Linyanti. — A Thunder-storm. — An  Act  of  genuine  Kindness. — 
Fitted  out  a second  time  by  the  Makololo. — Sail  down  the  Leeambye. — Sekote’s 
Kotla  and  human  Skulls ; his  Grave  adorned  with  Elephants’  Tusks. — Victoria 
Falls. — Native  Names.  — Columns  of  Vapor.  — Gigantic  Crack. — Wear  of  the 
Rocks. — Shrines  of  the  Barimo. — “The  Pestle  of  the  Gods.” — Second  Visit  to 
the  Falls. — Island  Garden. — Store-house  Island. — Native  Diviners. — A Euro- 
pean Diviner. — Makololo  Foray. — Marauder  to  be  fined. — Mambari. — Makololo 
wish  to  stop  Mambari  Slave-trading. — Part  with  Sekeletu. — Night  Traveling. — 
River  Lekone. — Ancient  fresh-water  Lakes. — Formation  of  Lake  Ngami. — Na- 
tive Traditions. — Drainage  of  the  Great  Valley. — Native  Reports  of  the  Country 
to  the  North. — Maps. — Moyara’s  Village. — Savage  Customs  of  the  Batoka. — A 
Chain  of  Trading  Stations. — Remedy  against  Tsetse. — “The  Well  of  Joy.” — 
First  Traces  of  Trade  with  Europeans. — Knocking  out  the  front  Teeth. — Face- 
tious Explanation. — Degradation  of  the  Batoka. — Description  of  the  Traveling 
Party. — Cross  the  Unguesi. — Geological  Formation. — Ruins  of  a large  Town. — 
Productions  of  the  Soil  similar  to  those  in  Angola. — Abundance  of  Fruit. 

On  the  3d  of  November  we  bade  adieu  to  our  friends  at  Lin- 
yanti, accompanied  by  Sekeletu  and  about  200  followers.  We 
were  all  fed  at  his  expense,  and  he  took  cattle  for  this  purpose 
from  every  station  we  came  to.  The  principal  men  of  the  Ma- 
kololo, Lebeole,  Ntlarie,  Nkwatlele,  etc.,  were  also  of  the  party. 
We  passed  through  the  patch  of  the  tsetse,  which  exists  between 
Linyanti  and  Sesheke,  by  night.  The  majority  of  the  company 
went  on  by  daylight,  in  order  to  prepare  our  beds.  Sekeletu  and 
I,  with  about  forty  young  men,  waited  outside  the  tsetse  till  dark. 
We  then  went  forward,  and  about  ten  o’clock  it  became  so  pitchy 
dark  that  both  horses  and  men  were  completely  blinded.  The 
lightning  spread  over  the  sky,  forming  eight  or  ten  branches  at  a 
time,  in  shape  exactly  like  those  of  a tree.  This,  with  great  vol- 
umes of  sheet-lightning,  enabled  us  at  times  to  see  the  whole 
country.  The  intervals  between  the  flashes  were  so  densely  dark 
as  to  convey  the  idea  of  stone-blindness.  The  horses  trembled, 
cried  out,  and  turned  round,  as  if  searching  for  each  other,  and 
every  new  flash  revealed  the  men  taking  different  directions,  laugh- 
ing, and  stumbling  against  each  other.  The  thunder  was  of  that 


KINDNESS  OF  MAKOLOLO. 


555 


tremendously  loud  kind  only  to  be  heard  in  tropical  countries,  and 
which  triends  from  India  have  assured  me  is  louder  in  Africa  than 
any  they  have  ever  heard  elsewhere.  Then  came  a pelting  rain, 
which  completed  our  confusion.  After  the  intense  heat  of  the  day, 
we  soon  felt  miserably  cold,  and  turned  aside  to  a fire  we  saw  in 
the  distance.  This  had  been  made  by  some  people  on  their  march; 
for  this  path  is  seldom  without  numbers  of  strangers  passing  to 
and  from  the  capital.  My  clothing  having  gone  on,  I lay  down 
on  the  cold  ground,  expecting  to  spend  a miserable  night;  but  Se- 
keletu  kindly  covered  me  with  his  own  blanket,  and  lay  uncovered 
himself.  I was  much  affected  by  this  act  of  genuine  kindness. 
If  such  men  must  perish  by  the  advance  of  civilization,  as  certain 
races  of  animals  do  before  others,  it  is  a pity.  God  grant  that 
ere  this  time  comes  they  may  receive  that  Gospel  which  is  a solace 
for  the  soul  in  death ! 

While  at  Sesheke,  Sekeletu  supplied  me  with  twelve  oxen — 
three  of  which  were  accustomed  to  being  ridden  upon — hoes,  and 
beads  to  purchase  a canoe  when  we  should  strike  the  Leeambye 
beyond  the  falls.  He  likewise  presented  abundance  of  good  fresh 
butter  and  honey,  and  did  every  thing  in  his  power  to  make  me 
comfortable  for  the  journey.  I was  entirely  dependent  on  his 
generosity,  for  the  goods  I originally  brought  from  the  Cape  were 
all  expended  by  the  time  I set  off  from  Linyanti  to  the  west 
coast.  I there  drew  £7  0 of  my  salary,  paid  my  men  with  it,  and 
purchased  goods  for  the  return  journey  to  Linyanti.  These  being 
now  all  expended,  the  Makololo  again  fitted  me  out,  and  sent  me 
on  to  the  east  coast.  I wras  thus  dependent  on  their  bounty, 
and  that  of  other  Africans,  for  the  means  of  going  from  Linyanti 
to  Loanda,  and  again  from  Linyanti  to  the  east  coast,  and  I feel 
deeply  grateful  to  them.  Coin  would  have  been  of  no  benefit, 
for  gold  and  silver  are  quite  unknown.  We  were  here  joined  by 
Moriantsane,  uncle  of  Sekeletu  and  head  man  of  Sesheke,  and, 
entering  canoes  on  the  13th,  some  sailed  down  the  river  to  the 
confluence  of  the  Chobe,  while  others  drove  the  cattle  along  the 
banks,  spending  one  night  at  Mparia,  the  island  at  the  confluence 
of  the  Chobe,  which  is  composed  of  trap,  having  crystals  of  quartz 
in  it  coated  with  a pellicle  of  green  copper  ore.  Attempting  to 
proceed  down  the  river  next  day,  we  were  detained  some  hours  by 
a strong  east  wind  raising  wraves  so  large  as  to  threaten  to  swamp 


556 


SEKOTE’S  ISLAND. 


the  canoes.  The  river  here  is  very  large  and  deep,  and  contains 
two  considerable  islands,  which  from  either  bank  seem  to  be  joined 
to  the  opposite  shore.  While  waiting  for  the  wTind  to  moderate, 
my  friends  related  the  traditions  of  these  islands,  and,  as  usual, 
praised  the  wisdom  of  Sebituane  in  balking  the  Batoka,  who  for- 
merly enticed  wandering  tribes  to  them,  and  starved  them,  by 
compelling  the  chiefs  to  remain  by  his  side  till  all  his  cattle  and 
people  were  ferried  over.  The  Barotse  believe  that  at  certain 
parts  of  the  river  a tremendous  monster  lies  hid,  and  that  it  will 
catch  a canoe,  and  hold  it  fast  and  motionless,  in  spite  of  the 
utmost  exertions  of  the  paddlers.  While  near  Nameta  they  even 
objected  to  pass  a spot  supposed  to  be  haunted,  and  proceeded 
along  a branch  instead  of  the  main  stream.  They  believe  that 
some  of  them  possess  a knowledge  of  the  proper  prayer  to  lay  the 
monster.  It  is  strange  to  find  fables  similar  to  those  of  the  more 
northern  nations  even  in  the  heart  of  Africa.  Can  they  be  the 
vestiges  of  traditions  of  animals  which  no  longer  exist  ? The 
fossil  bones  which  lie  in  the  calcareous  tufa  of  this  region  will  yet, 
we  hope,  reveal  the  ancient  fauna. 

Having  descended  about  ten  miles,  we  came  to  the  island  of 
Nampene,  at  the  beginning  of  the  rapids,  where  we  were  obliged 
to  leave  the  canoes  and  proceed  along  the  banks  on  foot.  The 
next  evening  we  slept  opposite  the  island  of  Cliondo,  and,  then 
crossing  the  Lekone  or  Lekwine,  early  the  following  morning 
were  at  the  island  of  Sekote,  called  Kalai.  This  Sekote  was  the 
last  of  the  Batoka  chiefs  whom  Sebituane  rooted  out.  The  isl- 
and is  surrounded  by  a rocky  shore  and  deep  channels,  through 
which  the  river  rushes  with  great  force.  Sekote,  feeling  secure  in 
his  island  home,  ventured  to  ferry  over  the  Matebele  enemies  of 
Sebituane.  When  they  had  retired,  Sebituane  made  one  of  those 
rapid  marches  which  he  always  adopted  in  every  enterprise.  He 
came  down  the  Leeambye  from  jNTaliele,  sailing  by  day  along  the 
banks,  and  during  the  night  in  the  middle  of  the  stream,  to  avoid 
the  hippopotami.  When  he  reached  Kalai,  Sekote  took  advan- 
tage of  the  larger  canoes  they  employ  in  the  rapids,  and  fled  dur- 
ing the  night  to  the  opposite  bank.  Most  of  his  people  were 
slain  or  taken  captive,  and  the  island  has  ever  since  been  under 
the  Makololo.  It  is  large  enough  to  contain  a considerable  town. 
On  the  northern  side  I found  the  kotla  of  the  elder  Sekote,  gar- 


VICTORIA  FALLS. 


557 


nislied  with  numbers  of  human  skulls  mounted  on  poles  : a large 
heap  of  the  crania  of  hippopotami,  the  tusks  untouched  except  by 
time,  stood  on  one  side.  At  a short  distance,  under  some  trees, 
we  saw  the  grave  of  Sekote,  ornamented  with  seventy  large  ele- 
phants’ tusks  planted  round  it  with  the  points  turned  inward,  and 
there  were  thirty  more  placed  over  the  resting-places  of  his  rela- 
tives. These  were  all  decaying  from  the  effects  of  the  sun  and 
weather ; but  a few,  which  had  enjoyed  the  shade,  were  in  a pretty 
good  condition.  I felt  inclined  to  take  a specimen  of  the  tusks 
of  the  hippopotami,  as  they  were  the  largest  I had  ever  seen,  but 
feared  that  the  people  would  look  upon  me  as  a “ resurrectionist” 
if  I did,  and  regard  any  unfavorable  event  which  might  afterward 
occur  as  a punishment  for  the  sacrilege.  The  Batoka  believe  that 
Sekote  had  a pot  of  medicine  buried  here,  which,  when  opened, 
would  cause  an  epidemic  in  the  country.  These  tyrants  acted 
much  on  the  fears  of  their  people. 

As  this  was  the  point  from  which  we  intended  to  strike  off  to 
the  northeast,  I resolved  on  the  following  day  to  visit  the  falls  of 
Victoria,  called  by  the  natives  Mosioatunya,  or  more  anciently 
Shongwc.  Of  these  we  had  often  heard  since  we  came  into  the 
country;  indeed,  one  of  the  questions  asked  by  Sebituane  was, 
“Have  you  smoke  that  sounds  in  your  country?”  They  did 
not  go  near  enough  to  examine  them,  but,  viewing  them  with 
awe  at  a distance,  said,  in  reference  to  the  vapor  and  noise, 
“Mosi  oa  tunya”  (smoke  does  sound  there).  It  was  previ- 
ously called  Shongwe,  the  meaning  of  which  I could  not  ascer- 
tain. The  word  for  a “pot”  resembles  this,  and  it  may  mean  a 
seething  caldron,  but  I am  not  certain  of  it.  Being  persuaded 
that  All*.  Oswell  and  myself  were  the  very  first  Europeans  who 
ever  visited  the  Zambesi  in  the  centre  of  the  country,  and  that 
this  is  the  connecting  link  between  the  known  and  unknown 
portions  of  that  river,  I decided  to  use  the  same  liberty  as  the 
Makololo  did,  and  gave  the  only  English  name  I have  affixed  to 
any  part  of  the  country.  No  better  proof  of  previous  ignorance 
of  this  river  could  be  desired  than  that  an  untraveled  gentleman, 
who  had  spent  a great  part  of  his  life  in  the  study  of  the  ge- 
ography of  Africa,  and  knew  every  thing  written  on  the  subject 
from  the  time  of  Ptolemy  downward,  actually  asserted  in  the 
“Athena3um,”  while  I was  coming  up  the  Bed  Sea,  that  this 


558 


VICTORIA  FALLS. 


magnificent  river,  the  Leeambye,  had  “no  connection  with  the 
Zambesi,  but  flowed  under  the  Kalahari  Desert,  and  became  lost;” 
and  “that,  as  all  the  old  maps  asserted,  the  Zambesi  took  its  rise 
in  the  very  hills  to  which  we  have  now  come.”  This  modest  asser- 
tion smacks  exactly  as  if  a native  of  Timbuctoo  should  declare  that 
the  “Thames”  and  the  “Pool”  were  different  rivers,  he  having  seen 
neither  the  one  nor  the  other.  Leeambye  and  Zambesi  mean  the 
very  same  thing,  viz.,  the  River. 

Sekeletu  intended  to  accompany  me,  but,  one  canoe  only  having 
come  instead  of  the  two  he  had  ordered,  he  resigned  it  to  me. 
After  twenty  minutes’  sail  from  Kalai  we  came  in  sight,  for  the 
first  time,  of  the  columns  of  vapor  appropriately  called  “ smoke,” 
rising  at  a distance  of  five  or  six  miles,  exactly  as  when  large 
tracts  of  grass  are  burned  in  Africa.  Five  columns  now  arose, 
and,  bending  in  the  direction  of  the  wind,  they  seemed  placed 
against  a low  ridge  covered  with  trees ; the  tops  of  the  columns 
at  this  distance  appeared  to  mingle  Avith  the  clouds.  They  were 
white  below,  and  higher  up  became  dark,  so  as  to  simulate  smoke 
very  closely.  The  whole  scene  was  extremely  beautiful ; the 
banks  and  islands  dotted  over  the  river  are  adorned  Avith  sylvan 
vegetation  of  great  variety  of  color  and  form.  At  the  period  of  our 
visit  several  trees  were  spangled  over  with  blossoms.  Trees  have 
each  their  own  physiognomy.  There,  towering  over  all,  stands 
the  great  burly  baobab,  each  of  whose  enormous  arms  would  form 
the  trunk  of  a large  tree,  beside  groups  of  graceful  palms,  which, 
with  their  feathery -shaped  leaves  depicted  on  the  sky,  lend  their 
beauty  to  the  scene.  As  a hieroglyphic  they  always  mean  “far 
from  home,”  for  one  can  never  get  over  their  foreign  air  in  a pic- 
ture or  landscape.  The  silvery  mohonono,  which  in  the  tropics  is 
in  form  like  the  cedar  of  Lebanon,  stands  in  pleasing  contrast  with 
the  dark  color  of  the  motsouri,  whose  cypress-form  is  dotted  over 
at  present  with  its  pleasant  scarlet  fruit.  Some  trees  resemble  the 
great  spreading  oak,  others  assume  the  character  of  our  OAvn  elms 
and  chestnuts ; but  no  one  can  imagine  the  beauty  of  the  view 
from  any  thing  Avitnessed  in  England.  It  had  never  been  seen 
before  by  European  eyes ; but  scenes  so  lovely  must  have  been 
gazed  upon  by  angels  in  their  flight.  The  only  want  felt  is  that 
of  mountains  in  the  background.  The  falls  are  bounded  on  three 
sides  by  ridges  300  or  400  feet  in  height,  which  are  covered  with 


VICTORIA  RALLS. 


559 


forest,  with  the  red  soil  appearing  among  the  trees.  When  about 
half  a mile  from  the  falls,  I left  the  canoe  by  which  we  had  come 
down  thus  far,  and  embarked  in  a lighter  one,  with  men  well 
acquainted  with  the  rapids,  who,  by  passing  down  the  centre  of 
the  stream  in  the  eddies  and  still  places  caused  by  many  jutting 
rocks,  brought  me  to  an  island  situated  in  the  middle  of  the  river, 
and  on  the  edge  of  the  lip  over  which  the  water  rolls.  In  coming- 
hither  there  was  danger  of  being  swept  down  by  the  streams 
which  rushed  along  on  each  side  of  the  island ; but  the  river  was 
now  low,  and  wre  sailed  where  it  is  totally  impossible  to  go  wdien 
the  water  is  high.  But,  though  we  had  reached  the  island,  and 
were  within  a few  yards  of  the  spot,  a view  from  which  would 
solve  the  whole  problem,  I believe  that  no  one  could  perceive 
where  the  vast  body  of  water  went ; it  seemed  to  lose  itself  in 
the  earth,  the  opposite  lip  of  the  fissure  into  which  it  disappeared 
being  only  80  feet  distant.  At  least  I did  not  comprehend  it  until, 
creeping  with  awe  to  the  verge,  I peered  down  into  a large  rent 
which  had  been  made  from  bank  to  bank  of  the  broad  Zambesi, 
and  saw  that  a stream  of  a thousand  yards  broad  leaped  down  a 
hundred  feet,  and  then  became  suddenly  compressed  into  a space 
of  fifteen  or  twenty  yards.  The  entire  falls  are  simply  a crack  made 
in  a hard  basaltic  rock  from  the  right  to  the  left  bank  of  the  Zam- 
besi, and  then  prolonged  from  the  left  bank  away  through  thirty  or 
forty  miles  of  hills.  If  one  imagines  the  Thames  filled  with  low, 
tree-covered  hills  immediately  beyond  the  tunnel,  extending  as  far 
as  Gravesend,  the  bed  of  black  basaltic  rock  instead  of  London 
mud,  and  a fissure  made  therein  from  one  end  of  the  tunnel  to  the 
other  down  through  the  keystones  of  the  arch,  and  prolonged 
from  the  left  end  of  the  tunnel  through  thirty  miles  of  hills,  the 
pathway  being  100  feet  down  from  the  bed  of  the  river  instead  of 
what  it  is,  with  the  lips  of  the  fissure  from  80  to  100  feet  apart, 
then  fancy  the  Thames  leaping  bodily  into  the  gulf,  and  forced 
there  to  change  its  direction,  and  flow  from  the  right  to  the  left 
bank,  and  then  rush  boiling  and  roaring  through  the  hills,  he  may 
have  some  idea  of  what  takes  place  at  this,  the  most  wonderful 
sight  I had  witnessed  in  Africa.  In  looking  down  into  the  fissure 
on  the  right  of  the  island,  one  sees  nothing  but  a dense  white  cloud, 
which,  at  the  time  we  visited  the  spot,  had  two  bright  rainbows  on 
it.  (The  sun  was  on  the  meridian,  and  the  declination  about  equal 


560 


GIGANTIC  FISSURE. 


to  the  latitude  of  the  place.)  From  this  cloud  rushed  up  a great 
jet  of  vapor  exactly  like  steam,  and  it  mounted  200  or  300 
feet  high ; there  condensing,  it  changed  its  hue  to  that  of  dark 
smoke,  and  came  hack  in  a constant  shower,  which  soon  wetted  us 
to  the  skin.  This  shower  falls  chiefly  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
fissure,  and  a few  yards  hack  from  the  lip  there  stands  a straight 
hedge  of  evergreen  trees,  whose  leaves  are  always  wet.  From 
their  roots  a number  of  little  rills  run  hack  into  the  gulf,  hut, 
as  they  flow  down  the  steep  wall  there,  the  column  of  vapor, 
in  its  ascent,  licks  them  up  clean  off  the  rock,  and  away  they 
mount  again.  They  are  constantly  running  down,  hut  never 
reach  the  bottom. 

On  the  left  of  the  island  we  see  the  water  at  the  bottom,  a white 
rolling  mass  moving  away  to  the  prolongation  of  the  fissure,  which 
branches  off"  near  the  left  hank  of  the  river.  A piece  of  the  rock 
has  fallen  off  a spot  on  the  left  of  the  island,  and  juts  out  from  the 
water  below,  and  from  it  I judged  the  distance  which  the  water 
falls  to  he  about  100  feet.  The  walls  of  this  gigantic  crack  are 
perpendicular,  and  composed  of  one  homogeneous  mass  of  rock. 
The  edge  of  that  side  over  which  the  water  falls  is  worn  off  two 
or  three  feet,  and  pieces  have  fallen  away,  so  as  to  give  it  some- 
what of  a serrated  appearance.  That  over  which  the  water  does 
not  fall  is  quite  straight,  except  at  the  left  corner,  where  a rent 
appears,  and  a piece  seems  inclined  to  fall  off.  Upon  the  whole, 
it  is  nearly  in  the  state  in  which  it  was  left  at  the  period  of  its 
formation.  The  rock  is  dark  brown  in  color,  except  about  ten 
feet  from  the  bottom,  which  is  discolored  by  the  annual  rise  of 
the  water  to  that  or  a greater  height.  On  the  left  side  of  the 
island  we  have  a good  view  of  the  mass  of  water  which  causes  one 
of  the  columns  of  vapor  to  ascend,  as  it  leaps  quite  clear  of  the 
rock,  and  forms  a thick  unbroken  fleece  all  the  way  to  the  bottom. 
Its  whiteness  gave  the  idea  of  snow,  a sight  I had  not  seen  for 
many  a day.  .As  it  broke  into  (if  I may  use  the  term)  pieces  of 
water,  all  rushing  on  in  the  same  direction,  each  gave  off  several 
rays  of  foam,  exactly  as  bits  of  steel,  when  burned  in  oxygen  gas, 
give  off  rays  of  sparks.  The  snow-white  sheet  seemed  like  myri- 
ads of  small  comets  rushing  on  in  one  direction,  each  of  which  left 
behind  its  nucleus  rays  of  foam.  I never  saw  the  appearance  re- 
ferred to  noticed  elsewhere.  It  seemed  to  be  the  effect  of  the 


THE  LEEAMBYE.  561 

mass  of  water  leaping  at  once  clear  of  the  rock,  and  but  slowly- 
breaking  up  into  spray. 

I have  mentioned  that  we  saw  five  columns  of  vapor  ascending 
from  this  strange  abyss.  They  are  evidently  formed  by  the  com- 
pression suffered  by  the  force  of  the  water’s  own  fall  into  an 
unyielding  wedge-shaped  space.  Of  the  five  columns,  two  on  the 
right  and  one  on  the  left  of  the  island  were  the  largest,  and  the 
streams  which  formed  them  seemed  each  to  exceed  in  size  the  falls 
of  the  Clyde  at  Stonebyres  when  that  river  is  in  flood.  This  was 
the  period  of  low  water  in  the  Leeambye ; but,  as  far  as  I could 
guess,  there  was  a flow  of  five  or  six  hundred  yards  of  water, 
which,  at  the  edge  of  the  fall,  seemed  at  least  three  feet  deep.  I 
write  in  the  hope  that  others,  more  capable  of  judging  distances 
than  myself,  will  visit  the  scene,  and  I state  simply  the  impressions 
made  on  my  mind  at  the  time.  I thought,  and  do  still  think,  the 
river  above  the  falls  to  be  one  thousand  yards  broad ; but  I am  a 
poor  judge  of  distances  on  water,  for  I showed  a naval  friend  what 
I supposed  to  be  four  hundred  yards  in  the  Bay  of  Loanda,  and, 
to  my  surprise,  he  pronounced  it  to  be  nine  hundred.  I tried  to 
measure  the  Leeambye  with  a strong  thread,  the  only  line  I had 
in  my  possession,  but,  when  the  men  had  gone  two  or  three  hund- 
red yards,  they  got  into  conversation,  and  did  not  hear  us  shout- 
ing that  the  line  had  become  entangled.  By  still  going  on  they 
broke  it,  and,  being  carried  away  down  the  stream,  it  was  lost 
on  a snag.  In  vain  I tried  to  bring  to  my  recollection  the  way 
I had  been  taught  to  measure  a river  by  taking  an  angle  with 
the  sextant.  That  I once  knew  it,  and  that  it  was  easy,  were 
all  the  lost  ideas  I could  recall,  and  they  only  increased  my  vex- 
ation. However,  I measured  the  river  farther  down  by  another 
plan,  and  then  I discovered  that  the  Portuguese  had  measured  it 
at  Tete,  and  found  it  a little  over  one  thousand  yards.  At  the 
falls  it  is  as  broad  as  at  Tete,  if  not  more  so.  Whoever  may  come 
after  me  will  not,  I trust,  find  reason  to  say  I have  indulged  in 
exaggeration.  With  respect  to  the  drawing,  it  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  it  was  composed  from  a rude  sketch  as  viewed  from 
the  island,  which  exhibited  the  columns  of  vapor  only,  and  a 
ground  plan.  The  artist  has  given  a good  idea  of  the  scene,  but, 
by  way  of  explanation,  he  has  shown  more  of  the  depth  of  the 
fissure  than  is  visible  except  by  going  close  to  the  edge.  The 

N N 


562 


WEAR  OF  THE  ROCKS. 


left-hand  column,  and  that  farthest  off,  are  the  smallest,  and  all 
ought  to  have  been  a little  more  tapering  at  the  tops. 

The  fissure  is  said  by  the  Makololo  to  be  very  much  deeper 
farther  to  the  eastward ; there  is  one  part  at  which  the  walls  are 
so  sloping  that  people  accustomed  to  it  can  go  down  by  descend- 
ing in  a sitting  position.  The  Makololo  on  one  occasion,  pursu- 
ing some  fugitive  Batoka,  saw  them,  unable  to  stop  the  impetus 
of  their  flight  at  the  edge,  literally  dashed  to  pieces  at  the  bottom. 
They  beheld  the  stream  like  a “ white  cord”  at  the  bottom,  and 
so  far  down  (probably  300  feet)  that  they  became  giddy,  and  were 
fain  to  go  away  holding  on  to  the  ground. 

Now,  though  the  edge  of  the  rock  over  which  the  river  falls  does 
not  show  wearing  more  than  three  feet,  and  there  is  no  appear- 
ance of  the  opposite  wall  being  worn  out  at  the  bottom  in  the  parts 
exposed  to  view,  yet  it  is  probable  that,  where  it  has  flowed  be- 
yond the  walls,  the  sides  of  the  fissure  may  have  given  way,  and 
the  parts  out  of  sight  may  be  broader  than  the  “ white  cord”  on 
the  surface.  There  may  even  be  some  ramifications  of  the  fissure, 
which  take  a portion  of  the  stream  quite  beneath  the  rocks ; but 
this  I did  not  learn. 

If  we  take  the  want  of  much  wear  on  the  lip  of  hard  basaltic 
rock  as  of  any  value,  the  period  when  this  rock  was  riven  is  not 
geologically  very  remote.  I regretted  the  want  of  proper  means 
of  measuring  and  marking  its  width  at  the  falls,  in  order  that,  at 
some  future  time,  the  question  whether  it  is  progressive  or  not 
might  be  tested.  It  seemed  as  if  a palm-tree  could  be  laid  across 
it  from  the  island.  And  if  it  is  progressive,  as  it  would  mark 
a great  natural  drainage  being  effected,  it  might  furnish  a hope 
that  Africa  will  one  day  become  a healthy  continent.  It  is,  at 
any  rate,  very  much  changed  in  respect  to  its  lakes  within  a com- 
paratively recent  period. 

At  three  spots  near  these  falls,  one  of  them  the  island  in  the 
middle,  on  which  we  were,  three  Batoka  chiefs  offered  up  prayers 
and  sacrifices  to  the  Barimo.  They  chose  their  places  of  prayer 
within  the  sound  of  the  roar  of  the  cataract,  and  in  sight  of  the 
bright  bows  in  the  cloud.  They  must  have  looked  upon  the 
scene  with  awe.  Fear  may  have  induced  the  selection.  The 
river  itself  is  to  them  mysterious.  The  words  of  the  canoe-song 
are, 


ISLAND  GAKDEN. 


563 


“ The  Leeambye ! Nobody  knows 
Whence  it  comes  and  whither  it  goes.” 

The  play  of  colors  of  the  double  iris  on  the  cloud,  seen  by  them 
elsewhere  only  as  the  rainbow,  may  have  led  them  to  the  idea 
that  this  was  the  abode  of  Deity.  Some  of  the  Makololo,  who 
went  with  me  near  to  Gonye,  looked  upon  the  same  sign  with  awe. 
When  seen  in  the  heavens  it  is  named  “motse  oa  barimo” — the 
pestle  of  the  gods.  Here  they  could  approach  the  emblem,  and 
see  it  stand  steadily  above  the  blustering  uproar  below — a type  of 
Him  who  sits  supreme — alone  unchangeable,  though  ruling  over 
all  changing  things.  But,  not  aware  of  His  true  character,  they 
had  no  admiration  of  the  beautiful  and  good  in  their  bosoms. 
They  did  not  imitate  His  benevolence,  for  they  were  a bloody, 
imperious  crew,  and  Sebituane  performed  a noble  service  in  the 
expulsion  from  their  fastnesses  of  these  cruel  “ Lords  of  the  Isles.” 

Having  feasted  my  eyes  long  on  the  beautiful  sight,  I returned 
to  my  friends  at  Kalai,  and  saying  to  Sekeletu  that  he  had  noth- 
ing else  worth  showing  in  his  country,  his  curiosity  was  excited 
to  visit  it  the  next  day.  I returned  with  the  intention  of  taking 
a lunar  observation  from  the  island  itself,  but  the  clouds  were  un- 
favorable, consequently  all  my  determinations  of  position  refer  to 
Kalai.  (Lat.  17°  51/  54"  S.,  long.  25°  41/  E.)  Sekeletu  ac- 
knowledged to  feeling  a little  nervous  at  the  probability  of  being 
sucked  into  the  gulf  before  reaching  the  island.  His  companions 
amused  themselves  by  throwing  stones  down,  and  wondered  to  see 
them  diminishing  in  size,  and  even  disappearing,  before  they  reach- 
ed the  water  at  the  bottom. 

I had  another  object  in  view  in  my  return  to  the  island.  I ob- 
served that  it  was  covered  with  trees,  the  seeds  of  which  had 
probably  come  down  with  the  stream  from  the  distant  north,  and 
several  of  which  I had  seen  nowhere  else,  and  every  now  and  then 
the  wind  wafted  a little  of  the  condensed  vapor  over  it,  and  kept 
the  soil  in  a state  of  moisture,  which  caused  a sward  of  grass, 
growing  as  green  as  on  an  English  lawn.  I selected  a spot — not 
too  near  the  chasm,  for  there  the  constant  deposition  of  the 
moisture  nourished  numbers  of  polypi  of  a mushroom  shape  and 
fleshy  consistence,  but  somewhat  back — and  made  a little  garden. 
I there  planted  about  a hundred  peach  and  apricot  stones,  and  a 
quantity  of  coffee-seeds.  I had  attempted  fruit-trees  before,  but, 


564 


DIVINERS,  NATIVE  AND  EUROPEAN. 


when  left  in  charge  of  my  Makololo  friends,  they  were  always 
allowed  to  wither,  after  having  vegetated,  by  being  forgotten.  1 
bargained  for  a hedge  with  one  of  the  Makololo,  and  if  he  is  faith- 
ful, I have  great  hopes  of  Mosioatunya’s  abilities  as  a nursery- 
man. My  only  source  of  fear  is  the  hippopotami,  whose  foot- 
prints I saw  on  the  island.  When  the  garden  was  prepared,  I cut 
my  initials  on  a tree,  and  the  date  1855.  This  was  the  only  in- 
stance in  which  I indulged  in  this  piece  of  vanity.  The  garden 
stands  in  front,  and,  were  there  no  hippopotami,  I have  no  doubt 
but  this  will  be  the  parent  of  all  the  gardens  which  may  yet  be 
in  this  new  country.  We  then  went  up  to  Kalai  again. 

On  passing  up  we  had  a view  of  the  hut  on  the  island  where 
my  goods  had  lain  so  long  in  safety.  It  was  under  a group  of 
palm-trees,  and  Sekeletu  informed  me  that,  so  fully  persuaded 
were  most  of  the  Makololo  of  the  presence  of  dangerous  charms 
in  the  packages,  that,  had  I not  returned  to  tell  them  the  con- 
trary, they  never  would  have  been  touched.  Some  of  the  diviners 
had  been  so  positive  in  their  decisions  on  the  point,  that  the  men 
who  lifted  a bag  thought  they  felt  a live  kid  in  it.  The  diviners 
always  quote  their  predictions  when  they  happen  to  tally  with 
the  event.  They  declared  that  the  whole  party  which  went  to 
Loanda  had  perished ; and  as  I always  quoted  the  instances  in 
which  they  failed,  many  of  them  refused  to  throw  the  “ bola”  (in- 
struments of  divination)  when  I was  near.  This  was  a noted  in- 
stance of  failure.  It  would  have  afforded  me  equal  if  not  greater 
pleasure  to  have  exposed  the  failure,  if  such  it  had  been,  of  the 
European  diviner  whose  paper  lay  a whole  year  on  this  island, 
but  I was  obliged  to  confess  that  he  had  been  successful  with  his 
“bola,” and  could  only  comfort  myself  with  the  idea  that,  though 
Sir  Roderick  Murchison’s  discourse  had  lain  so  long  within  sight 
and  sound  of  the  magnificent  falls,  I had  been  “ cut  out”  by  no 
one  in  their  discovery. 

I saw  the  falls  at  low  water,  and  the  columns  of  vapor  when 
five  or  six  miles  distant.  When  the  river  is  full,  or  in  flood,  the 
columns,  it  is  said,  can  be  seen  ten  miles  off,  and  the  sound  is 
quite  distinct  somewhat  below  Kalai,  or  about  an  equal  distance. 
No  one  can  then  go  to  the  island  in  the  middle.  The  next  vis- 
itor must  bear  these  points  in  mind  in  comparing  his  description 
with  mine. 


“LIFTING,”  NOT  “STEALING.’ 


565 


We  here  got  information  of  a foray  -winch  liad  been  made  by  a 
Makololo  man  in  the  direction  we  were  going.  This  instance  of 
marauding  w*as  so  much  in  accordance  with  the  system  which  has 
been  pursued  in  this  country  that  I did  not  wonder  at  it.  But 
the  man  had  used  Sekeletu’s  name  as  having  sent  him,  and,  the 
proof  being  convincing,  he  would  undoubtedly  be  fined.  As  that 
would  be  the  first  instance  of  a fine  being  levied  for  marauding,  I 
looked  upon  it  as  the  beginning  of  a better  state  of  things.  In 
tribes  which  have  been  accustomed  to  cattle-stealing,  the  act  is  not 
considered  immoral  in  the  way  that  theft  is.  Before  I knew  the 
language  well,  I said  to  a chief,  “You  stole  the  cattle  of  so  and 
so.”  “No,  I did  not  steal  them,”  was  the  reply,  “ I only  lifted 
them.”  The  word  “ gajoa"  is  identical  with  the  Highland  term 
for  the  same  deed. 

Another  point  came  to  our  notice  here.  Some  Mambari  had 
come  down  thus  far,  and  induced  the  Batoka  to  sell  a very  large 
tusk  which  belonged  to  Sekeletu  for  a few  bits  of  cloth.  They 
had  gone  among  the  Batoka  who  need  hoes,  and,  having  purchased 
some  of  these  from  the  people  near  Sesheke,  induced  the  others 
living  farther  east  to  sell  both  ivory  and  children.  They  would 
not  part  with  children  for  clothing  or  beads,  but  agriculture  with 
wooden  hoes  is  so  laborious,  that  the  sight  of  the  hoes  prevailed. 
The  Makololo  proposed  to  knock  the  Mambari  on  the  head  as 
the  remedy  the  next  time  they  came ; but  on  my  proposing  that 
they  should  send  hoes  themselves,  and  thereby  secure  the  ivory 
in  a quiet  way,  all  approved  highly  of  the  idea,  and  Pitsane  and 
Mohorisi  expatiated  on  the  value  of  the  ivory,  their  own  willing- 
ness to  go  and  sell  it  at  Loanda,  and  the  disgust  with  which  the 
Mambari  whom  we  met  in  Angola  had  looked  upon  their  attempt 
to  reach  the  proper  market.  If  nothing  untoward  happens,  I 
think  there  is  a fair  prospect  of  the  trade  in  slaves  being  abolished 
in  a natural  way  in  this  quarter,  Pitsane  and  Mohorisi  having 
again  expressed  their  willingness  to  go  away  back  to  Loanda  if 
Sekeletu  would  give  them  orders.  This  was  the  more  remark- 
able, as  both  have  plenty  of  food  and  leisure  at  home. 

20 th  November.  Sekeletu  and  his  large  party  having  conveyed 
me  thus  far,  and  furnished  me  with  a company  of  114  men  to 
carry  the  tusks  to  the  coast,  we  bade  adieu  to  the  Makololo,  and 
proceeded  northward  to  the  Lekone.  The  country  around  is 


566 


ANCIENT  LAKES. 


very  beautiful,  and  was  once  well  peopled  with  Batoka,  who  pos- 
sessed enormous  herds  of  cattle.  When  Sebituane  came  in  for- 
mer times,  with  his  small  but  warlike  party  of  Makololo,  to  this 
spot,  a general  rising  took  place  of  the  Batoka  through  the  whole 
country,  in  order  to  “eat  him  up  but  his  usual  success  followed 
him,  and,  dispersing  them,  the  Makololo  obtained  so  many  cattle 
that  they  could  not  take  any  note  of  the  herds  of  sheep  and  goats. 
The  tsetse  has  been  brought  by  buffaloes  into  some  districts  where 
formerly  cattle'  abounded.  This  obliged  us  to  travel  the  first 
few  stages  by  night.  We  could  not  well  detect  the  nature  of  the 
country  in  the  dim  moonlight ; the  path,  however,  seemed  to  lead 
along  the  high  bank  of  what  may  have  been  the  ancient  bed  of 
the  Zambesi  before  the  fissure  was  made.  The  Lekone  now  winds 
in  it  in  an  opposite  direction  to  that  in  which  the  ancient  river 
must  have  flowed. 

Both  the  Lekone  and  Unguesi  flow  back  toward  the  centre  of 
the  country,  and  in  an  opposite  direction  to  that  of  the  main 
stream.  It  was  plain,  then,  that  we  were  ascending  the  farther 
we  went  eastward.  The  level  of  the  lower  portion  of  the  Lekone 
is  about  two  hundred  feet  above  that  of  the  Zambesi  at  the  falls, 
and  considerably  more  than  the  altitude  of  Linyanti ; consequent- 
ly, when  the  river  flowed  along  this  ancient  bed  instead  of  through 
the  rent,  the  whole  country  between  this  and  the  ridge  beyond 
Libebe  westward,  Lake  Ngami  and  the  Zouga  southward,  and 
eastward  beyond  Nchokotsa,  was  one  large  fresh-water  lake. 
There  is  abundant  evidence  of  the  existence  and  extent  of  this 
vast  lake  in  the  longitudes  indicated,  and  stretching  from  17° 
to  21°  south  latitude.  The  whole  of  this  space  is  paved  with  a 
bed  of  tufa,  more  or  less  soft,  according  as  it  is  covered  with  soil, 
or  left  exposed  to  atmospheric  influences.  Wherever  ant-eat- 
ers make  deep  holes  in  this  ancient  bottom,  fresh-water  shells 
are  thrown  out,  identical  with  those  now  existing  in  the  Lake 
Ngami  and  the  Zambesi.  The  Barotse  valley  was  another  lake 
of  a similar  nature  ; and  one  existed  beyond  Masiko,  and  a 
fourth  near  the  Orange  River.  The  whole  of  these  lakes  were 
let  out  by  means  of  cracks  or  fissures  made  in  the  subtending 
sides  by  the  upheaval  of  the  country.  The  fissure  made  at  the 
Victoria  Falls  let  out  the  water  of  this  great  valley,  and  left  a 
small  patch  in  what  was  probably  its  deepest  portion,  and  is 


TRADITIONS. 


567  . 


now  called  Lake  Ngami.  The  Falls  of  Gonye  furnished  an  out- 
let to  the  lake  of  the  Barotse  valley,  and  so  of  the  other  great 
lakes  of  remote  times.  The  Congo  also  finds  its  way  to  the  sea 
through  a narrow  fissure,  and  so  does  the  Orange  River  in  the 
west ; while  other  rents  made  in  the  eastern  ridge,  as  the  Victoria 
Falls  and  those  to  the  east  of  Tanganyenka,  allowed  the  central 
waters  to  drain  eastward.  All  the  African  lakes  hitherto  discov- 
ered are  shallow,  in  consequence  of  being  the  mere  residua  of 
very  much  larger  ancient  bodies  of  water.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  this  continent  was,  in  former  times,  very  much  more  copi- 
ously supplied  with  water  than  at  present,  but  a natural  process 
of  drainage  has  been  going  on  for  ages.  Deep  fissures  are  made, 
probably  by  the  elevation  of  the  land,  proofs  of  which  are  seen  in 
modern  shells  imbedded  in  marly  tufa  all  round  the  coast-line. 
Whether  this  process  of  desiccation  is  as  rapid  throughout  the 
continent  as,  in  a letter  to  the  late  Dean  Buckland,  in  1843,  1 
showed  to  have  been  the  case  in  the  Becliuana  country,  it  is  not 
for  me  to  say ; but,  though  there  is  a slight  tradition  of  the  wa- 
ters having  burst  through  the  low  hills  south  of  the  Barotse, 
there  is  none  of  a sudden  upheaval  accompanied  by  an  earth- 
quake. The  formation  of  the  crack  of  Mosioatunya  is  perhaps 
too  ancient  for  that ; yet,  although  information  of  any  remark- 
able event  is  often  transmitted  in  the  native  names,  and  they 
even  retain  a tradition  which  looks  like  the  story  of  Solomon 
and  the  harlots,  there  is  not  a name  like  Tom  Earthquake  or 
Sam  Shake-the-ground  in  the  whole  country.  They  have  a tra- 
dition which  may  refer  to  the  building  of  the  Tower  of  Babel, 
but  it  ends  in  the  bold  builders  getting  their  crowns  cracked 
by  the  fall  of  the  scaffolding ; and  that  they  came  out  of  a cave 
called  “ Loey”  (Noe?)  in  company  with  the  beasts,  and  all  point 
to  it  in  one  direction,  viz.,  the  N.N.E.  Loey,  too,  is  an  excep- 
tion in  the  language,  as  they  use  masculine  instead  of  neuter  pro- 
nouns to  it. 

If  we  take  a glance  back  at  the  great  valley,  the  form  the 
rivers  have  taken  imparts  the  idea  of  a lake  slowly  drained  out, 
for  they  have  cut  out  for  themselves  beds  exactly  like  what  we 
may  see  in  the  soft  mud  of  a shallow  pool  of  rain-water,  when 
that  is  let  off  by  a furrow.  This  idea  would  probably  not  strike 
a person  on  coming  first  into  the  country,  but  more  extensive 


568 


DRAINAGE  OF  THE  GREAT  VALLEY. 


acquaintance  with  the  river  system  certainly  would  convey  the 
impression.  None  of  the  rivers  in  the  valley  of  the  Leeambye 
have  slopes  down  to  their  beds.  Indeed,  many  parts  are  much 
like  the  Thames  at  the  Isle  of  Dogs,  only  the  Leeambye  has  to 
rise  twenty  or  thirty  feet  before  it  can  overflow  some  of  its  mead- 
ows. The  rivers  have  each  a bed  of  low  water — a simple  furrow 
cut  sharply  out  of  the  calcareous  tufa  which  lined  the  channel  of 
the  ancient  lake — and  another  of  inundation.  When  the  beds 
of  inundation  are  filled,  they  assume  the  appearance  of  chains  of 
lakes.  When  the  Clyde  fills  the  holms  (“haughs”)  above  Both- 
well  Bridge  and  retires  again  into  its  channel,  it  resembles  the 
river  we  are  speaking  of,  only  here  there  are  no  high  lands  slop- 
ing down  toward  the  bed  of  inundation,  for  the  greater  part  of 
the  region  is  not  elevated  fifty  feet  above  them.  Even  the  rocky 
banks  of  the  Leeambye  below  Gonye,  and  the  ridges  bounding 
the  Barotse  valley,  are  not  more  than  two  or  three  hundred  feet 
in  altitude  over  the  general  dead  level.  Many  of  the  rivers  are 
very  tortuous  in  their  course,  the  Chobe  and  Simah  particularly 
so ; and,  if  we  may  receive  the  testimony  of  the  natives,  they 
form  what  anatomists  call  anastamosis,  or  a network  of  rivers. 
Thus,  for  instance,  they  assured  me  that  if  they  go  up  the  Simah 
in  a canoe,  they  can  enter  the  Chobe,  and  descend  that  river  to 
the  Leeambye ; or  they  may  go  up  the  Kama  and  come  down 
the  Simah ; and  so  in  the  case  of  the  Kafue.  It  is  reputed  to 
be  connected  in  this  way  with  the  Leeambye  in  the  north,  and  to 
part  with  the  Loangwa ; and  the  Makololo  went  from  the  one 
into  the  other  in  canoes.  And  even  though  the  interlacing  may 
not  be  quite  to  the  extent  believed  by  the  natives,  the  country  is 
so  level  and  the  rivers  so  tortuous  that  I see  no  improbability 
in  the  conclusion  that  here  is  a network  of  waters  of  a very 
peculiar  nature.  The  reason  why  I am  disposed  to  place  a cer- 
tain amount  of  confidence  in  the  native  reports  is  this : when  Mr. 
Oswell  and  I discovered  the  Zambesi  in  the  centre  of  the  con- 
tinent in  1851,  being  unable  to  ascend  it  at  the  time  ourselves, 
we  employed  the  natives  to  draw  a map  imbodying  their  ideas 
of  that  river.  We  then  sent  the  native  map  home  with  the  same 
view  that  I now  mention  their  ideas  of  the  river  system,  name- 
ly, in  order  to  be  an  aid  to  others  in  farther  investigations. 
When  I was  able  to  ascend  the  Leeambye  to  14°  south,  and  sub- 


SAVAGE  CUSTOMS  OF  BATOKA. 


569 


scquently  descend  it,  I found,  after  all  the  care  I could  bestow, 
that  the  alterations  I was  able  to  make  in  the  original  native  plan 
were  very  trifling.  The  general  idea  their  map  gave  was  won- 
derfully accurate ; and  now  I give,  in  the  larger  map  appended, 
their  views  of  the  other  . rivers,  in  the  hope  that  they  may 
prove  helpful  to  any  traveler  who  may  pursue  the  investigation 
farther. 

24z \h.  We  remained  a day  at  the  village  of  Moyara.  Here 
the  valley  in  which  the  Lekone  flows  trends  away  to  the  east- 
ward, while  our  course  is  more  to  the  northeast.  The  country  is 
rocky  and  rough,  the  soil  being  red  sand,  which  is  covered  with 
beautiful  green  trees,  yielding  abundance  of  wild  fruits.  The  fa- 
ther of  Moyara  was  a powerful  chief,  but  the  son  now  sits  among 
the  ruins  of  the  town,  with  four  or  five  wives  and  very  few 
people.  At  his  hamlet  a number  of  stakes  are  planted  in  the 
ground,  and  I counted  fifty-four  human  skulls  hung  on  their 
points.  These  were  Matebele,  who,  unable  to  approach  Sebitu- 
ane  on  the  island  of  Loyela,  had  returned  sick  and  famishing. 
Moyara’s  father  took  advantage  of  their  reduced  condition,  and 
after  putting  them  to  death,  mounted  their  heads  in  the  Batoka 
fashion.  The  old  man  who  perpetrated  this  deed  now  lies  in  the 
middle  of  his  son’s  huts,  with  a lot  of  rotten  ivory  over  his  grave. 
One  can  not  help  feeling  thankful  that  the  reign  of  such  wretches 
is  over.  They  inhabited  the  whole  of  this  side  of  the  country, 
and  were  probably  the  barrier  to  the  extension  of  the  Portuguese 
commerce  in  this  direction.  When  looking  at  these  skulls,  I 
remarked  to  Moyara  that  many  of  them  were  those  of  mere 
boys.  He  assented  readily,  and  pointed  them  out  as  such.  I 
asked  why  his  father  had  killed  boys.  “To  show  his  fierceness,” 
was  the  answer.  “Is  it  fierceness  to  kill  boys?”  “Yes;  they 
had  no  business  here.”  When  I told  him  that  this  probably 
would  insure  his  own  death  if  the  Matebele  came  again,  he 
replied,  “When  I hear  of  their  coming  I shall  hide  the  bones.” 
He  was  evidently  proud  of  these  trophies  of  His  father’s  ferocity, 
and  I was  assured  by  other  Batoka  that  few  strangers  ever  re- 
turned from  a visit  to  this  quarter.  If  a man  wished  to  curry 
favor  with  a Batoka  chief,  he  ascertained  when  a stranger  was 
about  to  leave,  and  waylaid  him  at  a distance  from  the  town,  and 
when  he  brought  his  head  back  to  the  chief,  it  was  mounted  as  a 


570 


REMEDY  AGAINST  TSETSE. 


trophy,  the  different  chiefs  vieing  with  each  other  as  to  which 
should  mount  the  greatest  number  of  skulls  in  his  village. 

If,  as  has  been  asserted,  the  Portuguese  ever  had  a chain  of 
trading  stations  across  the  country  from  Caconda  to  Tete,  it  must 
have  passed  through  these  people;  but  the  total  ignorance  of  the 
Zambesi  flowing  from  north  to  south  in  the  centre  of  the  country, 
and  the  want  of  knowledge  of  the  astonishing  falls  of  Victoria, 
which  excite  the  wonder  of  even  the  natives,  together  with  the 
absence  of  any  tradition  of  such  a chain  of  stations,  compel  me 
to  believe  that  they  existed  only  on  paper.  This  conviction  is 
strengthened  by  the  fact  that  when  a late  attempt  was  made 
to  claim  the  honor  of  crossing  the  continent  for  the  Portu- 
guese, the  only  proof  advanced  was  the  journey  of  two  black 
traders  formerly  mentioned,  adorned  with  the  name  of  Portu- 
guese.” If  a chain  of  stations  had  existed,  a few  hundred  names 
of  the  same  sort  might  easily  have  been  brought  forward ; and 
such  is  the  love  of  barter  among  all  the  central  Africans,  that, 
had  there  existed  a market  for  ivory,  its  value  would  have  become 
known,  and  even  that  on  The  graves  of  the  chiefs  would  not  have 
been  safe. 

When  about  to  leave  Moyara  on  the  25th,  he  brought  a root 
which,  when  pounded  and  sprinkled  over  the  oxen,  is  believed  to 
disgust  the  tsetse,  so  that  it  flies  off  without  sucking  the  blood. 
He  promised  to  show  me  the  plant  or  tree  if  I would  give  him  an 
ox ; but,  as  we  were  traveling,  and  could  not  afford  the  time  re- 
quired for  the  experiment,  so  as  not  to  be  cheated  (as  I had  too 
often  been  by  my  medical  friends),  I deferred  the  investigation  till 
I returned.  It  is  probably  but  an  evanescent  remedy,  and  capa- 
ble of  rendering  the  cattle  safe  during  one  night  only.  Moyara  is 
now  quite  a dependent  of  the  Makololo,  and  my  new  party,  not 
being  thoroughly  drilled,  forced  him  to  carry  a tusk  for  them. 
When  I relieved  him,  he  poured  forth  a shower  of  thanks  at  being 
allowed  to  go  back  to  sleep  beneath  his  skulls. 

Next  day  we  came  to  Namilanga,  or  “The  Well  of  Joy.”  It  is 
a small  well  dug  beneath  a very  large  fig-tree,  the  shade  of  which 
renders  the  water  delightfully  cool.  The  temperature  through  the 
day  was  104°  in  the  shade  and  94°  after  sunset,  but  the  air  was 
not  at  all  oppressive.  This  well  received  its  name  from  the  fact 
that,  in  former  times,  marauding  parties,  in  returning  with  cattle, 


KNOCKING  OUT  FRONT  TEETH.  57  J 

sat  down  here  and  were  regaled  with  boyaloa,  music,  and  the  lul- 
lilooing  of  the  women  from  the  adjacent  towns. 

All  the  surrounding  country  was  formerly  densely  peopled, 
though  now  desolate  and  still.  The  old  head  man  of  the  place 
told  us  that  his  father  once  went  to  Bambala,  where  white  traders 
lived,  when  our  informant  was  a child,  and  returned  when  he  had 
become  a boy  of  about  ten  years,  lie  went  again,  and  returned 
when  it  was  time  to  knock  out  his  son’s  teeth.  As  that  takes 
place  at  the  age  of  puberty,  he  must  have  spent  at  least  five  years 
in  each  journey.  He  added  that  many  who  went  there  never  re- 
turned, because  they  liked  that  country  better  than  this.  They 
had  even  forsaken  their  wives  and  children;  and  children  had  been 
so  enticed  and  flattered  by  the  finery  bestowed  upon  them  there, 
that  they  had  disowned  their  parents  and  adopted  others.  The 
place  to  which  they  had  gone,  which  they  named  Bambala,  was 
probably  Dambarari,  which  was  situated  close  to  Zumbo.  This 
was  the  first  intimation  we  had  of  intercourse  with  the  whites. 
The  Barotse,  and  all  the  other  tribes  in  the  central  valley,  have  no 
such  tradition  as  this,  nor  have  either  the  one  or  the  other  any  ac- 
count of  a trader’s  visit  to  them  in  ancient  times. 

All  the  Batoka  tribes  follow  the  curious  custom  of  knocking  out 
the  upper  front  teeth  at  the  age  of  puberty.  This  is  done  by 
both  sexes ; and  though  the  under  teeth,  being  relieved  from  the 
attrition  of  the  upper,  grow  long  and  somewhat  bent  out,  and 
thereby  cause  the  under  lip  to  protrude  in  a most  unsightly  way, 
no  young  woman  thinks  herself  accomplished  until  she  has  got 
rid  of  the  upper  incisors.  This  custom  gives  all  the  Batoka  an 
uncouth,  old-man-like  appearance.  Their  laugh  is  hideous,  yet 
they  are  so  attached  to  it  that  even  Sebituane  was  unable  to 
eradicate  the  practice,  lie  issued  orders  that  none  of  the  chil- 
dren living  under  him  should  be  subjected  to  the  custom  by  their 
parents,  and  disobedience  to  his  mandates  was  usually  punished 
with  severity;  but,  notwithstanding  this,  the  children  would  appear 
in  the  streets  without  their  incisors,  and  no  one  would  confess  to 
the  deed.  When  questioned  respecting  the  origin  of  this  practice, 
the  Batoka  reply  that  their  object  is  to  be  like  oxen,  and  those 
who  retain  their  teeth  they  consider  to  resemble  zebras.  Wheth- 
er this  is  the  true  reason  or  not,  it  is  difficult  to  say ; but  it  is  no- 
ticeable that  the  veneration  for  oxen  which  prevails  in  many  tribes 


I 


572 


THE  TRAVELING  PARTY. 


should  here  be  associated  with  hatred  to  the  zebra,  as  among  the 
Bakwains ; that  this  operation  is  performed  at  the  same  age  that 
circumcision  is  in  other  tribes ; and  that  here  that  ceremony  is 
unknown.  The  custom  is  so  universal  that  a person  who  has  his 
teeth  is  considered  ugly,  and  occasionally,  when  the  Batoka  bor- 
rowed my  looking-glass,  the  disparaging  remark  would  be  made 
respecting  boys  or  girls  who  still  retained  their  teeth,  “Look  at 
the  great  teeth!”  Some  of  the  Makololo  give  a more  facetious 
explanation  of  the  custom  : they  say  that  the  wife  of  a chief  hav- 
ing in  a quarrel  bitten  her  husband’s  hand,  he,  in  revenge,  ordered 
her  front  teeth  to  be  knocked  out,  and  all  the  men  in  the  tribe 
followed  his  example ; but  this  does  not  explain  why  they  after- 
ward knocked  out  their  own. 

The  Batoka  of  the  Zambesi  are  generally  very  dark  in  color, 
and  very  degraded  and  negro-like  in  appearance,  while  those  who 
live  on  the  high  lands  we  are  now  ascending  are  frequently  of  the 
color  of  coffee  and  milk.  We  had  a large  number  of  the  Batoka 
of  Mokwine  in  our  party,  sent  by  Sekeletu  to  carry  his  tusks. 
Their  greater  degradation  was  probably  caused  by  the  treatment 
of  their  chiefs — the  barbarians  of  the  islands.  I found  them  more 
difficult  to  manage  than  any  of  the  rest  of  my  companions,  being 
much  less  reasonable  and  impressible  than  the  others.  My  party 
consisted  of  the  head  men  aforementioned,  Sekwebu,  and  Kanyata. 
We  were  joined  at  the  falls  by  another  head  man  of  the  Makololo, 
named  Monahin,  in  command  of  the  Batoka.  We  had  also  some 
of  the  Banajoa  under  Mosisinyane,  and,  last  of  all,  a small  party 
of  Bashubia  and  Barotse  under  Tuba  Mokoro,  which  had  been 
furnished  by  Sekeletu  because  of  their  ability  to  swim.  They 
carried  their  paddles  with  them,  and,  as  the  Makololo  suggested, 
were  able  to  swim  over  the  rivers  by  night  and  steal  canoes,  if  the 
inhabitants  should  be  so  unreasonable  as  to  refuse  to  lend  them. 
These  different  parties  assorted  together  into  messes ; any  orders 
were  given  through  their  head  man,  and  when  food  was  obtained 
he  distributed  it  to  the  mess.  Each  party  knew  its  own  spot  in 
the  encampment ; and  as  this  was  always  placed  so  that  our 
backs  should  be  to  the  east,  the  direction  from  whence  the  pre- 
vailing winds  came,  no  time  was  lost  in  fixing  the  sheds  of  our 
encampment.  They  each  took  it  in  turn  to  pull  grass  to  make 
my  bed,  so  I lay  luxuriously. 


PRODUCTIONS  OF  THE  SOIL. 


573 


November  2 6th.  As  the  oxen  could  only  move  at  night,  in  con- 
sequence of  a fear  that  the  buffaloes  in  this  quarter  might  have 
introduced  the  tsetse,  I usually  performed  the  march  by  day  on 
foot,  while  some  of  the  men  brought  on  the  oxen  by  night.  On 
coming  to  the  villages  under  Marimba,  an  old  man,  we  crossed  the 
Unguesi,  a rivulet  which,  like  the  Lekone,  runs  backward.  It 
falls  into  the  Leeambye  a little  above  the  commencement  of  the 
rapids.  The  stratified  gneiss,  which  is  the  underlying  rock  of 
much  of  this  part  of  the  country,  dips  toward  the  centre  of  the 
continent,  but  the  strata  are  often  so  much  elevated  as  to  appear 
nearly  on  their  edges.  Rocks  of  augitic  trap  are  found  in  various 
positions  on  it ; the  general  strike  is  north  and  south ; but  when 
the  gneiss  was  first  seen,  near  to  the  basalt  of  the  falls,  it  was 
easterly  and  westerly,  and  the  dip  toward  the  north,  as  if  the 
eruptive  force  of  the  basalt  had  placed  it  in  that  position. 

We  passed  the  remains  of  a very  large  town,  which,  from  the 
only  evidence  of  antiquity  afforded  by  ruins  in  this  country,  must 
have  been  inhabited  for  a long  period ; the  millstones  of  gneiss, 
trap,  and  quartz  were  worn  down  two  and  a half  inches  perpen- 
dicularly. The  ivory  grave-stones  soon  rot  away.  Those  of  Mo- 
yara’s  father,  who  must  have  died  not  more  than  a dozen  years  ago, 
were  crumbling  into  powder ; and  we  found  this  to  be  generally 
the  case  all  over  the  Batoka  country.  The  region  around  is  pretty 
well  covered  with  forest ; but  there  is  abundance  of  open  pasturage, 
and,  as  we  are  ascending  in  altitude,  we  find  the  grass  to  be  short, 
and  altogether  unlike  the  tangled  herbage  of  the  Barotse  valley. 

It  is  remarkable  that  we  now  meet  with  the  same  trees  we  saw 
in  descending  toward  the  west  coast.  A kind  of  sterculia,  which 
is  the  most  common  tree  at  Loanda,  and  the  baobab,  flourish  here; 
and  the  tree  called  moshuka,  which  we  found  near  Tala  Mungongo, 
was  now  yielding  its  fruit,  which  resembles  small  apples.  The 
people  brought  it  to  us  in  large  quantities : it  tastes  like  a pear, 
but  has  a harsh  rind,  and  four  large  seeds  within.  We  found  pro- 
digious quantities  of  this  fruit  as  we  went  along.  The  tree  attains 
the  height  of  15  or  20  feet,  and  has  leaves,  hard  and  glossy,  as  large 
as  one’s  hand.  The  tree  itself  is  never  found  on  the  lowlands,  but 
is  mentioned  with  approbation  at  the  end  of  the  work  of  Bowditch. 
My  men  almost  lived  upon  the  fruit  for  many  days. 

The  rains  had  fallen  only  partially:  in  many  parts  the  soil  was 


574 


ABUNDANCE  OF  FRUIT. 


quite  dry  and  the  leaves  drooped  mournfully,  hut  the  fruit-trees 
are  unaffected  hy  a drought,  except  when  it  happens  at  the  time 
of  their  blossoming.  The  Batoka  of  my  party  declared  that  no 
one  ever  dies  of  hunger  here.  We  obtained  baskets  of  maneko, 
a curious  fruit,  with  a horny  rind,  split  into  five  pieces  : these  sec- 
tions, when  chewed,  are  full  of  a fine  glutinous  matter,  and  sweet 
like  sugar.  The  seeds  are  covered  with  a yellow  silky  down,  and 
are  not  eaten : the  entire  fruit  is  about  the  size  of  a walnut.  We 
got  also  abundance  of  the  motsouri  and  mamosho.  We  saw  the 
Batoko  eating  the  beans  called  nju,  which  are  contained  in  a large 
square  pod ; also  the  pulp  between  the  seeds  of  nux  vomica,  and 
the  motsintsela.  Other  fruits  become  ripe  at  other  seasons,  as  the 
motsikiri,  which  yields  an  oil,  and  is  a magnificent  tree,  bearing 
masses  of  dark  evergreen  leaves  ; so  that,  from  the  general  plenty, 
one  can  readily  believe  the  statement  made  by  the  Batoka.  We 
here  saw  trees  allowed  to  stand  in  gardens,  and  some  of  the  Bato- 
ka even  plant  them,  a practice  seen  nowhere  else  among  natives. 
A species  of  leucodendron  abounds.  When  we  meet  with  it  on  a 
spot  on  which  no  rain  has  yet  fallen,  we  see  that  the  young  ones 
twist  their  leaves  round  during  the  heat  of  the  day,  so  that  the 
edge  only  is  exposed  to  the  rays  of  the  sun ; they  have  then  a 
half  twist  on  the  petiole.  The  acacias  in  the  same  circumstances, 
and  also  the  mopane  ( Bauliania ),  fold  their  leaves  together,  and, 
by  presenting  the  smallest  possible  surface  to  the  sun,  simulate 
the  eucalypti  of  Australia. 


LOW  HILLS. 


575 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Low  Hills. — Black  Soldier- Ants  ; their  Cannibalism. — The  Plasterer  and  its  Chlo- 
roform.— White  Ants;  their  Usefulness. — Mutokwane-smoking ; its  Effects. — 
Border  Territory. — Healthy  Table-lands. — Geological  Formation. — Cicadae. — 
Trees. — Flowers. — River  Kalomo. — Physical  Conformation  of  Country. — Ridges, 
sanatoria. — A wounded  Buffalo  assisted.  — Buffalo-bird. — Rhinoceros-bird. — 
Leaders  of  Herds. — The  Honey-guide. — The  White  Mountain. — Mozuma  River. 
— Sebituane’s  old  Home. — Hostile  Village. — Prophetic  Phrensy. — Food  of  the  El- 
ephant.— Ant-hills. — Friendly  Batoka. — Clothing  despised. — Method  of  Saluta- 
tion.— Wild  Fruits.  — The  Captive  released.  — Longings  for  Peace.  — Pingola’s 
Conquests. — The  Village  of  Monze. — Aspect  of  the  Country. — Visit  from  the 
Chief  Monze  and  his  Wife. — Central  healthy  Locations. — Friendly  Feelings  of 
the  People  in  reference  to  a white  Resident. — Fertility  of  the  Soil. — Bashuku- 
lompo  Mode  of  dressing  their  Hair. — Gratitude  of  the  Prisoner  we  released. — 
Kindness  and  Remarks  of  Monze’s  Sister. — Dip  of  the  Rocks. — Vegetation. — 
Generosity  of  the  Inhabitants. — Their  Anxiety  for  Medicine. — Hooping-cough. 
— Birds  and  Rain. 

November  21th.  Still  at  Marimba’s.  In  the  adjacent  coun- 
try palms  abound,  but  none  of  that  species  which  yields  the  oil ; 
indeed,  that  is  met  with  only  near  the  coast.  There  are  numbers 
of  flowers  and  bulbs  just  shooting  up  from  the  soil.  The  surface 
is  rough,  and  broken  into  gullies ; and,  though  the  country  is 
parched,  it  has  not  that  appearance,  so  many  trees  having  put 
forth  their  fresh  green  leaves  at  the  time  the  rains  ought  to  have 
come.  Among  the  rest  stands  the  mola,  with  its  dark  brownish- 
green  color  and  spreading  oak-like  form.  In  the  distance  there 
are  ranges  of  low  hills.  On  the  north  we  have  one  called  Kan- 
jele,  and  to  the  east  that  of  Kaonka,  to  which  we  proceed  to-mor- 
row. We  have  made  a considerable  detour  to  the  north,  both  on 
account  of  our  wish  to  avoid  the  tsetse  and  to  visit  the  people. 
Those  of  Kaonka  are  the  last  Batoka  we  shall  meet,  in  friendship 
with  the  Makololo. 

Walking  down  to  the  forest,  after  telling  these  poor  people,  for 
the  first  time  in  their  lives,  that  the  Son  of  God  had  so  loved  them 
as  to  come  down  from  heaven  to  save  them,  I observed  many 


576 


BLACK  SOLDIER-ANTS. 


regiments  of  black  soldier-ants  returning  from  their  marauding 
expeditions.  These  I have  often  noticed  before  in  different  parts 
of  the  country  ; and  as  we  had,  even  at  Kolobeng,  an  opportunity 
of  observing  their  habits,  I may  give  a short  account  of  them  here. 
They  are  black,  with  a slight  tinge  of  gray,  about  half  an  inch  in 
length,  and  on  the  line  of  march  appear  three  or  four  abreast ; 
when  disturbed,  they  utter  a distinct  hissing  or  chirping  sound. 
They  follow  a few  leaders  who  never  carry  any  thing,  and  they 
seem  to  be  guided  by  a scent  left  on  the  path  by  the  leaders ; for, 
happening  once  to  throw  the  water  from  my  basin  behind  a bush 
where  I was  dressing,  it  lighted  on  the  path  by  which  a regiment 
had  passed  before  I began  my  toilette,  and  when  they  returned 
they  were  totally  at  a loss  to  find  the  way  home,  though  they 
continued  searching  for  it  nearly  half  an  hour.  It  was  found  only 
by  one  making  a long  circuit  round  the  wetted  spot.  The  scent 
may  have  indicated  also  the  propriety  of  their  going  in  one  di- 
rection only.  If  a handful  of  earth  is  thrown  on  the  path  at  the 
middle  of  the  regiment,  either  on  its  way  home  or  abroad,  those 
behind  it  are  completely  at  a loss  as  to  their  farther  progress. 
Whatever  it  may  be  that  guides  them,  they  seem  only  to  know 
that  they  are  not  to  return,  for  they  come  up  to  the  handful  of 
earth,  but  will  not  cross  it,  though  not  a quarter  of  an  inch  high. 
They  wheel  round  and  regain  their  path  again,  but  never  think  of 
retreating  to  the  nest,  or  to  the  place  where  they  have  been  steal- 
ing. After  a quarter  of  an  hour’s  confusion  and  hissing,  one  may 
make  a circuit  of  a foot  round  the  earth,  and  soon  all  follow  in 
that  roundabout  way.  When  on  their  way  to  attack  the  abode 
of  the  white  ants,  the  latter  may  be  observed  rushing  about  in  a 
state  of  great  perturbation.  The  black  leaders,  distinguished  from 
the  rest  by  their  greater  size,  especially  in  the  region  of  the  sting, 
then  seize  the  white  ants  one  by  one,  and  inflict  a sting,  which 
seems  to  inject  a portion  of  fluid  similar  in  effect  to  chloroform,  as 
it  renders  them  insensible,  but  not  dead,  and  only  able  to  move 
one  or  two  front  legs.  As  the  leaders  toss  them  on  one  side,  the 
rank  and  file  seize  them  and  carry  them  off. 

One  morning  I saw  a party  going  forth  on  what  has  been  sup- 
posed to  be  a slave-hunting  expedition.  They  came  to  a stick, 
which,  being  inclosed  in  a white-ant  gallery,  I knew  contained 
numbers  of  this  insect ; but  I was  surprised  to  see  the  black  sol- 


BLACK  SOLDIER-ANTS. 


577 


diers  passing  without  touching  it.  I lifted  up  the  stick  and  broke 
a portion  of  the  gallery,  and  then  laid  it  across  the  path  in  the 
middle  of  the  black  regiment.  The  white  ants,  when  uncovered, 
scampered  about  with  great  celerity,  hiding  themselves  under  the 
leaves,  but  attracted  little  attention  from  the  black  marauders  till 
one  of  the  leaders  caught  them,  and,  applying  his  sting,  laid  them 
in  an  instant  on  one  side  in  a state  of  coma ; the  others  then 
promptly  seized  them  and  rushed  off.  On  first  observing  these 
marauding  insects  at  Kolobeng,  I had  the  idea,  imbibed  from  a 
work  of  no  less  authority  than  Brougham’s  Paley,  that  they  seized 
the  white  ants  in  order  to  make  them  slaves  ; but,  having  rescued 
a number  of  captives,  I placed  them  aside,  and  found  that  they 
never  recovered  from  the  state  of  insensibility  into  which  they  had 
been  thrown  by  the  leaders.  I supposed  then  that  the  insensibil- 
ity had  been  caused  by  the  soldiers  holding  the  necks  of  the  white 
ants  too  tightly  with  their  mandibles,  as  that  is  the  way  they  seize 
them ; but  even  the  pupm  which  I took  from  the  soldier-ants, 
though  placed  in  a favorable  temperature,  never  became  developed. 
In  addition  to  this,  if  any  one  examines  the  orifice  by  which  the 
black  ant  enters  his  barracks,  he  will  always  find  a little  heap  of 
hard  heads  and  legs  of  white  ants,  showing  that  these  black  ruf- 
fians are  a grade  lower  than  slave-stealers,  being  actually  canni- 
bals. Elsewhere  I have  seen  a body  of  them  removing  their  eggs 
from  a place  in  which  they  were  likely  to  be  flooded  by  the  rains  ; 
I calculated  their  numbers  to  be  12G0;  they  carried  their  eggs  a 
certain  distance,  then  laid  them  down,  when  others  took  them  and 
carried  them  farther  on.  Every  ant  in  the  colony  seemed  to  be 
employed  in  this  laborious  occupation,  yet  there  was  not  a white 
slave-ant  among  them.  One  cold  morning  I observed  a band  of 
another  species  of  black  ant  returning  each  with  a captive ; there 
could  be  no  doubt  of  their  cannibal  propensities,  for  the  “brutal 
soldiery”  had  already  deprived  the  white  ants  of  their  legs.  The 
fluid  in  the  stings  of  this  species  is  of  an  intensely  acid  taste. 

I had  often  noticed  the  stupefaction  produced  by  the  injection 
of  a fluid  from  the  sting  of  certain  insects  before.  It  is  particu- 
larly observable  in  a hymenopterous  insect  called  the  “plasterer” 
(Pelopceus  Eckloni ),  which  in  his  habits  resembles  somewhat  the 
mason-bee.  It  is  about  an  inch  and  a quarter  in  length,  jet  black 
in  color,  and.  may  be  observed  coming  into  houses,  carrying  in 

O o 


578 


WHITE  ANTS. 


its  fore  legs  a pellet  of  soft  plaster  about  the  size  of  a pea.  When 
it  has  fixed  upon  a convenient  spot  for  its  dwelling,  it  forms  a cell 
about  the  same  length  as  its  body,  plastering  the  walls  so  as  to 
be  quite  thin  and  smooth  inside.  When  this  is  finished,  all  except 
a round  hole,  it  brings  seven  or  eight  caterpillars  or  spiders,  each 
of  which  is  rendered  insensible,  but  not  killed,  by  the  fluid  from 
its  sting.  These  it  deposits  in  the  cell,  and  then  one  of  its  own 
larvae , winch,  as  it  grows,  finds  food  quite  fresh.  The  insects  are 
in  a state  of  coma,  but  the  presence  of  vitality  prevents  putridity, 
or  that  drying  up  which  would  otherwise  take  place  in  this  climate. 
By  the  time  the  young  insect  is  full  grown  and  its  wings  com- 
pletely developed,  the  food  is  done.  It  then  pierces  the  wall  of 
its  cell  at  the  former  door,  or  place  last  filled  up  by  its  parent, 
flies  off,  and  begins  life  for  itself.  The  plasterer  is  a most  useful 
insect,  as  it  acts  as  a check  on  the  inordinate  increase  of  cater- 
pillars and  spiders.  It  may  often  be  seen  with  a caterpillar  or 
even  a cricket  much  larger  than  itself,  but  they  lie  perfectly  still 
after  the  injection  of  chloroform,  and  the  plasterer,  placing  a row 
of  legs  on  each  side  of  the  body,  uses  both  legs  and  wings  in  trail- 
ing the  victim  along.  The  fluid  in  each  case  is,  I suppose,  designed 
to  cause  insensibility,  and  likewise  act  as  an  antiseptic,  the  death 
of  the  victims  being  without  pain. 

Without  these  black  soldier-ants  the  country  would  be  overrun 
by  the  white  ants  ; they  are  so  extremely  prolific,  and  nothing  can 
exceed  the  energy  with  which  they  work.  They  perform  a most 
important  part  in  the  economy  of  nature  by  burying  vegetable 
matter  as  quickly  beneath  the  soil  as  the  ferocious  red  ant  does 
dead  animal  substances.  The  white  ant  keeps  generally  out  of 
sight,  and  works  under  galleries  constructed  by  night  to  screen 
them  from  the  observation  of  birds.  At  some  given  signal,  how- 
ever, I never  could  ascertain  what,  they  rush  out  by  hundreds, 
and  the  sound  of  their  mandibles  cutting  grass  into  lengths  may 
be  heard  like  a gentle  wind  murmuring  through  the  leaves  of  the 
trees.  They  drag  these  pieces  to  the  doors  of  their  abodes,  and 
after  some  hours’  toil  leave  off  work,  and  many  of  the  bits  of 
grass  may  be  seen  collected  around  the  orifice.  They  continue 
out  of  sight  for  perhaps  a month,  but  they  are  never  idle.  On 
one  occasion,  a good  bundle  of  grass  was  laid  down  for  my  bed 
on  a spot  which  was  quite  smooth  and  destitute  of  plants.  The 


EFFECTS  OF  SMOKING  MUTOKWANE. 


579 


ants  at  once  sounded  the  call  to  a good  supply  of  grass.  I heard 
them  incessantly  nibbling  and  carrying  away  all  that  night ; and 
they  continued  all  next  day  (Sunday),  and  all  that  night  too,  with 
unabated  energy.  They  had  thus  been  thirty-six  hours  at  it,  and 
seemed  as  fresh  as  ever.  In  some  situations,  if  we  remained  a 
day,  they  devoured  the  grass  beneath  my  mat,  and  would  have 
eaten  that  too  had  we  not  laid  down  more  grass.  At  some  of 
their  operations  they  beat  time  in  a curious  manner.  Hundreds 
of  them  are  engaged  in  building  a large  tube,  and  they  wish  to 
beat  it  smooth.  At  a signal,  they  all  give  three  or  four  energetic 
beats  on  the  plaster  in  unison.  It  produces  a sound  like  the 
dropping  of  rain  off  a bush  when  touched.  These  insects  are  the 
chief  agents  employed  in  forming  a fertile  soil.  But  for  their 
labors,  the  tropical  forests,  bad  as  they  are  now  with  fallen  trees, 
would  be  a thousand  times  worse.  They  would  be  impassable 
on  account  of  the  heaps  of  dead  vegetation  lying  on  the  surface, 
and  emitting  worse  effluvia  than  the  comparatively  small  unburied 
collections  do  now.  When  one  looks  at  the  wonderful  adaptations 
throughout  creation,  and  the  varied  operations  carried  on  with  such 
wisdom  and  skill,  the  idea  of  second  causes  looks  clumsy.  We 
are  viewing  the  direct  handiwork  of  Him  who  is  the  one  and  only 
Power  in  the  universe ; wonderful  in  counsel ; in  whom  we  all  live, 
and  move,  and  have  our  being. 

The  Batoka  of  these  parts  are  very  degraded  in  their  appear- 
ance, and  are  not  likely  to  improve,  either  physically  or  mentally, 
while  so  much  addicted  to  smoking  the  mutokwane  ( Cannabis 
scitiva).  They  like  its  narcotic  effects,  though  the  violent  fit  of 
coughing  which  follows  a couple  of  puffs  of  smoke  appears  dis- 
tressing, and  causes  a feeling  of  disgust  in  the  spectator.  This  is 
not  diminished  on  seeing  the  usual  practice  of  taking  a mouthful 
of  water,  and  squirting  it  out  together  with  the  smoke,  then 
uttering  a string  of  half-incoherent  sentences,  usually  in  self- 
praise.  This  pernicious  weed  is  extensively  used  in  all  the  tribes 
of  the  interior.  It  causes  a species  of  phrensy,  and  Sebituane’s 
soldiers,  on  coming  in  sight  of  their  enemies,  saf  down  and  smoked 
it,  in  order  that  they  might  make  an  effective  onslaught.  I was 
unable  to  prevail  on  Sekeletu  and  the  young  Makololo  to  forego 
its  use,  although  they  can  not  point  to  an  old  man  in  the  tribe 
who  has  been  addicted  to  this  indulgence.  I believe  it  was  the 


580 


BOEDER  TERRITORY. 


proximate  cause  of  Sebituane’s  last  illness,  for  it  sometimes  occa- 
sions pneumonia.  Never  having  tried  it,  I can  not  describe  the 
pleasurable  effects  it  is  said  to  produce,  but  the  hachshish  in  use 
among  the  Turks  is  simply  an  extract  of  the  same  plant,  and 
that,  like  opium,  produces  different  effects  on  different  individuals. 
Some  view  every  thing  as  if  looking  in  through  the  wide  end  of  a 
telescope,  and  others,  in  passing  over  a straw,  lift  up  their  feet  as 
if  about  to  cross  the  trunk  of  a tree.  The  Portuguese  in  Angola 
have  such  a belief  in  its  deleterious  effects  that  the  use  of  it  by  a 
slave  is  considered  a crime. 

November  28 th.  The  inhabitants  of  the  last  of  Kaonka’s  vil- 
lages complained  of  being  plundered  by  the  independent  Batoka. 
The  tribes  in  front  of  this  are  regarded  by  the  Makololo  as  in  a 
state  of  rebellion.  I promised  to  speak  to  the  rebels  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  enjoined  on  Kaonka  the  duty  of  giving  them  no  offense. 
According  to  Sekeletu’s  order,  Kaonka  gave  us  the  tribute  of 
maize-corn  and  ground-nuts,  which  would  otherwise  have  gone  to 
Linyanti.  This  had  been  done  at  every  village,  and  we  thereby 
saved  the  people  the  trouble  of  a journey  to  the  capital.  My  own 
Batoka  had  brought  away  such  loads  of  provisions  from  their 
homes  that  we  were  in  no  want  of  food. 

After  leaving  Kaonka  we  traveled  over  an  uninhabited,  gently 
undulating,  and  most  beautiful  district,  the  border  territory  be- 
tween those  who  accept  and  those  who  reject  the  sway  of  the 
Makololo.  The  face  of  the  country  appears  as  if  in  long  waves, 
running  north  and  south.  There  are  no  rivers,  though  water 
stands  in  pools  in  the  hollows.  We  were  now  come  into  the 
country  which  my  people  all  magnify  as  a perfect  paradise. 
Sebituane  was  driven  from  it  by  the  Matebele.  It  suited  him 
exactly  for  cattle,  corn,  and  health.  The  soil  is  dry,  and  often 
a reddish  sand ; there  are  few  trees,  but  fine  large  shady  ones 
stand  dotted  here  and  there  over  the  country  where  towns  for- 
merly stood.  One  of  the  fig  family  I measured,  and  found  to  be 
forty  feet  in  circumference ; the  heart  had  been  burned  out,  and 
some  one  had  made  a lodging  in  it,  for  we  saw  the  remains  of 
a bed  and  a fire.  The  sight  of  the  open  country,  with  the  in- 
creased altitude  we  were  attaining,  was  most  refreshing  to  the 
spirits.  Large  game  abound.  We  see  in  the  distance  buffaloes, 
elands,  hartebeest,  gnus,  and  elephants,  all  very  tame,  as  no  one 


THE  KALOMO. 


581 


disturbs  them.  Lions,  which  always  accompany  other  large  ani- 
mals, roared  about  us,  but,  as  it  was  moonlight,  there  was  no  dan- 
ger. In  the  evening,  while  standing  on  a mass  of  granite,  one 
began  to  roar  at  me,  though  it  was  still  light.  The  temperature 
was  pleasant,  as  the  rains,  though  not  universal,  had  fallen  in 
many  places.  It  was  very  cloudy,  preventing  observations.  The 
temperature  at  6 A.M.  was  70°,  at  midday  90°,  in  the  evening 
84°.  This  is  very  pleasant  on  the  high  lands,  with  but  little 
moisture  in  the  air. 

The  different  rocks  to  the  westward  of  Kaonka’s,  talcose  gneiss 
and  white  mica  schist,  generally  dip  toward  the  west,  but  at  Ka- 
onka’s, large  rounded  masses  of  granite,  containing  black  mica,  be- 
gan to  appear.  The  outer  rind  of  it  inclines  to  peel  off,  and  large 
crystals  project  on  the  exposed  surface. 

In  passing  through  some  parts  where  a good  shower  of  rain  has 
fallen,  the  stridulous  piercing  notes  of  the  cicadse  are  perfectly 
deafening;  a drab-colored  cricket  joins  the  chorus  with  a sharp 
sound,  which  has  as  little  modulation  as  the  drone  of  a Scottish 
bagpipe.  I could  not  conceive  how  so  small  a thing  could  raise 
such  a sound  ; it  seemed  to  make  the  ground  over  it  thrill.  When 
cicada?,  crickets,  and  frogs  unite,  their  music  may  be  heard  at  the 
distance  of  a quarter  of  a mile. 

A tree  attracted  my  attention  as  new,  the  leaves  being  like  those 
of  an  acacia,  but  the  ends  of  the  branches  from  which  they  grew 
resembled  closely  oblong  fir-cones.  The  corn-poppy  was  abund- 
ant, and  many  of  the  trees,  flowering  bulbs,  and  plants  were  iden- 
tical with  those  in  Pungo  Andongo.  A flower  as  white  as  the 
snowdrop  now  begins  to  appear,  and  farther  on  it  spots  the  whole 
sward  with  its  beautiful  pure  white.  A fresh  crop  appears  every 
morning,  and  if  the  day  is  cloudy  they  do  not  expand  till  the  aft- 
ernoon. In  an  hour  or  so  they  droop  and  die.  They  are  named 
by  the  natives,  from  their  shape,  “ Tlaku  ea  pitse,”  hoof  of  zebra. 
I earned  several  of  the  somewhat  bulbous  roots  of  this  pretty 
flower  till  I reached  the  Mauritius. 

On  the  30th  we  crossed  the  River  Kalomo,  which  is  about  50 
yards  broad,  and  is  the  only  stream  that  never  dries  up  on  this 
ridge.  The  current  is  rapid,  and  its  course  is  toward  the  south, 
as  it  joins  the  Zambesi  at  some  distance  below  the  falls.  The 
Unguesi  and  Lekone,  with  their  feeders,  flow  westward,  this  river 


582 


CONFORMATION  OF  COUNTRY. 


to  the  south,  and  all  those  to  which  we  are  about  to  come  take 
an  easterly  direction.  We  were  thus  at  the  apex  of  the  ridge,  and 
found  that,  as  water  boiled  at  202°,  our  altitude  above  the  level 
of  the  sea  was  over  5000  feet.  Here  the  granite  crops  out  again 
in  great  rounded  masses  which  change  the  dip  of  the  gneiss  and 
mica  schist  rocks  from  the  westward  to  the  eastward.  In  cross- 
ing the  western  ridge  I mentioned  the  clay  shale  or  keele  forma- 
tion, a section  of  which  we  have  in  the  valley  of  the  Quango : the 
strata  there  lie  nearly  horizontal,  but  on  this  ridge  the  granite 
seems  to  have  been  the  active  agent  of  elevation,  for  the  rocks, 
both  on  its  east  and  west,  abut  against  it.  Both  eastern  and  west- 
ern ridges  are  known  to  be  comparatively  salubrious,  and  in  this 
respect,  as  well  as  in  the  general  aspect  of  the  country,  they  re- 
semble that  most  healthy  of  all  healthy  climates,  the  interior  of 
South  Africa,  near  and  adjacent  to  the  Desert.  This  ridge  has 
neither  fountain  nor  marsh  upon  it,  and  east  of  the  Ivalomo  we 
look  upon  treeless  undulating  plains  covered  with  short  grass. 
From  a point  somewhat  near  to  the  great  falls,  this  ridge  or  ob- 
long mound  trends  away  to  the  northeast,  and  there  treeless  ele- 
vated plains  again  appear.  Then  again  the  ridge  is  said  to 
bend  away  from  the  falls  to  the  southeast,  the  Mashona  country, 
or  rather  their  mountains,  appearing,  according  to  Mr.  Moffat, 
about  four  days  east  of  Matlokotloko,  the  present  residence  of 
Mosilikatse.  In  reference  to  this  ridge  he  makes  the  interesting 
remark,  “I  observed  a number  of  the  Angora  goat,  most  of  them 
being  white  ; and  their  long  soft  hair,  covering  their  entire  bodies 
to  the  ground,  made  them  look  like  animals  moving  along  with- 
out feet.”* 

It  is  impossible  to  say  how  much  farther  to  the  north  these 
subtending  ridges  may  stretch.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that, 
though  the  same  general  form  of  country  obtains,  they  are  not 
flanked  by  abrupt  hills  between  the  latitude  12°  south  and  the 
equator.  The  inquiry  is  worthy  the  attention  of  travelers.  As 
they  are  known  to  be  favorable  to  health,  the  Makololo,  who 
have  been  nearly  all  cut  off  by  fevers  in  the  valley,  declaring 
that  here  they  never  had  a headache,  they  may  even  be  recom- 
mended as  a sanatorium  for  those  whose  enterprise  leads  them 

* Moffat’s  “ Visit  to  Mosilikatse.” — Royal  Geographical  Society’s  Journal,  vol. 
xxvi.,  p.  9G. 


CONFORMATION  OF  COUNTRY. 


583 


into  Africa,  either  for  the  advancement  of  scientific  knowledge,  or 
for  the  purposes  of  trade  or  benevolence.  In  the  case  of  the  east- 
ern ridge,  we  have  water  carriage,  with  only  one  short  rapid  as  an 
obstruction,  right  up  to  its  base ; and  if  a quick  passage  can  be 
effected  during  the  healthy  part  of  the  year,  there  would  be  no 
danger  of  loss  of  health  during  a long  stay  on  these  high  lands 
afterward.  How  much  farther  do  these  high  ridges  extend?  The 
eastern  one  seems  to  bend  in  considerably  toward  the  great  falls ; 
and  the  strike  of  the  rocks  indicating  that,  farther  to  the  N.N.E. 
than  my  investigations  extend,  it  may  not,  at  a few  degrees  of 
latitude  beyond,  be  more  than  300  or  350  miles  from  the  coast. 
They  at  least  merit  inquiry,  for  they  afford  a prospect  to  Europe- 
ans of  situations  superior  in  point  of  salubrity  to  any  of  those  on 
the  coast ; and  so  on  the  western  side  of  the  continent ; for  it  is 
a fact  that  many  parts  in  the  interior  of  Angola,  which  were  for- 
merly thought  to  be  unhealthy  on  account  of  their  distance  inland, 
have  been  found,  as  population  advanced,  to  be  the  most  healthy 
spots  in  the  country.  Did  the  great  Niger  expedition  turn  back 
when  near  such  a desirable  position  for  its  stricken  and  prostrate 
members  ? 

The  distances  from  top  to  top  of  the  ridges  may  be  about 
10°  of  longitude,  or  600  geographical  miles.  I can  not  hear  of 
a hill  on  either  ridge,  and  there  are  scarcely  any  in  the  space 
inclosed  by  them.  The  Monakadze  is  the  highest,  but  that  is  not 
more  than  a thousand  feet  above  the  flat  valley.  On  account 
of  this  want  of  hills  in  the  part  of  the  country  which,  by  gentle 
undulations,  leads  one  insensibly  up  to  an  altitude  of  5000  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  I have  adopted  the  agricultural  term 
ridges,  for  they  partake  very  much  of  the  character  of  fhe  oblong 
mounds  with  which  we  are  all  familiar.  And  we  shall  yet  see 
that  the  mountains  which  are  met  with  outside  these  ridges  are 
only  a low  fringe,  many  of  which  are  not  of  much  greater  altitude 
than  even  the  bottom  of  the  great  central  valley.  If  we  leave  out 
of  view  the  greater  breadth  of  the  central  basin  at  other  parts,  and 
speak  only  of  the  comparatively  narrow  part  formed  by  the  bend 
to  the  westward  of  the  eastern  ridge,  we  might  say  that  the  form 
of  this  region  is  a broad  furrow  in  the  middle,  with  an  elevated 
ridge  about  200  miles  broad  on  either  side,  the  land  sloping  thence, 
on  both  sides,  to  the  sea.  If  I am  right  in  believing  the  granite 


584 


WOUNDED  BUFFALO  ASSISTED. 


to  be  the  cause  of  the  elevation  of  this  ridge,  the  direction  in 
which  the  strike  of  the  rocks  trends  to  the  N.N.E.  may  indicate 
that  the  same  geological  structure  prevails  farther  north,  and  two 
or  three  lakes  which  exist  in  that  direction  may  be  of  exactly  the 
same  nature  with  Lake  Nganfi,  having  been  diminished  to  their 
present  size  by  the  same  kind  of  agency  as  that  which  formed  the 
falls  of  Victoria. 

We  met  an  elephant  on  the  Kalomo  which  had  no  tusks.  This 
is  as  rare  a thing  in  Africa  as  it  is  to  find  them  with  tusks  in 
Ceylon.  As  soon  as  she  saw  us  she  made  off.  It  is  remarkable 
to  see  the  fear  of  man  operating  even  on  this  huge  beast.  Buffa- 
loes abound,  and  we  see  large  herds  of  them  feeding  in  all  direc- 
tions by  day.  When  much  disturbed  by  man  they  retire  into  the 
densest  parts  of  the  forest,  and  feed  by  night  only.  We  secured 
a fine  large  bull  by  crawling  close  to  a herd.  When  shot,  he  fell 
down,  and  the  rest,  not  seeing  their  enemy,  gazed  about,  won- 
dering where  the  danger  lay.  The  others  came  back  to  it,  and, 
when  we  showed  ourselves,  much  to  the  amusement  of  my  com- 
panions, they  lifted  him  up  with  their  horns,  and,  half  supporting 
him  in  the  crowd,  bore  him  away.  All  these  wild  animals  usu- 
ally gore  a wounded  companion,  and  expel  him  from  the  herd  ; 
even  zebras  bite  and  kick  an  unfortunate  or  a diseased  one.  It 
is  intended  by  this  instinct  that  none  but  the  perfect  and  healthy 
ones  should  propagate  the  species.  In  this  case  they  manifested 
their  usual  propensity  to  gore  the  wounded,  but  our  appearance 
at  that  moment  caused  them  to  take  flight,  and  this,  with  the  gor- 
ing being  continued  a little,  gave  my  men  the  impression  that 
they  were  helping  away  their  wounded  companion.  He  was  shot 
between  the  fourth  and  fifth  ribs ; the  ball  passed  through  both 
lungs  and  a rib  on  the  opposite  side,  and  then  lodged  beneath  the 
skin.  But,  though  it  was  eight  ounces  in  weight,  yet  he  ran  off 
some  distance,  and  was  secured  only  by  the  people  driving  him 
into  a pool  of  water  and  killing  him  there  with  their  spears. 
The  herd  ran  away  in  the  direction  of  our  camp,  and  then  came 
bounding  past  us  again.  We  took  refuge  on  a large  ant-hill,  and 
as  they  rushed  by  us  at  full  gallop  I had  a good  opportunity  of 
seeing  that  the  leader  of  a herd  of  about  sixty  was  an  old  cow ; 
all  the  others  allowed  her  a full  half-length  in  their  front.  On 
her  withers  sat  about  twenty  buffalo-birds  ( Tcxtor  erythrorhyn- 


BUFFALO  AND  RHINOCEROS  BIRDS. 


585 


chus,  Smith),  which  act  the  part  of  guardian  spirits  to  the  animals. 
When  the  buffalo  is  quietly  feeding,  this  bird  may  be  seen  hop- 
ping on  the  ground  picking  up  food,  or  sitting  on  its  back  ridding 
it  of  the  insects  with  which  their  skins  are  sometimes  infested. 
The  sight  of  the  bird  being  much  more  acute  than  that  of  the 
buffalo,  it  is  soon  alarmed  by  the  approach  of  any  danger,  and, 
flying  up,  the  buffaloes  instantly  raise  their  heads  to  discover  the 
cause  which  has  led  to  the  sudden  flight  of  their  guardian.  They 
sometimes  accompany  the  buffaloes  in  their  flight  on  the  wing,  at 
other  times  they  sit  as  above  described. 

Another  African  bird,  namely,  the  Buphaga  Africana , attends 
the  rhinoceros  for  a similar  purpose.  It  is  called  “kala”  in  the 
language  of  the  Bechuanas.  When  these  people  wish  to  express 
their  dependence  upon  another,  they  address  him  as  “ my  rhinoc- 
eros,” as  if  they  were  the  birds.  The  satellites  of  a chief  go  by 
the  same  name.  This  bird  can  not  be  said  to  depend  entirely  on 
the  insects  on  that  animal,  for  its  hard,  hairless  skin  is  a protec- 
tion against  all  except  a few  spotted  ticks ; but  it  seems  to  be  at- 
tached to  the  beast,  somewhat  as  the  domestic  dog  is  to  man ; 
and  while  the  buffalo  is  alarmed  by  the  sudden  flying  up  of  its 
sentinel,  the  rhinoceros,  not  having  keen  sight,  but  an  acute  ear,  is 
warned  by  the  cry  of  its  associate,  the  Buphaga  Africana.  The 
rhinoceros  feeds  by  night,  and  its  sentinel  is  frequently  heard  in 
the  morning  uttering  its  well-known  call,  as  it  searches  for  its 
bulky  companion.  One  species  of  this  bird,  observed  in  Angola, 
possesses  a bill  of  a peculiar  scoop  or  stone  forceps  form,  as  if  in- 
tended only  to  tear  off  insects  from  the  skin  ; and  its  claws  are  as 
sharp  as  needles,  -enabling  it  to  hang  on  to  an  animal’s  ear  while 
performing  a useful  service  within  it.  This  sharpness  of  the  claws 
allows  the  bird  to  cling  to  the  nearly  insensible  cuticle  without  ir- 
ritating the  nerves  of  pain  on  the  true  skin,  exactly  as  a burr  does 
to  the  human  hand ; but  in  the  case  of  the  Buphaga  Africana 
and  erythrorhyncha , other  food  is  partaken  of,  for  we  observed 
flocks  of  them  roosting  on  the  reeds,  in  spots  where  neither  tame 
nor  wild  animals  were  to  be  found. 

The  most  wary  animal  in  a herd  is  generally  the  “ leader.” 
When  it  is  shot  the  others  often  seem  at  a loss  what  to  do,  and 
stop  in  a state  of  bewilderment.  I have  seen  them  then  attempt  to 
follow  each  other  and  appear  quite  confused,  no  one  knowing  for 


586 


LEADERS  OF  HERDS.— HONEY-GUIDE. 


half  a minute  or  more  where  to  direct  the  flight.  On  one  occasion 
I happened  to  shoot  the  leader,  a young  zebra  mare,  which  at 
some  former  time  had  been  bitten  on  the  hind  leg  by  a carnivo- 
rous animal,  and,  thereby  made  unusually  wary,  had,  in  conse- 
quence, become  a leader.  If  they  see  either  one  of  their  own  herd 
or  any  other  animal  taking  to  flight,  wild  animals  invariably  flee. 
The  most  timid  thus  naturally  leads  the  rest.  It  is  not  any  other 
peculiarity,  but  simply  this  provision,  which  is  given  them  for  the 
preservation  of  the  race.  The  great  increase  of  wariness  which 
is  seen  to  occur  when  the  females  bring  forth  their  young,  causes 
all  the  leaders  to  be  at  that  time  females ; and  there  is  a prob- 
ability that  the  separation  of  sexes  into  distinct  herds,  which  is 
annually  observed  in  many  antelopes,  arises  from  the  simple  fact 
that  the  greater  caution  of  the  she  antelopes  is  partaken  of  only 
by  the  young  males,  and  their  more  frequent  flights  now  have 
the  effect  of  leaving  the  old  males  behind.  I am  inclined  to 
believe  this,  because,  though  the  antelopes,  as  the.  pallahs,  etc., 
are  frequently  in  separate  herds,  they  are  never  seen  in  the 
act  of  expelling  the  males.  There  may  be  some  other  reason 
in  the  case  of  the  elephants ; but  the  male  and  female  elephants 
are  never  seen  in  one  herd.  The  young  males  remain  with 
their  dams  only  until  they  are  full  grown ; and  so  constantly  is 
the  separation  maintained,  that  any  one  familiar  with  them,  on 
seeing  a picture  with  the  sexes  mixed,  would  immediately  con- 
clude that  the  artist  had  made  it  from  his  imagination,  and  not 
from  sight. 

December  2,  1855.  We  remained  near  a small  hill,  called  Ma- 
undo,  where  we  began  to  be  frequently  invited  by  the  honey- 
guide  ( Cuculus  indicator).  Wishing  to  ascertain  the  truth  of 
the  native  assertion  that  this  bird  is  a deceiver,  and  by  its  call 
sometimes  leads  to  a wild  beast  and  not  to  honey,  I inquired  if 
any  of  my  men  had  ever  been  led  by  this  friendly  little  bird  to 
any  thing  else  than  what  its  name  implies.  Only  one  of  the  114 
could  say  he  had  been  led  to  an  elephant  instead  of  a hive,  like 
myself  with  the  black  rhinoceros  mentioned  before.  I am  quite 
convinced  that  the  majority  of  people  who  commit  themselves  to 
its  guidance  are  led  to  honey,  and  to  it  alone. 

On  the  3d  we  crossed  the  River  Mozuma,  or  River  of  Dila, 
having  traveled  through  a beautifully  undulating  pastoral  country. 


WHITE  MOUNTAIN.— THE  MOZUMA. 


587 


To  the  south,  and  a little  east  of  this,  stands  the  hill  Taba  Cheu, 
or  “ White  Mountain,”  from  a mass  of  white  rock,  probably  dolo- 
mite, on  its  top.  But  none  of  the  hills  are  of  any  great  altitude. 
When  I heard  this  mountain  described  at  Linyanti  I thought  the 
glistening  substance  might  be  snow,  and  my  informants  were  so 
loud  in  their  assertions  of  its  exceeding  great  altitude  that  I was 
startled  with  the  idea ; but  I had  quite  forgotten  that  I was  speak- 
ing with  men  who  had  been  accustomed  to  plains,  and  knew  noth- 
ing of  very  high  mountains.  When  I inquired  what  the  white 
substance  was,  they  at  once  replied  it  was  a kind  of  rock.  I ex- 
pected to  have  come  nearer  to  it,  and  would  have  ascended  it ; but 
we  were  led  to  go  to  the  northeast.  Yet  I doubt  not  that  the 
native  testimony  of  its  being  stone  is  true.  The  distant  ranges 
of  hills  which  line  the  banks  of  the  Zambesi  on  the  southeast,  and 
landscapes  which  permit  the  eye  to  range  over  twenty  or  thirty 
miles  at  a time,  with  short  grass  under  our  feet,  were  especially 
refreshing  sights  to  those  who  had  traveled  for  months  together 
over  the  confined  views  of  the  flat  forest,  and  among  the  tangled 
rank  herbage  of  the  great  valley. 

The  Mozuma,  or  River  of  Dila,  was  the  first  water-course  which 
indicated  that  we  were  now  on  the  slopes  toward  the  eastern  coast. 
It  contained  no  flowing  water,  but  revealed  in  its  banks  what 
gave  me  great  pleasure  at  the  time — pieces  of  lignite,  possibly  in- 
dicating the  existence  of  a mineral,  namely,  coal,  the  want  of  which 
in  the  central  country  I had  always  deplored.  Again  and  again 
we  came  to  the  ruins  of  large  towns,  containing  the  only  hiero- 
glyphics of  this  country,  worn  mill-stones,  with  the  round  ball  of 
quartz  with  which  the  grinding  was  effected.  Great  numbers  of 
these  balls  were  lying  about,  showing  that  the  depopulation  had 
been  the  result  of  war ; for,  had  the  people  removed  in  peace,  they 
would  have  taken  the  balls  with  them. 

At  the  River  of  Dila  we  saw  the  spot  where  Sebituane  lived, 
and  Sekwebu  pointed  out  the  heaps  of  bones  of  cattle  which 
the  Makololo  had  been  obliged  to  slaughter  after  performing 
a march  with  great  herds  captured  from  the  Batoka  through 
a patch  of  the  fatal  tsetse.  "When  Sebituane  saw  the  symptoms 
of  the  poison,  he  gave  orders  to  his  people  to  eat  the  cattle.  He 
still  had  vast  numbers  ; and  when  the  Matebele,  crossing  the 
Zambesi  opposite  this  part,  came  to  attack  him,  lie  invited  the 


588 


PROPHETIC  PHRENSY. 


Batoka  to  take  repossession  of  their  herds,  he  having  so  many  as 
to  he  unable  to  guide  them  in  their  flight.  The  country  was  at 
that  time  exceedingly  rich  in  cattle,  and,  besides  pasturage,  it  is 
all  well  adapted  for  the  cultivation  of  native  produce.  Being  on 
the  eastern  slope  of  the  ridge,  it  receives  more  rain  than  any  part 
of  the  westward.  Sekwebu  had  been  instructed  to  point  out  to 
me  the  advantages  of  this  position  for  a settlement,  as  that  which 
all  the  Makololo  had  never  ceased  to  regret.  It  needed  no  eulogy 
from  Sekwebu ; I admired  it  myself,  and  the  enjoyment  of  good 
health  in  fine  open  scenery  had  an  exhilarating  effect  on  my 
spirits.  The  great  want  was  population,  the  Batoka  having  all 
taken  refuge  in  the  hills.  We  were  now  in  the  vicinity  of  those 
whom  the  Makololo  deem  rebels,  and  felt  some  anxiety  as  to  how 
we  should  be  received. 

On  the  4th  we  reached  their  first  village.  Remaining  at  a 
distance  of  a quarter  of  a mile,  we  sent  two  men  to  inform  them 
who  we  were,  and  that  our  purposes  were  peaceful.  The  head  man 
came  and  spoke  civilly,  but,  when  nearly  dark,  the  people  of  an- 
other village  arrived  and  behaved  very  differently.  They  began 
by  trying  to  spear  a young  man  who  had  gone  for  water.  Then 
they  approached  us,  and  one  came  forward  howling  at  the  top  of 
his  voice  in  the  most  hideous  manner;  his  eyes  were  shot  out,  his 
lips  covered  with  foam,  and  every  muscle  of  his  frame  quivered. 
He  came  near  to  me,  and,  having  a small  battle-axe  in  his  hand, 
alarmed  my  men  lest  he  might  do  violence ; but  they  were  afraid 
to  disobey  my  previous  orders,  and  to  follow  their  own  inclination 
by  knocking  him  on  the  head.  I felt  a little  alarmed  too,  but 
would  not  show  fear  before  my  own  people  or  strangers,  and  kept 
a sharp  look-out  on  the  little  battle-axe.  It  seemed  to  me  a case 
of  ecstasy  or  prophetic  phrensy,  voluntarily  produced.  I felt  it 
would  be  a sorry  way  to  leave  the  world,  to  get  my  head  chopped 
by  a mad  savage,  though  that,  perhaps,  would  be  preferable  to 
hydrophobia  or  delirium  tremens.  Sekwebu  took  a spear  in  his 
hand,  as  if  to  pierce  a bit  of  leather,  but  in  reality  to  plunge  it  into 
the  man  if  he  offered  violence  to  me.  After  my  courage  had  been 
sufficiently  tested,  I beckoned  with  the  head  to  the  civil  head  man 
to  remove  him,  and  he  did  so  by  drawing  him  aside.  This  man 
pretended  not  to  know  what  he  was  doing.  I would  fain  have 
felt  his  pulse,  to  ascertain  whether  the  violent  trembling  were  not 


FOOD  OF  THE  ELEPHANT. 


589 


feigned,  but  had  not  much  inclination  to  go  near  the  battle-axe 
again.  There  was,  however,  a flow  of  perspiration,  and  the  excite- 
ment continued  fully  half  an  hour,  then  gradually  ceased.  This 
paroxysm  is  the  direct  opposite  of  hypnotism,  and  it  is  singular 
that  it  has  not  been  tried  in  Europe  as  well  as  clairvoyance. 
This  second  batch  of  visitors  took  no  pains  to  conceal  their 
contempt  for  our  small  party,  saying  to  each  other,  in  a tone  of 
triumph,  “They  are  quite  a Godsend!”  literally,  “God  has 
apportioned  them  to  us.”  “They  are  lost  among  the  tribes!” 
“They  have  wandered  in  order  to  be  destroyed,  and  what  can  they 
do  without  shields  among  so  many  ?”  Some  of  them  asked  if 
there  were  no  other  parties.  Sekeletu  had  ordered  my  men  not  to 
take  their  shields,  as  in  the  case  of  my  first  company.  We  were 
looked  upon  as  unarmed,  and  an  easy  prey.  We  prepared  against 
a night  attack  by  discharging  and  reloading  our  guns,  which  were 
exactly  the  same  in  number  (five)  as  on  the  former  occasion,  as  I 
allowed  my  late  companions  to  retain  those  which  I purchased  at 
Loanda.  W e were  not  molested,  but  some  of  the  enemy  tried  to  lead 
us  toward  the  Bashukulompo,  who  are  considered  to  be  the  fiercest 
race  in  this  quarter.  As  we  knew  our  direction  to  the  confluence 
of  the  Ivafue  and  Zambesi,  we  declined  their  guidance,  and  the 
civil  head  man  of  the  evening  before  then  came  along  with  us. 
Crowds  of  natives  hovered  round  us  in  the  forest ; but  he  ran 
forward  and  explained,  and  we  were  not  molested.  That  night  we 
slept  by  a little  village  under  a low  range  of  hills,  which  are  called 
Chizamena.  The  country  here  is  more  woody  than  on  the  high 
lands  we  had  left,  but  the  trees  are  not  in  general  large.  Great 
numbers  of  them  have  been  broken  off  by  elephants  a foot  or  two 
from  the  ground:  they  thus  seem  pollarded  from  that  point.  This 
animal  never  seriously  lessens  the  number  of  trees  ; indeed,  I have 
often  been  struck  by  the  very  little  damage  he  does  in  a forest. 
His  food  consists  more  of  bulbs,  tubers,  roots,  and  branches,  than 
any  thing  else.  Where  they  have  been  feeding,  great  numbers  of 
trees,  as  thick  as  a man’s  body,  are  seen  twisted  down  or  broken 
off,  in  order  that  they  may  feed  on  the  tender  shoots  at  the  tops. 
They  are  said  sometimes  to  unite  in  wrenching  down  large  trees. 
The  natives  in  the  interior  believe  that  the  elephant  never  touches 
grass,  and  I never  saw  evidence  of  his  having  grazed  until  we  came 
near  to  Tete,  and  then  he  had  fed  on  grass  in  seed  only ; this 


590 


CLOTHING  DESPISED. 


seed  contains  so  much  farinaceous  matter  that  the  natives  collect 
it  for  their  own  food. 

This  part  of  the  country  abounds  in  ant-hills.  In  the  open 
parts  they  are  studded  over  the  surface  exactly  as  haycocks  are 
in  harvest,  or  heaps  of  manure  in  spring,  rather  disfiguring  the 
landscape.  In  the  woods  they  are  as  large  as  round  haystacks, 
40  or  50  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  and  at  least  20  feet  high. 
These  are  more  fertile  than  the  rest  of  the  land,  and  here  they  are 
the  chief  garden-ground  for  maize,  pumpkins,  and  tobacco. 

When  we  had  passed  the  outskirting  villages,  which  alone  con- 
sider themselves  in  a state  of  war  with  the  Makololo,  we  found 
the  Batoka,  or  Batonga,  as  they  here  call  themselves,  quite  friend- 
ly. Great  numbers  of  them  came  from  all  the  surrounding  vil- 
lages with  presents  of  maize  and  masuka,  and  expressed  great  joy 
at  the  first  appearance  of  a white  man,  and  harbinger  of  peace. 
The  women  clothe  themselves  better  than  the  Balonda,  but  the 
men  go  in  jpuris  naturalibus.  They  walk  about  without  the 
smallest  sense  of  shame.  They  have  even  lost  the  tradition  of 
the  “ fig-leaf.”  I asked  a fine,  large-bodied  old  man  if  he  did  not 
think  it  would  be  better  to  adopt  a little  covering.  He  looked 
with  a pitying  leer,  and  laughed  with  surprise  at  my  thinking  him 
at  all  indecent ; he  evidently  considered  himself  above  such  weak 
superstition.  I told  them  that,  on  my  return,  I should  have  my 
family  with  me,  and  no  one  must  come  near  us  in  that  state. 
“What  shall  we  put  on?  we  have  no  clothing.”  It  was  consid- 
ered a good  joke  when  I told  them  that,  if  they  had  nothing  else, 
they  must  put  on  a bunch  of  grass. 

The  farther  we  advanced,  the  more  we  found  the  country  swarm- 
ing with  inhabitants.  Great  numbers  came  to  see  the  white  man, 
a sight  they  had  never  beheld  before.  They  always  brought  pres- 
ents of  maize  and  masuka.  Their  mode  of  salutation  is  quite  sin- 
gular. They  throw  themselves  on  their  backs  on  the  ground,  and, 
rolling  from  side  to  side,  slap  the  outside  of  their  thighs  as  expres- 
sions of  thankfulness  and  welcome,  uttering  the  words  “ Kina 
bomba.”  This  method  of  salutation  was  to  me  very  disagreeable, 
and  I never  could  get  reconciled  to  it.  I called  out,  “ Stop,  stop  ; 
I don’t  want  that but  they,  imagining  I was  dissatisfied,  only 
tumbled  about  more  furiously,  and  slapped  their  thighs  with  great- 
er vigor.  The  men  being  totally  unclothed,  this  performance  im- 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  GOSPEL. 


591 


parted  to  my  mind  a painful  sense  of  their  extreme  degradation. 
My  own  Batoka  were  much  more  degraded  than  the  Barotse,  and 
more  reckless.  We  had  to  keep  a strict  watch,  so  as  not  to  he 
involved  by  their  thieving  from  the  inhabitants,  in  whose  country 
and  power  we  were.  We  had  also  to  watch  the  use  they  made 
of  their  tongues,  for  some  within  hearing  of  the  villagers  would 
say,  “ I broke  all  the  pots  of  that  village,”  or,  “ I killed  a man 
there.”  They  were  eager  to  recount  their  soldier  deeds,  when 
they  were  in  company  with  the  Makololo  in  former  times  as  a 
conquering  army.  They  were  thus  placing  us  in  danger  by 
their  remarks.  I called  them  together,  and  spoke  to  them  about 
their  folly,  and  gave  them  a pretty  plain  intimation  that  I 
meant  to  insist  upon  as  complete  subordination  as  I had  secured 
in  my  former  journey,  as  being  necessary  for  the  safety  of  the 
party.  Happily,  it  never  was  needful  to  resort  to  any  other 
measure  for  their  obedience,  as  they  all  believed  that  I would  en- 
force it. 

In  connection  with  the  low  state  of  the  Batoka,  I was  led  to 
think  on  the  people  of  Kuruman,  who  were  equally  degraded  and 
equally  depraved.  There  a man  scorned  to  shed  a tear.  It  would 
have  been  “ tlolo,”  or  transgression.  Weeping,  such  as  Dr.  Kane 
describes  among  the  Esquimaux,  is  therefore  quite  unknown  in 
that  country.  But  I have  witnessed  instances  like  this  : Baba,  a 
mighty  hunter — the  interpreter  who  accompanied  Captain  Harris, 
and  who  was  ultimately  killed  by  a rhinoceros — sat  listening  to 
the  Gospel  in  the  church  at  Kuruman,  and  the  gracious  words 
of  Christ,  made  to  touch  his  heart,  evidently  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
melted  him  into  tears ; I have  seen  him  and  others  sink  down  to 
the  ground  weeping.  When  Baba  was  lying  mangled  by  the  fu- 
rious beast  which  tore  him  off  his  horse,  he  shed  no  tear,  but 
quietly  prayed  as  long  as  he  was  conscious.  I had  no  hand  in  his 
instruction  : if  these  Batoka  ever  become  like  him,  and  they  may, 
the  influence  that  effects  it  must  be  divine. 

A very  large  portion  of  this  quarter  is  covered  with  masuka- 
trees,  and  the  ground  was  so  strewed  with  the  pleasant  fruit  that 
my  men  kept  eating  it  constantly  as  we  marched  along.  We  saw 
a smaller  kind  of  the  same  tree,  named  Molondo,  the  fruit  of 
which  is  about  the  size  of  marbles,  having  a tender  skin,  and  slight 
acidity  of  taste  mingled  with  its  sweetness.  Another  tree  which 


592 


THE  CAPTIVE  RELEASED. 


is  said  to  yield  good  fruit  is  named  Sombo,  but  it  was  not  ripe  at 
this  season. 

December  Qth.  We  passed  the  night  near  a series  of  villages. 
Before  we  came  to  a stand  under  our  tree,  a man  came  running 
to  us  with  hands  and  arms  firmly  bound  with  cords  behind  his 
back,  entreating  me  to  release  him.  When  I had  dismounted, 
the  head  man  of  the  village  advanced,  and  I inquired  the  pris- 
oner’s offense.  He  stated  that  he  had  come  from  the  Bashu- 
kulompo  as  a fugitive,  and  he  had  given  him  a wife  and  garden 
and  a supply  of  seed ; but,  on  refusing  a demand  for  more,  the 
prisoner  had  threatened  to  kill  him,  and  had  been  seen  the 
night  before  skulking  about  the  village,  apparently  with  that 
intention.  I declined  interceding  unless  he  would  confess  to 
his  father-in-law,  and  promise  amendment.  He  at  first  refused 
to  promise  to  abstain  from  violence,  but  afterward  agreed.  The 
father-in-law  then  said  that  he  would  take  him  to  the  village 
and  release  him,  but  the  prisoner  cried  out  bitterly,  “He  will 
kill  me  there ; don’t  leave  me,  white  man.”  I ordered  a knife, 
and  one  of  the  villagers  released  him  on  the  spot.  His  arms  were 
cut  by  the  cords,  and  he  was  quite  lame  from  the  blows  he  had 
received. 

These  villagers  supplied  us  abundantly  with  ground-nuts, 
maize,  and  corn.  All  expressed  great  satisfaction  on  hearing  my 
message,  as  I directed  their  attention  to  Jesus  as  their  Savior, 
whose  word  is  “Peace  on  earth,  and  good-will  to  men.”  They 
called  out,  “We  are  tired  of  flight ; give  us  rest  and  sleep.”  They 
of  course  did  not  understand  the  full  import  of  the  message,  but 
it  was  no  wonder  that  they  eagerly  seized  the  idea  of  peace. 
Their  country  has  been  visited  by  successive  scourges  during  the 
last  half  century,  and  they  are  now  “a  nation  scattered  and 
peeled.”  When  Sebituane  came,  the  cattle  were  innumerable, 
and  yet  these  were  the  remnants  only,  left  by  a chief  called  Pin- 
gola,  who  came  from  the  northeast.  He  swept  across  the  whole 
territory  inhabited  by  his  cattle- loving  countrymen,  devouring 
oxen,  cows,  and  calves,  without  retaining  a single  head.  He  seems 
to  have  been  actuated  by  a simple  love  of  conquest,  and  is  an  in- 
stance of  what  has  occurred  two  or  three  times  in  every  century 
in  this  country,  from  time  immemorial.  A man  of  more  energy 
or  ambition  than  his  fellows  rises  up  and  conquers  a large  territo- 


MONZE’S  VILLAGE. 


593 


ry,  but  as  soon  as  he  dies  the  power  he  built  up  is  gone,  and  his 
reign,  having  been  one  of  terror,  is  not  perpetuated.  This,  and 
the  want  of  literature,  have  prevented  the  establishment  of  any 
great  empire  in  the  interior  of  Africa.  Pingola  effected  his  con- 
quests by  carrying  numbers  of  smith’s  bellows  with  him.  The 
arrow-heads  were  heated  before  shooting  into  a town,  and  when  a 
wound  was  inflicted  on  either  man  or  beast,  great  confusion  en- 
sued. After  Pingola  came  Sebituane,  and  after  him  the  Matebele 
of  Mosilikatse  ; and  these  successive  inroads  have  reduced  the  Ba- 
toka  to  a state  in  which  they  naturally  rejoice  at  the  prospect  of 
deliverance  and  peace. 

We  spent  Sunday,  the  10th,  at  Monze’s  village,  who  is  consid- 
ered the  chief  of  all  the  Batoka  we  have  seen.  He  lives  near  the 
hill  Kisekise,  whence  we  have  a view  of  at  least  thirty  miles  of 
open  undulating  country,  covered  with  short  grass,  and  having  but 
few  trees.  These  open  lawns  would  in  any  other  land,  as  well 
as  this,  be  termed  pastoral,  but  the  people  have  now  no  cattle,  and 
only  a few  goats  and  fowls.  They  are  located  all  over  the  coun- 
try in  small  villages,  and  cultivate  large  gardens.  They  are  said 
to  have  adopted  this  wide-spread  mode  of  habitation  in  order  to 
give  alarm  should  any  enemy  appear.  In  former  times  they  lived 
in  large  towns.  In  the  distance  (southeast)  we  see  ranges  of  dark 
mountains  along  the  banks  of  the  Zambesi,  and  are  told  of  the  ex- 
istence there  of  the  rapid  named  Kansala,  which  is  said  to  impede 
the  navigation.  The  river  is  reported  to  be  placid  above  that  as 
far  as  the  territory  of  Sinamane,  a Batoka  chief,  who  is  said  to 
command  it  after  it  emerges  smooth  again  below  the  falls.  Kan- 
sala is  the  only  rapid  reported  in  the  river  until  we  come  to  Ke- 
brabasa,  twenty  or  thirty  miles  above  Tete.  On  the  north  we 
have  mountains  appearing  above  the  horizon,  which  are  said  to  be 
on  the  banks  of  the  Kafue. 

The  chief  Monze  came  to  us  on  Sunday  morning,  wrapped  in 
a large  cloth,  and  rolled  himself  about  in  the  dust,  screaming 
“ Kina  bomba,”  as  they  all  do.  The  sight  of  great  naked  men 
wallowing  on  the  ground,  though  intended  to  do  me  honor,  was 
always  very  painful ; it  made  me  feel  thankful  that  my  lot  had 
been  cast  in  such  different  circumstances  from  that  of  so  many  of 
my  fellow-men.  One  of  his  wives  accompanied  him  ; she  would 
have  been  comely  if  her  teeth  had  been  spared ; she  had  a little 

P P 


594 


FRIENDLY  FEELINGS  TOWARD  EUROPEANS. 


battle-axe  in  her  hand,  and  helped  her  husband  to  scream.  She 
was  much  excited,  for  she  had  never  seen  a white  man  before. 
We  rather  liked  Monze,  for  he  soon  felt  at  home  among  us,  and 
kept  up  conversation  during  much  of  the  day.  One  head  man  of 
a village  after  another  arrived,  and  each  of  them  supplied  us 
liberally  with  maize,  ground-nuts,  and  corn.  Monze  gave  us  a goat 
and  a fowl,  and  appeared  highly  satisfied  with  a present  of  some 
handkerchiefs  I had  got  in  my  supplies  left  at  the  island.  Being  . 
of  printed  cotton,  they  excited  great  admiration  ; and  when  I put 
a gaudy-colored  one  as  a shawl  about  his  child,  he  said  that  he 
would  send  for  all  his  people  to  make  a dance  about  it.  In 
telling  them  that  my  object  was  to  open  up  a path  whereby  they 
might,  by  getting  merchandise  for  ivory,  avoid  the  guilt  of  selling 
their  children,  I asked  Monze,  with  about  150  of  his  men,  if  they 
would  like  a white  man  to  live  among  them  and  teach  them. 
All  expressed  high  satisfaction  at  the  prospect  of  the  white  man 
and  his  path : they  would  protect  both  him  and  his  property.  I 
asked  the  question,  because  it  would  be  of  great  importance  to 
have  stations  in  this  healthy  region,  whither  agents  oppressed 
by  sickness  might  retire,  and  which  would  serve,  moreover,  as 
pairt  of  a chain  of  communication  between  the  interior  and  the 
coast.  The  answer  does  not  mean  much  more  than  what  I know, 
by  other  means,  to  be  the  case  — that  a white  man  of  good 
sense  would  be  welcome  and  safe  in  all  these  parts.  By  upright- 
ness, and  laying  himself  out  for  the  good  of  the  people,  he 
would  be  known  all  over  the  country  as  a benefactor  of  the  race. 
None  desire  Christian  instruction,  for  of  it  they  have  no  idea. 
But  the  people  are  now  humbled  by  the  scourgings  they  have 
received,  and  seem  to  be  in  a favorable  state  for  the  reception 
of  the  Gospel.  The  gradual  restoration  of  their  former  pros- 
perity in  cattle,  simultaneously  with  instruction,  would  operate 
beneficially  upon  their  minds.  The  language  is  a dialect  of  the 
other  negro  languages  in  the  great  valley  ; and  as  many  of 
the  Batoka  living  under  the  Makololo  understand  both  it  and 
the  Sichuana,  missionaries  could  soon  acquire  it  through  that 
medium. 

Monze  had  never  been  visited  by  any  white  man,  but  had  seen 
black  native  traders,  who,  he  said,  came  for  ivory,  not  for  slaves. 
.He  had  heard  of  white  men  passing  far  to  the  east  of  him  to 


BASHUKULOMPO  HAIR-DRESSING.  595 

Cazembe,  referring,  no  doubt,  to  Pereira,  Lacerda,  and  others,  who 
have  visited  that  chief. 

The  streams  in  this  part  are  not  perennial ; I did  not  observe 
one  suitable  for  the  purpose  of  irrigation.  There  is  but  little 
wood ; here  and  there  you  see  large  single  trees,  or  small  clumps 
of  evergreens,  but  the  abundance  of  maize  and  ground-nuts  we 
met  with  shows  that  more  rain  falls  than  in  the  Becliuana  coun- 
try, for  there  they  never  attempt  to  raise  maize  except  in  damp 
hollows  on  the  banks  of  rivers.  The  pasturage  is  very  tine  for 
both  cattle  and  sheep.  My  own  men,  who  know  the  land  thor- 
oughly, declare  that  it  is  all  garden-ground  together,  and  that  the 
more  tender  grains,  which  require  richer  soil  than  the  native  corn, 
need  no  care  here.  It  is  seldom  stony. 

The  men  of  a village  came  to  our  encampment,  and,  as  they 
followed  the  Bashukulompo  mode  of  dressing  their  hair,  we  had 
an  opportunity  of  examining  it  for  the  first  time.  A circle  of 
hair  at  the  top  of  the  head,  eight  inches  or  more  in  diameter,  is 
woven  into  a cone  eight  or  ten  inches  high,  with  an  obtuse  apex, 
bent,  in  some  cases,  a little  forward,  giving  it  somewhat  the 
appearance  of  a helmet.  Some  have  only  a cone,  four  or  five 
inches  in  diameter  at  the  base.  It  is  said  that  the  hair  of  ani- 
mals is  added  ; but  the  sides  of  the  cone  are  woven  something  like 
basket-work.  The  head  man  of  this  village,  instead  of  having 
his  brought  to  a point,  had  it  prolonged  into  a wand,  which 
extended  a full  yard  from  the  crown  of  his  head.  The  hair  on 
the  forehead,  above  the  ears,  and  behind,  is  all  shaven  off,  so 
they  appear  somewhat  as  if  a cap  of  liberty  were  cocked  upon  the 
top  of  the  head.  After  the  weaving  is  performed  it  is  said  to  be 
painful,  as  the  scalp  is  drawn  tightly  up ; but  they  become  used 
to  it.  Monze  informed  me  that  all  his  people  were  formerly 
ornamented  in  this  way,  but  he  discouraged  it.  I wished  him  to 
discourage  the  practice  of  knocking  out  the  teeth  too,  but  he 
smiled,  as  if  in  that  case  the  fashion  would  be  too  strong  for  him, 
as  it  was  for  Sebituane. 

Monze  came  on  Monday  morning,  and,  on  parting,  presented 
us  with  a piece  of  a buffalo  which  had  been  killed  the  day  be- 
fore by  lions.  We  crossed  the  rivulet  Makoe,  which  runs  west- 
ward into  the  Kafue,  and  went  northward  in  order  to  visit 
Semalembue,  an  influential  chief  there.  We  slept  at  the  village 


596 


GRATITUDE  OF  THE  RELEASED  CAPTIVE. 


Bashukulompo  Mode  of  wearing  the  Hair. 


of  Monze’s  sister,  who  also  passes  by  the  same  name.  Both  lie 
and  his  sister  are  feminine  in  their  appearance,  but  disfigured  by 
the  foolish  custom  of  knocking  out  the  upper  front  teeth. 

It  is  not  often  that  jail-birds  turn  out  well,  but  the  first  person 
who  appeared  to  welcome  us  at  the  village  of  Monze’s  sister  was 
the  prisoner  we  had  released  in  the  way.  He  came  with  a 
handsome  present  of  corn  and  meal,  and,  after  praising  our  kind- 
ness to  the  villagers  who  had  assembled  around  us,  asked  them, 
“ What  do  you  stand  gazing  at  ? Don’t  you  know  that  they  have 


DIP  OF  POCKS. 


597 


mouths  like  other  people  ?”  He  then  set  off  and  brought  large 
bundles  of  grass  and  wood  for  our  comfort,  and  a pot  to  cook  our 
food  in. 

December  12th.  The  morning  presented  the  appearance  of  a 
continuous  rain  from  the  north,  the  first  time  we  had  seen  it  set 
in  from  that  quarter  in  such  a southern  latitude.  In  the  Bechu- 
ana  country,  continuous  rains  are  always  from  the  northeast  or 
east,  while  in  Londa  and  Angola  they  are  from  the  north.  At 
Pungo  Andongo,  for  instance,  the  whitewash  is  all  removed  from 
the  north  side  of  the  houses.  It  cleared  up,  however,  about  mid- 
day, find  Monze’s  sister  conducted  us  a mile  or  two  upon  the 
road.  On  parting,  she  said  that  she  had  forwarded  orders  to  a 
distant  village  .to  send  food  to  the  point  where  we  should  sleep. 
In  expressing  her  joy  at  the  prospect  of  living  in  peace,  she  said  it 
would  be  so  pleasant  “ to  sleep  without  dreaming  of  any  one  pur- 
suing them  with  a spear.” 

In  our  front  we  had  ranges  of  hills  called  Chamai,  covered 
with  trees.  We  crossed  the  rivulet  Nakachinta,  flowing  west- 
ward into  the  Kafue,  and  then  passed  over  ridges  of  rocks  of  the 
same  mica  schist  which  we  found  so  abundant  in  Golungo  Alto ; 
here  they  were  surmouted  by  reddish  porphyry  and  finely  lami- 
nated felspathic  grit  with  trap.  The  dip,  however,  of  these  rocks 
is  not  toward  the  centre  of  the  continent,  as  in  Angola,  for 
ever  since  we  passed  the  masses  of  granite  on  the  Kalomo, 
the  rocks,  chiefly  of  mica  schist,  dip  away  from  them,  taking  an 
easterly  direction.  A decided  change  of  dip  occurs  again  when 
we  come  near  the  Zambesi,  as  will  be  noticed  farther  on.  The 
hills  which  flank  that  river  now  appeared  on  our  right  as  a high 
dark  range,  while  those  near  the  Kafue  have  the  aspect  of  a low 
blue  range,  with  openings  between.  We  crossed  two  never-fail- 
ing rivulets  also  flowing  into  the  Kafue.  The  country  is  very  fer- 
tile, but  vegetation  is  nowhere  rank.  The  boiling-point  of  water 
being  204°,  showed  that  we  were  not  yet  as  low  down  as  Linyan- 
ti ; but  we  had  left  the  masuka-trees  behind  us,  and  many  others 
with  which  we  had  become  familiar.  A feature  common  to  the 
forests  of  Angola  and  Benguela,  namely,  the  presence  of  orchilla- 
weed  and  lichens  on  the  trees,  with  mosses  on  the  ground,  began 
to  appear ; but  we  never,  on  any  part  of  the  eastern  slope,  saw 
the  abundant  crops  of  ferns  which  are  met  with  eveiy  where  in 


598 


BIRDS  AND  RAIN. 


Angola.  The  orchilla  weed  and  mosses,  too,  were  in  but  small 
quantities.- 

As  we  passed  along,  the  people  continued  to  supply  us  with 
food  in  great  abundance.  They  had  by  some  means  or  other  got 
a knowledge  that  I carried  medicine,  and,  somewhat  to  the  dis- 
gust of  my  men,  who  wished  to  keep  it  all  to  themselves,  brought 
their  sick  children  for  cure.  Some  of  them  I found  had  hooping- 
cough,  which  is  one  of  the  few  epidemics  that  range  through  this 
country. 

In  passing  through  the  woods  I for  the  first  time  heard  the 
bird  called  Mokwa  reza,  or  “ Son-in-law  of  God”  (Micropogon 
sulphuratus  ?),  utter  its  cry,  which  is  supposed  by  the  natives  to 
be  “pula,  pula”  (rain,  rain).  It  is  said  to  do  this  only  before 
heavy  falls  of  rain.  It  may  be  a cuckoo,  for  it  is  said  to  throw 
out  the  eggs  of  the  white-backed  Senegal  crow,  and  lay  its  own 
instead.  This,  combined  with  the  cry  for  rain,  causes  the  bird  to 
be  regarded  with  favor.  The  crow,  on  the  other  hand,  has  a bad 
repute,  and,  when  rain  is  withheld,  its  nest  is  sought  for  and  de- 
stroyed, in  order  to  dissolve  the  charm  by  which  it  is  supposed  to 
seal  up  the  windows  of  heaven.  All  the  other  birds  now  join  in 
full  chorus  in  the  mornings,  and  two  of  them,  at  least,  have  fine 
loud  notes. 


EFFECT  OF  RAINS. 


599 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Beautiful  Valley. — Buffalo. — My  young  Men  kill  two  Elephants. — The  Hunt. — 
Mode  of  measuring  Height  of  live  Elephants. — Wild  Animals  smaller  here  than 
in  the  South,  though  their  Food  is  more  abundant.  — The  Elephant  a dainty 
Feeder. — Semalembue. — His  Presents. — Joy  in  prospect  of  living  in  Peace. — 
Trade. — His  People’s  way  of  wearing  their  Hair. — Their  Mode  of  Salutation. — 
Old  Encampment. — Sebituane’s  former  Residence. — Ford  of  Kafue. — Hippopot- 
ami.— Hills  and  Villages. — Geological  Formation. — Prodigious  Quantities  of 
large  Game. — Their  Tameness. — Rains. — Less  Sickness  than  in  the  Journey  to 
Loanda. — Reason. — Charge  from  an  Elephant. — Vast  Amount  of  animal  Life 

on  the  Zambesi. — Water  of  River  discolored. An  Island  with  Buffaloes  and 

Men  on  it. — Native  Devices  for  killing  Game. — Tsetse  now  in  Country. — Agri- 
cultural Industry. — An  Albino  murdered  by  his  Mother. — “Guilty  of  Tlolo.” — 
Women  who  make  their  Mouths  “like  those  of  Ducks.” — First  Symptom  of  the 
Slave-trade  on  this  side. — Selole’s  Hostility. — An  armed  Party  hoaxed. — An 
Italian  Marauder  slain. — Elephant’s  Tenacity  of  Life. — A Word  to  young  Sports- 
men.— Mr.  Oswell’s  Adventure  with  an  Elephant ; narrow  Escape. — Mburuma’s 
Village. — Suspicious  Conduct  of  his  People. — Guides  attempt  to  detain  us. — The 
Village  and  People  of  Ma  Mburuma. — Character  our  Guides  give  of  us. 

13 th.  The  country  is  becoming  very  beautiful,  and  furrowed 
by  deep  valleys  ; the  underlying  rocks,  being  igneous,  have  yield- 
ed fertile  soil.  There  is  great  abundance  of  large  game.  The 
buffaloes  select  open  spots,  and  often  eminences,  as  standing- 
places  through  the  day.  We  crossed  the  Mbai,  and  found  in  its 
bed  rocks  of  pink  marble.  Some  little  hills  near  it  are  capped 
by  marble  of  beautiful  whiteness,  the  underlying  rock  being- 
igneous.  Violent  showers  occur  frequently  on  the  hills,  and 
cause  such  sudden  sweeping  floods  in  these  rivulets,  that  five  of 
our  men,  who  had  gone  to  the  other  side  for  firewood,  were  obliged 
to  swim  back.  The  temperature  of  the  air  is  lowered  considera- 
bly by  the  daily  rains.  Several  times  the  thermometer  at  sunrise 
has  been  as  low  as  68°,  and  74°  at  sunset.  Generally,  however, 
it  stood  at  from  72°  to  74°  at  sunrise,  90°  to  96°  at  midday,  and 
80°  to  84°  at  sunset.  The  sensation,  however,  as  before  remark- 
ed, was  not  disagreeable. 

14 th.  We  entered  a most  beautiful  valley,  abounding  in  large 


I 


600  ELEPHANT-HUNTING. 

game.  Finding  a buffalo  lying  down,  I went  to  secure  him  for 
our  food.  Three  balls  did  not  kill  him,  and,  as  he  turned  round 
as  if  for  a charge,  we  ran  for  the  shelter  of  some  rocks.  Before 
we  gained  them,  we  found  that  three  elephants,  probably  attracted 
by  the  strange  noise,  had  cut  off  our  retreat  on  that  side ; they, 
however,  turned  short  off,  and  allowed  us  to  gain  the  rocks.  We 
then  saw  that  the  buffalo  was  moving  off  quite  briskly,  and,  in  or- 
der not  to  be  entirely  balked,  I tried  a long  shot  at  the  last  of  the 
elephants,  and,  to  the  great  joy  of  my  people,  broke  his  fore  leg. 
The  young  men  soon  brought  him  to  a stand,  and  one  shot  in  the 
brain  dispatched  him.  I was  right  glad  to  see  the  joy  manifested 
at  such  an  abundant  supply  of  meat. 

On  the  following  day,  while  my  men  were  cutting  up  the  el- 
ephant, great  numbers  of  the  villagers  came  to  enjoy  the  feast. 
We  were  on  the  side  of  a fine  green  valley,  studded  here  and 
there  with  trees,  and  cut  by  numerous  rivulets.  I had  retired 
from  the  noise,  to  take  an  observation  among  some  rocks  of 
laminated  grit,  when  I beheld  an  elephant  and  her  calf  at  the 
end  of  the  valley,  about  two  miles  distant.  The  calf  was  rolling 
in  the  mud,  and  the  dam  was  standing  fanning  herself  with  her 
great  ears.  As  I looked  at  them  through  my  glass,  I saw  a long- 
string  of  my  own  men  appearing  on  the  other  side  of  them, 
and  Sekwebu  came  and  told  me  that  these  had  gone  off  saying, 
“ Our  father  will  see  to-day  what  sort  of  men  he  has  got.”  I 
then  went  higher  up  the  side  of  the  valley,  in  order  to  have  a dis- 
tinct view  of  their  mode  of  hunting.  The  goodly  beast,  totally 
unconscious  of  the  approach  of  an  enemy,  stood  for  some  time 
suckling  her  young  one,  which  seemed  about  two  years  old  ; they 
then  went  into  a pit  containing  mud,  and  smeared  themselves 
all  over  with  it,  the  little  one  frisking  about  his  dam,  flapping  his 
ears  and  tossing  his  trunk  incessantly,  in  elephantine  fashion. 
She  kept  flapping  her  ears  and  wagging  her  tail,  as  if  in  the  height 
of  enjoyment.  Then  began  the  piping  of  her  enemies,  which  was 
performed  by  blowing  into  a tube,  or  the  hands  closed  together, 
as  boys  do  into  a key.  They  call  out  to  attract  the  animal’s  at- 
tention, 

“ O chief!  chief!  we  have  come  to  kill  you. 

O chief!  chief!  many  more  will  die  besides  you,  etc. 

The  gods  have  said  it,”  etc.,  etc. 


. 


FEMALE  ELEPHANT  PURSUED  WITH  JAVELINS,  PROTECTING  IIER  YOUNG. 


ELEPHANT-HUNTING. 


603 


Both  animals  expanded  their  ears  and  listened,  then  left  their 
bath  as  the  crowd  rushed  toward  them.  The  little  one  ran  for- 
ward toward  the  end  of  the  valley,  but,  seeing  the  men  there, 
returned  to  his  dam.  She  placed  herself  on  the  danger  side  of 
her  calf,  and  passed  her  proboscis  over  it  again  and  again,  as  if  to 
assure  it  of  safety.  She  frequently  looked  back  to  the  men,  who 
kept  up  an  incessant  shouting,  singing,  and  piping ; then  looked 
at  her  young  one  and  ran  after  it,  sometimes  sideways,  as  if  her 
feelings  were  divided  between  anxiety  to  protect  her  offspring  and 
desire  to  revenge  the  temerity  of  her  persecutors.  The  men  kept 
about  a hundred  yards  in  her  rear,  and  some  that  distance  from 
her  flanks,  and  continued  thus  until  she  was  obliged  to  cross  a 
rivulet.  The  time  spent  in  descending  and  getting  up  the  op- 
posite bank  allowed  of  their  coming  up  to  the  edge,  and  dis- 
charging their  spears  at  about  twenty  yards  distance.  After  the 
first  discharge  she  appeared  with  her  sides  red  with  blood,  and, 
beginning  to  flee  for  her  own  life,  seemed  to  think  no  more  of  her 
young.  I had  previously  sent  off  Sekwebu  with  orders  to  spare 
the  calf.  It  ran  very  fast,  but  neither  young  nor  old  ever  enter 
into  a gallop ; their  quickest  pace  is  only  a sharp  walk.  Before 
Sekwebu  could  reach  them,  the  calf  had  taken  refuge  in  the  water, 
and  was  killed.  The  pace  of  the  dam  gradually  became  slower. 
She  turned  with  a shriek  of  rage,  and  made  a furious  charge  back 
among  the  men.  They  vanished  at  right  angles  to  her  course,  or 
sideways,  and,  as  she  ran  straight  on,  she  went  through  the  whole 
party,  but  came  near  no  one  except  a man  who  wore  a piece  of 
cloth  on  his  shoulders.  Bright  clothing  is  always  dangerous  in 
these  cases.  She  charged  three  or  four  times,  and,  except  in  the 
first  instance,  never  went  farther  than  100  yards.  She  often  stood 
after  she  had  crossed  a rivulet,  and  faced  the  men,  though  she 
received  fresh  spears.  It  was  by  this  process  of  spearing  and  loss 
of  blood  that  she  was  killed ; for  at  last,  making  a short  charge, 
she  staggered  round  and  sank  down  dead  in  a kneeling  posture. 
I did  not  see  the  whole  hunt,  having  been  tempted  away  by  both 
sun  and  moon  appearing  unclouded.  I turned  from  the  spec- 
tacle of  the  destruction  of  noble  animals,  which  might  be  made 
so  useful  in  Africa,  with  a feeling  of  sickness,  and  it  was  not  re- 
lieved by  the  recollection  that  the  ivory  was  mine,  though  that 
was  the  case.  I regretted  to  see  them  killed,  and  more  especially 


604 


MODE  OF  MEASURING  ELEPHANTS. 


the  young  one,  the  meat  not  being  at  all  necessary  at  that  time ; 
but  it  is  right  to  add  that  I did  not  feel  sick  when  my  own  blood 
was  up  the  day  before.  We  ought,  perhaps,  to  judge  those  deeds 
more  leniently  in  which  we  ourselves  have  no  temptation  to 
engage.  Had  I not  been  previously  guilty  of  doing  the  very  same 
thing,  I might  have  prided  myself  on  superior  humanity  when  I 
experienced  the  nausea  in  viewing  my  men  kill  these  two. 

The  elephant  first  killed  was  a male,  not  full  grown;  his  height 
at  the  withers,  8 feet  4 inches  ; circumference  of  the  fore  foot, 
44  inches  x 2 = 7 feet  4 inches.  The  female  was  full  grown,  and 
measured  in  height  8 feet  8 inches ; circumference  of  the  fore 
foot,  48  inches  X 2 = 8 feet  (96  inches).  We  afterward  found  that 
full-grown  male  elephants  of  this  region  ranged  in  height  at  the 
withers  from  9 feet  9 inches  to  9 feet  10  inches,  and  the  circum- 
ference of  the  fore  foot  to  be  4 feet  9^  inches  x 2 = 9 feet  7 inches. 
These  details  are  given  because  the  general  rule  has  been  observed 
that  twice  the  circumference  of  the  impression  made  by  the  fore 
foot  on  the  ground  is  the  height  of  the  animal.  The  print  on  the 
ground,  being  a little  larger  than  the  foot  itself,  would  thus  seem 
to  be  an  accurate  mode  of  measuring  the  size  of  any  elephant  that 
has  passed ; but  the  above  measurements  show  that  it  is  applicable 
only  to  full-grown  animals.  The  greater  size  of  the  African  ele- 
phant in  the  south  would  at  once  distinguish  it  from  the  Indian 
one ; but  here  they  approach  more  nearly  to  each  other  in  bulk, 
a female  being  about  as  large  as  a common  Indian  male.  But 
the  ear  of  the  African  is  an  external  mark  which  no  one  will  mis- 
take even  in  a picture.  That  of  the  female  now  killed  was  4 feet 
5 inches  in  depth,  and  4 feet  in  horizontal  breadth.  I have  seen 
a native  creep  under  one  so  as  to  be  quite  covered  from  the  rain. 
The  ear  of  the  Indian  variety  is  not  more  than  a third  of  this  size. 
The  representation  of  elephants  on  ancient  coins  shows  that  this 
important  characteristic  was  distinctly  recognized  of  old.  Indeed, 
Cuvier  remarked  that  it  was  better  known  by  Aristotle  than  by 
Buffon. 

Having  been  anxious  to  learn  whether  the  African  elephant 
is  capable  of  being  tamed,  through  the  kindness  of  my  friend 
Admiral  Smythe  I am  enabled  to  give  the  reader  conclusive  evi- 
dence on  this  point.  In  the  two  medals  furnished  from  his  work, 
“A  descriptive  Catalogue  of  his  Cabinet  of  Roman  and  Imperial 


WELD  ANIMALS  SMALLEST  WHERE  FOOD  ABOUNDS.  605 


large  brass  Medals,”  the  size  of  the  ears  will  be  at  once  noted  as 
those  of  the  true  African  elephant.  They  were  even  more  docile 
than  the  Asiatic,  and  were  taught  various  feats,  as  walking  on 
ropes,  dancing,  etc.  One  of  the  coins  is  of  Faustina  senior,  the 
other  of  Severus  the  Seventh,  and  struck  A.D.  197.  These  ele- 
phants were  brought  from  Africa  to  Rome.  The  attempt  to  tame 
this  most  useful  animal  has  never  been  made  at  the  Cape,  nor  has 
one  ever  been  exhibited  in  England.  There  is  only  one  very 
young  calf  of  the  species  in  the  British  Museum. 

The  abundance  of  food  in  this  countiy,  as  compared  with  the 
south,  would  lead  one  to  suppose  that  animals  here  must  attain  a 
much  greater  size  ; but  actual  measurement  now  confirms  the 
impression  made  on  my  mind  by  the  mere  sight  of  the  animals, 
that  those  in  the  districts  north  of  20°  were  smaller  than  the 
same  races  existing  southward  of  that  latitude.  The  first  time 
that  Mr.  Oswell  and  myself  saw  full-grown  male  elephants  on 
the  River  Zouga,  they  seemed  no  larger  than  the  females  (which 
are  always  smaller  than  males)  we  had  met  on  the  Limpopo. 
There  they  attain  a height  of  upward  of  12  feet.  At  the  Zouga 
the  height  of  one  I measured  was  11  feet  4 inches,  and  in  this 
district  9 feet  10  inches.  There  is,  however,  an  increase  in  the 
size  of  the  tusks  as  we  approach  the  equator.  Unfortunately,  I 
never  made  measurements  of  other  animals  in  the  south  ; but 
the  appearance  of  the  animals  themselves  in  the  north  at  once 
produced  the  impression  on  my  mind  referred  to  as  to  their 
decrease  in  size.  When  we  first  saw  koodoos,  they  were  so  much 
smaller  than  those  we  had  been  accustomed  to  in  the  south  that 
we  doubted  whether  they  were  not  a new  kind  of  antelope ; and 
the  leche,  seen  nowhere  south  of  20°,  is  succeeded  by  the  poku  as 
we  go  north.  This  is,  in  fact,  only  a smaller  species  of  that  ante- 


606  animals  smallest  wheke  food  most  abundant. 


lope,  with  a more  reddish  color.  A great  difference  in  size  pre- 
vails also  among  domestic  animals ; but  the  influence  of  locality 
on  them  is  not  so  well  marked.  The  cattle  of  the  Batoka,  for 
instance,  are  exceedingly  small  and  very  beautiful,  possessing 
generally  great  breadth  between  the  eyes  and  a very  playful  dis- 
position. They  are  much  smaller  than  the  aboriginal  cattle  in 
the  south ; but  it  must  be  added  that  those  of  the  Barotse  valley, 
in  the  same  latitudes  as  the  Batoka,  are  large.  The  breed  may 
have  come  from  the  west,  as  the  cattle  within  the  influence  of 
the  sea  air,  as  at  Little  Fish  Bay,  Benguela,  Ambriz,  and  along 
that  coast,  are  very  large.  Those  found  at  Lake  Ngami,  with  large 
horns  and  standing  six  feet  high,  probably  come  from  the  same 
quarter.  The  goats  are  also  small,  and  domestic  fowls  through- 
out this  country  are  of  a very  small  size,  and  even  dogs,  except 
where  the  inhabitants  have  had  an  opportunity  of  improving  the 
breed  by  importation  from  the  Portuguese.  As  the  Barotse  cat- 
tle are  an  exception  to  this  general  rule,  so  are  the  Barotse  dogs, 
for  they  are  large,  savage-looking  animals,  though  in  reality  very 
cowardly.  It  is  a little  remarkable  that  a decrease  in  size  should 
occur  where  food  is  the  most  abundant ; but  tropical  climates  seem 
unfavorable  for  the  full  development  of  either  animals  or  man.  It 
is  not  from  want  of  care  in  the  breeding,  for  the  natives  always 
choose  the  larger  and  stronger  males  for  stock,  and  the  same  ar- 
rangement prevails  in  nature,  for  it  is  only  by  overcoming  their 
weaker  rivals  that  the  wild  males  obtain  possession  of  the  herd. 
Invariably  they  show  the  scars  received  in  battle.  The  elephant 
we  killed  yesterday  had  an  umbilical  hernia  as  large  as  a child’s 
head,  probably  caused  by  the  charge  of  a rival.  The  cow  showed 
scars  received  from  men  ; two  of  the  wounds  in  her  side  were  still 
unhealed,  and  there  was  an  orifice  six  inches  long,  and  open,  in  her 
proboscis,  and,  as  it  was  about  a foot  from  the  point,  it  must  have 
interfered  with  her  power  of  lifting  water. 

In  estimating  the  amount  of  food  necessary  for  these  and  other 
large  animals,  sufficient  attention  has  not  been  paid  to  the  kinds 
chosen.  The  elephant,  for  instance,  is  a most  dainty  feeder,  and 
particularly  fond  of  certain  sweet-tasted  trees  and  fruits.  He 
chooses  the  mohonono,  the  mimosa,  and  other  trees  which  contain 
much  saccharine  matter,  mucilage,  and  gum.  He  may  be  seen 
putting  his  head  to  a lofty  palmyra,  and  swaying  it  to  and  fro  to 


GEOLOGICAL  STRUCTURE. 


607 


shake  off  the  seeds  ; he  then  picks  them  up  singly  and  eats  them. 
Or  he  may  he  seen  standing  by  the  masuka  and  other  fruit-trees 
patiently  picking  off  the  sweet  fruits  one  by  one.  He  also  digs 
up  bulbs  and  tubers,  but  none  of  these  are  thoroughly  digested. 
Bruce  remarked  upon  the  undigested  bits  of  wood  seen  in  their 
droppings,  and  he  must  have  observed,  too,  that  neither  leaves  nor 
seeds  are  changed  by  passing  through  the  alimentary  canal.  The 
woody  fibre  of  roots  and  branches  is  dropped  in  the  state  of  tow, 
the  nutritious  matter  alone  having  been  extracted.  This  capabil- 
ity of  removing  all  the  nourishment,  and  the  selection  of  those 
kinds  of  food  which  contain  great  quantities  of  mucilage  and  gum, 
accounts  for  the  fact  that  herds  of  elephants  produce  but  small  ef- 
fect upon  the  vegetation  of  a country — quality  being  more  requi- 
site than  quantity.  The  amount  of  internal  fat  found  in  them 
makes  them  much  prized  by  the  inhabitants,  who  are  all  very  fond 
of  it,  both  for  food  and  ointment. 

After  leaving  the  elephant  valley  we  passed  through  a very  beau- 
tiful country,  but  thinly  inhabited  by  man.  The  underlying  rock 
is  trap,  and  dikes  of  talcose  gneiss.  The  trap  is  often  seen  tilted 
on  its  edge,  or  dipping  a little  either  to  the  north  or  south.  The 
strike  is  generally  to  the  northeast,  the  direction  we  are  going. 
About  Losito  we  found  the  trap  had  given  place  to  hornblende 
schist,  mica  schist,  and  various  schorly  rocks.  We  had  now  come 
into  the  region  in  which  the  appearance  of  the  rocks  conveys  the 
impression  of  a great  force  having  acted  along  the  bed  of  the  Zam- 
besi. Indeed,  I was  led  to  the  belief  from  seeing  the  manner  in 
which  the  rocks  have  been  thrust  away  on  both  sides  from  its  bed, 
that  the  power  which  formed  the  crack  of  the  falls  had  given 
direction  to  the  river  below,  and  opened  a bed  for  it  all  the  way 
from  the  falls  to  beyond  the  gorge  of  Lupata. 

Passing  the  rivulet  Losito,  and  through  the  ranges  of  hills,  we 
reached  the  residence  of  Semalembue  on  the  18th.  His  village 
is  situated  at  the  bottom  of  ranges  through  which  the  Kafue 
finds  a passage,  and  close  to  the  bank  of  that  river.  The  Kafue, 
sometimes  called  Kahowhe  or  Bashukulompo  River,  is  upward 
of  two  hundred  yards  wide  here,  and  full  of  hippopotami,  the 
young  of  which  may  be  seen  perched  on  the  necks  of  their 
dams.  At  this  point  we  had  reached  about  the  same  level  as 
Linyanti. 


608 


SEMALEMBUE  AND  HIS  PEOPLE. 


Semalembue  paid  us  a visit  soon  after  our  arrival,  and  said 
that  he  had  often  heard  of  me,  and  now  that  he  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  me,  he  feared  that  I should  sleep  the  first  night  at  his 
village  hungry.  This  was  considered  the  handsome  way  of  in- 
troducing a present,  for  he  then  handed  five  or  six  baskets  of 
meal  and  maize,  and  an  enormous  one  of  ground-nuts.  Next 
morning  he  gave  me  about  twenty  baskets  more  of  meal.  I could 
make  but  a poor  return  for  his  kindness,  but  he  accepted  my 
apologies  politely,  saying  that  he  knew  there  were  no  goods  in 
the  country  from  which  I had  come,  and,  in  professing  great  joy 
at  the  words  of  peace  I spoke,  he  said,  “Now  I shall  cultivate 
largely,  in  the  hope  of  eating  and  sleeping  in  peace.”  It  is  no- 
ticeable that  all  whom  we  have  yet  met  eagerly  caught  up  the 
idea  of  living  in  peace  as  the  probable  effect  of  the  Gospel.  They 
require  no  explanation  of  the  existence  of  the  Deity.  Sekwebu 
makes  use  of  the  term  “ Reza,”  and  they  appear  to  understand  at 
once.  Like  negroes  in  general,  they  have  a strong  tendency  to 
worship,  and  I heard  that  Semalembue  gets  a good  deal  of  ivory 
from  the  surrounding  tribes  on  pretense  of  having  some  supernat- 
ural power.  He  transmits  this  to  some  other  chiefs  on  the  Zam- 
besi, and  receives  in  return  English  cotton  goods  which  come  from 
Mozambique  by  Babisa  traders.  My  men  here  began  to  sell  their 
beads  and  other  ornaments  for  cotton  cloth.  Semalembue  was  ac- 
companied by  about  forty  people,  all  large  men.  They  have  much 
wool  on  their  heads,  which  is  sometimes  drawn  all  together  up  to 
the  crown,  and  tied  there  in  a large  tapering  bunch.  The  fore- 
head and  round  by  the  ears  is  shaven  close  to  the  base  of  this 
tuft.  Others  draw  out  the  hair  on  one  side,  and  twist  it  into  lit- 
tle strings.  The  rest  is  taken  over,  and  hangs  above  the  ear, 
which  gives  the  appearance  of  having  a cap  cocked  jauntily  on  the 
side  of  the  head. 

The  mode  of  salutation  is  by  clapping  the  hands.  Various 
parties  of  women  came  from  the  surrounding  villages  to  see  the 
white  man,  but  all  seemed  very  much  afraid.  Their  fear,  which 
I seldom  could  allay,  made  them,  when  addressed,  clap  their  hands 
with  increasing  vigor.  Sekwebu  was  the  only  one  of  the  Mako- 
lolo  who  knew  this  part  of  the  country ; and  this  was  the  region 
which  to  his  mind  was  best  adapted  for  the  residence  of  a tribe. 
The  natives  generally  have  a good  idea  of  the  nature  of  the  soil 
and  pasturage,  and  Sekwebu  expatiated  with  great  eloquence  on 


TILE  KAFUE.  ~ 


609 


the  capabilities  of  this  part  for  supplying  the  wants  of  the  Mako- 
lolo.  There  is  certainly  abundance  of  room  at  present  in  the 
country  for  thousands  and  thousands  more  of  population. 

We  passed  near  the  Losito,  a former  encampment  of  the  Mate- 
bele,  with  whom  Lekwebu  had  lived.  At  the  sight  of  the  bones 
of  the  oxen  they  had  devoured,  and  the  spot  where  savage  dances 
had  taken  place,  though  all  deserted  now,  the  poor  fellow  burst 
out  into  a wild  Matebele  song.  He  pointed  out  also  a district, 
about  two  days  and  a half  west  of  Semalembue,  where  Sebituane 
had  formerly  dwelt.  There  is  a hot  fountain  on  the  hills  there 
named  “Nakalombo,”  which  may  be  seen  at  a distance  emitting 
steam.  “ There,”  said  Sekwebu,  “ had  your  Molekane  (Sebitu- 
ane) been  alive,  he  would  have  brought  you  to  live  with  him.  You 
would  be  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  and,  by  taking  canoes,  you 
would  at  once  sail  down  to  the  Zambesi,  and  visit  the  white  peo- 
ple at  the  sea.” 

This  part  is  a favorite  one  with  the  Makololo,  and  probably  it 
would  be  a good  one  in  which  to  form  a centre  of  civilization. 
There  is  a large,  flat  district  of  country  to  the  north,  said  to  be 
peopled  by  the  Bashukulompo  and  other  tribes,  who  cultivate  the 
ground  to  a great  extent,  and  raise  vast  quantities  of  grain,  ground- 
nuts, sweet  potatoes,  etc.  They  also  grow  sugar-cane.  If  they 
were  certain  of  a market,  I believe  they  would  not  be  unwilling 
to  cultivate  cotton  too,  but  they  have  not  been  accustomed  to  the 
peaceful  pursuits  of  commerce.  All  are  fond  of  trade,  but  they 
have  been  taught  none  save  that  in  ivory  and  slaves. 

The  Kafue  enters  a narrow  gorge  close  by  the  village  of  Sema- 
lembue ; as  the  hill  on  the  north  is  called  Bolengwe,  I apply  that 
name  to  the  gorge  (lat.  15°  48'  19"  S.,  long.  28°  22'  E.).  Sema- 
lembue said  that  he  ought  to  see  us  over  the  river,  so  he  accom- 
panied us  to  a pass  about  a mile  south  of  his  village,  and  when 
we  entered  among  the  hills  we  found  the  ford  of  the  Kafue.  On 
parting  with  Semalembue  I put  on  him  a shirt,  and  he  went  away 
with  it  apparently  much  delighted. 

The  ford  was  at  least  250  yards  broad,  but  rocky  and  shallow. 
After  crossing  it  in  a canoe,  we  went  along  the  left  bank,  and 
were  completely  shut  in  by  high  hills.  Every  available  spot 
between  the  river  and  the  hills  is  under  cultivation ; and  the 
residence  of  the  people  here  is  intended  to  secure  safety  for 

Q Q 


610 


HILLS  AND  VILLAGES. 


themselves  and  their  gardens  from  their  enemies ; there  is  plenty 
of  garden-ground  outside  the  hills  ; here  they  are  obliged  to  make 
pitfalls  to  protect  the  grain  against  the  hippopotami.  As  these 
animals  had  not  been  disturbed  by  guns,  they  were  remarkably 
tame,  and  took  no  notice  of  our  passing.  We  again  saw  numbers 
of  young  ones,  not  much  larger  than  terrier  dogs,  sitting  on  the 
necks  of  their  dams,  the  little  saucy-looking  heads  cocking  up  be- 
tween the  old  one’s  ears ; as  they  become  a little  older  they  sit 
on  the  withers.  Needing  meat,  we  shot  a full-grown  cow,  and 
found,  as  we  had  often  done  before,  the  flesh  to  be  very  much  like 
pork.  The  height  of  this  animal  was  4 feet  10  inches,  and  from 
the  point  of  the  nose  to  the  root  of  the  tail  10  feet  6.  They  seem 
quarrelsome,  for  both  males  and  females  are  found  covered  with 
scars,  and  young  males  are  often  killed  by  the  elder  ones : we  met 
an  instance  of  this  near  the  falls. 

We  came  to  a great  many  little  villages  among  the  hills,  as  if 
the  inhabitants  had  reason  to  hide  themselves  from  the  observa- 
tion of  their  enemies.  While  detained  cutting  up  the  hippopot- 
amus, I ascended  a hill  called  Mabue  asula  (stones  smell  badly), 
and,  though  not  the  highest  in  sight,  it  was  certainly  not  100  feet 
lower  than  the  most  elevated.  The  boiling-point  of  water  show- 
ed it  to  be  about  900  feet  above  the  river,  which  was  of  the 
level  of  Linyanti.  These  hills  seemed  to  my  men  of  prodigious 
altitude,  for  they  had  been  accustomed  to  ant-hills  only.  The 
mention  of  mountains  that  pierced  the  clouds  made  them  draw  in 
their  breath  and  hold  their  hands  to  their  mouths.  And  when  I 
told  them  that  their  previous  description  of  Taba  cheu  had  led 
me  to  expect  something  of  the  sort,  I found  that  the  idea  of  a 
cloud-capped  mountain  had  never  entered  into  their  heads.  The 
mountains  certainly  look  high,  from  having  abrupt  sides ; but 
I had  recognized  the  fact  by  the  point  4of  ebullition  of  water, 
that  they  are  of  a considerably  lower  altitude  than  the  top  of  the 
ridge  we  had  left.  They  constitute,  in  fact,  a sort  of  low  fringe  on 
the  outside  of  the  eastern  ridge,  exactly  as  the  (apparently)  high 
mountains  of  Angola  (Golungo  Alto)  form  an  outer  low  fringe  to 
the  western  ridge.  I was  much  struck  by  the  similarity  of  confor- 
mation and  nature  of  the  rocks  on  both  sides  of  the  continent ; but 
there  is  a difference  in  the  structure  of  the  subtending  ridges,  as 
may  be  understood  by  the  annexed  ideal  geological  section. 


IDEAL  SECTION  ACROSS  SOUTH  CENTRAL  AFRICA, 

INTENDED  TO  SHOW  THE  ELEVATED  VALLEY  FORM  OF  THAT  PORTION  OF  THE  CONTINENT. 


To  face  page  CIO. 


GEOLOGICAL  FORMATION. 


611 


We  can  see  from  this  hill  five  distinct  ranges,  of  which  Bolengo 
is  the  most  westerly,  and  Komanga  is  the  most  easterly.  The 
second  is  named  Sekonkamena,  and  the  third  Funze.  Very  many 
conical  hills  appear  among  them,  and  they  are  generally  covered 
with  trees.  On  their  tops  we  have  beautiful  white  quartz  rocks, 
and  some  have  a capping  of  dolomite.  On  the  west  of  the 
second  range  we  have  great  masses  of  kyanite  or  disthene,  and 
on  the  flanks  of  the  third  and  fourth  a great  deal  of  specular 
iron  ore  which  is  magnetic,  and  rounded  pieces  of  black  iron 
ore,  also  strongly  magnetic,  and  containing  a very  large  per- 
centage of  the  metal.  The  sides  of  these  ranges  are  generally 
very  precipitous,  and  there  are  rivulets  between  which  are  not 
perennial.  Many  of  the  hills  have  been  raised  by  granite,  ex- 
actly like  that  of  the  Kalomo.  Dikes  of  this  granite  may  be 
seen  thrusting  up  immense  masses  of  mica  schist  and  quartz 
or  sandstone  schist,  and  making  the  strata  fold  over  them  on 
each  side,  as  clothes  hung  upon  a line.  The  uppermost  stratum 
is  always  dolomite  or  bright  white  quartz.  Semalembue  intend- 
ed that  we  should  go  a little  to  the  northeast,  and  pass  through 
the  people  called  Babimpe,  and  we  saw  some  of  that  people,  who 
invited  us  to  come  that  way  on  account  of  its  being  smoother ; but, 
feeling  anxious  to  get  back  to  the  Zambesi  again,  we  decided  to 
cross  the  hills  toward  its  confluence  with  the  Kafue.  The  dis- 
tance, which  in  a straight  line  is  but  small,  occupied  three  days. 
The  precipitous  nature  of  the  sides  of  this  mass  of  hills  knocked 
up  the  oxen  and  forced  us  to  slaughter  two,  one  of  which,  a very 
large  one,  and  ornamented  with  upward  of  thirty  pieces  of  its  own 
skin  detached  and  hanging  down,  Sekeletu  had  wished  us  to  take 
to  the  white  people  as  a specimen  of  his  cattle.  We  saw  many 
elephants  among  the  hills,  and  my  men  ran  off-  and  killed  three. 
When  we  came  to  the  top  of  the  outer  range  of  the  hills  we  had 
a glorious  view.  At  a short  distance  below  us  we  saw  the  Kafue, 
wending  away  over  a forest-clad  plain  to  the  confluence,  and  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Zambesi,  beyond  that,  lay  a long  range  of 
dark  hills.  A line  of  fleecy  clouds  appeared  lying  along  the  course 
of  that  river  at  their  base.  The  plain  below  us,  at  the  left  of 
the  Kafue,  had  more  large  game  on  it  than  any  where  else  I had 
seen  in  Africa.  Hundreds  of  buffaloes  and  zebras  grazed  on  the 
open  spaces,  and  there  stood  lordly  elephants  feeding  majestically, 


612 


THE  TSETSE. 


nothing  moving  apparently  hut  the  proboscis.  I wished  that  I 
had  been  able  to  take  a photograph  of  a scene  so  seldom  beheld, 
and  which  is  destined,  as  guns  increase,  to  pass  away  from  earth. 
When  we  descended  we  found  all  the  animals  remarkably  tame. 
The  elephants  stood  beneath  the  trees,  fanning  themselves  with 
their  large  ears,  as  if  they  did  not  see  us  at  200  or  300  yards  dis- 
tance. The  number  of  animals  was  quite  astonishing,  and  made 
me  think  that  here  I could  realize  an  image  of  that  time  when 
Megatheria  fed  undisturbed  in  the  primeval  forests.  We  saw 
great  numbers  of  red-colored  pigs  ( Potamochoerus ) standing 
gazing  at  us  in  wonder.  The  people  live  on  the  hills,  and, 
having  no  guns,  seldom  disturb  the  game.  They  have  never 
been  visited,  even  by  half-castes ; but  Babisa  traders  have  come 
occasionally.  Continuous  rains  kept  us  for  some  time  on  the 
banks  of  the  Chiponga,  and  here  we  were  unfortunate  enough  to 
come  among  the  tsetse.  Mr.  J.  N.  Gray,  of  the  British  Museum, 
has  kindly  obliged  me  with  a drawing  of  the  insect,  with  the  rav- 
ages of  which  I have  unfortunately  been  too  familiar.  (For  de- 
scription, see  p.  94-96.)  No.  1 is  the  insect  somewhat  smaller 


1.  The  Tsetse.  2.  The  same  magnified.  3.  The  Proboscis. 

than  life,  from  the  specimen  having  contracted  in  drying;  they 
are  a little  larger  than  the  common  house-fly.  No.  2 is  the 


IMPROVED  HEALTH : THE  REASON.  613 

insect  magnified ; and  No.  3 shows  the  magnified  proboscis,  and 
poison-bulb  at  the  root. 

We  tried  to  leave  one  morning,  but  the  rain  coming  on  afresh 
brought  us  to  a stand,  and  after  waiting  an  hour,  wet  to  the 
skin,  we  were  fain  to  retrace  our  steps  to  our  sheds.  These 
rains  were  from  the  east,  and  the  clouds  might  be  seen  on  the 
hills  exactly  as  the  “ Table-cloth”  on  Table  Mountain.  This 
was  the  first  wetting  we  had  got  since  we  left  Sesheke,  for  I had 
gained  some  experience  in  traveling.  In  Londa  we  braved  the 
rain,  and,  as  I despised  being  carried  in  our  frequent  passage 
through  running  water,  I was  pretty  constantly  drenched ; but 
now,  -when  we  saw  a storm  coming,  we  invariably  halted.  The 
men  soon  pulled  grass  sufficient  to  make  a little  shelter  for  them- 
selves by  placing  it  on  a bush,  and,  having  got  my  camp-stool  and 
umbrella,  with  a little  grass  under  my  feet,  I kept  myself  perfect- 
ly dry.  We  also  lighted  large  fires,  and  the  men  were  not  chilled 
by  streams  of  water  running  down  their  persons,  and  abstracting 
the  heat,  as  they  would  have  been  had  they  been  exposed  to  the 
rain.  When  it  was  over  they  warmed  themselves  by  the  fires, 
and  we  traveled  on  comfortably.  The  effect  of  this  care  was,  that 
we  had  much  less  sickness  than  with  a smaller  party  in  journey- 
ing to  Loanda.  Another  improvement  made  from  my  experience 
was  avoiding  an  entire  change  of  diet.  In  going  to  Loanda  I took 
little  or  no  European  food,  in  order  not  to  burden  my  men  and 
make  them  lose  spirit,  but  trusted  entirely  to  what  might  be  got 
by  the  gun  and  the  liberality  of  the  Balonda ; but  on  this  journey 
I took  some  flour  which  had  been  left  in  the  wagon,  with  some 
got  on  the  island,  and  baked  my  own  bread  all  the  wTay  in  an  ex- 
temporaneous oven  made  by  an  inverted  pot.  With  these  pre- 
cautions, aided,  no  doubt,  by  the  greater  healthiness  of  the  dis- 
trict over  which  we  passed,  I enjoyed  perfect  health. 

When  we  left  the  Chipongo  on  the  30th  we  passed  among  the 
range  of  hills  on  our  left,  which  are  composed  of  mica  and 
clay  slate.  At  the  bottom  we  found  a forest  of  large  silicified 
trees,  all  lying  as  if  the  elevation  of  the  range  had  made  them 
fall  away  from  it,  and  toward  the  river.  An  ordinary-sized  tree 
standing  on  end,  measured  22  inches  in  diameter:  there  were 
12  laminae  to  the  inch.  These  are  easily  counted,  because  there 
is  usually  a scale  of  pure  silica  between  each,  which  has  not  been 


614 


CHARGE  OF  AN  ELEPHANT. 


so  much  affected  by  the  weather  as  the  rest  of  the  ring  itself: 
the  edges  of  the  rings  thus  stand  out  plainly.  Mr.  Quekett,  hav- 
ing kindly  examined  some  specimens,  finds  that  it  is  “ silicified 
coniferous  wood  of  the  Araucakian  type ; and  the  nearest  allied 
wood  that  he  knows  of  is  that  found,  also  in  a fossil  state,  in 
New  South  Wales.”  The  numbers  of  large  game  were  quite 
astonishing.  I never  saw  elephants  so  tame  as  those  near  the 
Chiponga : they  stood  close  to  our  path  without  being  the  least 
afraid.  This  is  different  from  their  conduct  where  they  have 
been  accustomed  to  guns,  for  there  they  take  alarm  at  the  dis- 
tance of  a mile,  and  begin  to  run  if  a shot  is  fired  even  at  a 
longer  distance.  My  men  killed  another  here,  and  rewarded  the 
villagers  of  the  Chiponga  for  their  liberality  in  meal  by  loading 
them  with  flesh.  We  spent  a night  at  a baobab,  which  was  hol- 
low, and  would  hold  twenty  men  inside.  It  had  been  used  as  a 
lodging-house  by  the  Babisa. 

As  we  approached  nearer  the  Zambesi,  the  country  became 
covered  with  broad-leaved  bushes,  pretty  thickly  planted,  and  we 
had  several  times  to  shout  to  elephants  to  get  out  of  our  way. 
At  an  open  space,  a herd  of  buffaloes  came  trotting  up  to  look  at 
our  oxen,  and  it  was  only  by  shooting  one  that  I made  them 
retreat.  The  meat  is  very  much  like  that  of  an  ox,  and  this  one 
was  very  fine.  The  only  danger  we  actually  encountered  was 
from  a female  elephant,  with  three  young  ones  of  different  sizes. 
Charging  through  the  centre  of  our  extended  line,  and  causing 
the  men  to  throw  down  their  burdens  in  a great  hurry,  she 
received  a spear  for  her  temerity.  I never  saw  an  elephant  with 
more  than  one  calf  before.  We  knew  that  we  were  near  our 
Zambesi  again,  even  before  the  great  river  burst  upon  our  sight, 
by  the  numbers  of  water-fowl  we  met.  I killed  four  geese  with 
two  shots,  and,  had  I followed  the  wishes  of  my  men,  could 
have  secured  a meal  of  water-fowl  for  the  whole  party.  I never 
saw  a river  with  so  much  animal  life  around  and  in  it,  and,  as  the 
Barotse  say,  “Its  fish  and  fowl  are  always  fat.”  When  our  eyes 
were  gladdened  by  a view  of  its  goodly  broad  waters,  we  found  it 
very  much  larger  than  it  is  even  above  the  falls.  One  might  try 
to  make  his  voice  heard  across  it  in  vain.  Its  flow  was  more  rapid 
than  near  Sesheke,  being  often  four  and  a half  miles  an  hour,  and, 
what  I never  saw  before,  the  water  was  discolored  and  of  a deep 


THE  ZAMBESI— ISLAND  OF  MENYE. 


615 


brownish-red.  In  the  great  valley  the  Leeambye  never  becomes 
of  this  color.  The  adjacent  country,  so  far  north  as  is  known,  is 
all  level,  and  the  soil,  being  generally  covered  with  dense  herbage, 
is  not  abraded  ; but  on  the  eastern  ridge  the  case  is  different ; 
the  grass  is  short,  and,  the  elevation  being  great,  the  soil  is  wash- 
ed down  by  the  streams,  and  hence  the  discoloration  which  we  nowr 
view.  The  same  thing  was  observed  on  the  western  ridge.  We 
never  saw  discoloration  till  wTe  reached  the  Quango ; that  ob- 
tained its  matter  from  the  western  slope  of  the  western  ridge, 
just  as  this  part  of  the  Zambesi  receives  its  soil  from  the  eastern 
slope  of  the  eastern  ridge.  It  carried  a considerable  quantity  of 
wreck  of  reeds,  sticks,  and  trees.  We  struck  upon  the  river 
about  eight  miles  east  of  the  confluence  with  the  Kafue,  and 
thereby  missed  a sight  of  that  interesting  point.  The  cloudiness 
of  the  weather  was  such  that  but  few  observations  could  be  made 
for  determining  our  position ; so,  pursuing  our  course,  we  went 
down  the  left  bank,  and  came  opposite  the  island  of  Menye  mak- 
aba.  The  Zambesi  contains  numerous  islands  ; this  was  about  a 
mile  and  a half  or  two  miles  long,  and  upward  of  a quarter  of 
a mile  broad.  Besides  human  population,  it  has  a herd  of  buffa- 
loes that  never  leave  it.  In  the  distance  they  seemed  to  be 
upward  of  sixty.  The  human  and  brute  inhabitants  understand 
each  other ; for  when  the  former  think  they  ought  to  avenge  the 
liberties  committed  on  their  gardens,  the  leaders  of  the  latter 
come  out  boldly  to  give  battle.  They  told  us  that  the  only  time 
in  which  they  can  thin  them  is  when  the  river  is  full  and  part  of 
the  island  flooded.  They  then  attack  them  from  their  canoes. 
The  comparatively  small  space  to  which  they  have  confined 
themselves  shows  how  luxuriant  the  vegetation  of  this  region  is ; 
for  were  they  in  want  of  more  pasture,  as  buffaloes  can  swim  well, 
and  the  distance  from  this  bank  to  the  island  is  not  much  more 
than  200  yards,  they  might  easily  remove  hither.  The  opposite 
bank  is  much  more  distant. 

Ranges'  of  hills  appear  now  to  run  parallel  with  the  Zambesi, 
and  are  about  fifteen  miles  apart.  Those  on  the  north  approach 
nearest  to  the  river.  The  inhabitants  on  that  side  are  the 
Batonga,  those  on  the  south  bank  are  the  Banyai.  The  hills 
abound  in  buffaloes,  and  elephants  are  numerous,  and  many  are 
killed  by  the  people  on  both  banks.  They  erect  stages  on 


616 


DEVICES  FOR  KILLING  GAME. 


high  trees  overhanging  the  paths  by  which  the  elephants  come,  and 
then  use  a large  spear  with  a handle  nearly  as  thick  as  a man’s 
wrist,  and  four  or  five  feet  long.  When  the  animal  comes  beneath 
they  throw  the  spear,  and  if  it  enters  between  the  ribs  above,  as 
the  blade  is  at  least  twenty  inches  long  by  two  broad,  the  motion 
of  the  handle,  as  it  is  aided  by  knocking  against  the  trees,  makes 
frightful  gashes  within,  and  soon  causes  death.  They  kill  them 
also  by  means  of  a spear  inserted  in  a beam  of  wood,  which  being 
suspended  on  the  branch  of  a tree  by  a cord  attached  to  a latch 
fastened  in  the  path,  and  intended  to  be  struck  by  the  animal’s 
foot,  leads  to  the  fall  of  the  beam,  and,  the  spear  being  poisoned, 
causes  death  in  a few  hours. 

We  were  detained  by  continuous  rains  several  days  at  this 
island.  The  clouds  rested  upon  the  tops  of  the  hills  as  they  came 
from  the  eastward,  and  then  poured  down  plenteous  showers  on 
the  valleys  below.  As  soon  as  we  could  move,  Tomba  Nyama, 
the  head  man  of  the  island,  volunteered  the  loan  of  a canoe  to 
cross  a small  river,  called  the  Chongwe,  which  we  found  to  be 
about  fifty  or  sixty  yards  broad  and  flooded.  All  this  part  of  the 
country  was  well  known  to  Sekwebu,  and  he  informed  us  that, 
when  he  passed  through  it  as  a boy,  the  inhabitants  possessed 
abundance  of  cattle,  and  there  were  no  tsetse.  The  existence  of 
the  insect  now  shows  that  it  may  return  in  cpmpany  with  the 
larger  game.  The  vegetation  along  the  bank  was  exceedingly 
rank,  and  the  bushes  so  tangled  that  it  was  difficult  to  get  on. 
The  paths  had  been  made  by  the  wild  animals  alone,  for  the  gen- 
eral pathway  of  the  people  is  the  river,  in  their  canoes.  We  usually 
followed  the  footpaths  of  the  game,  and  of  these  there  was  no  lack. 
Buffaloes,  zebras,  pallahs,  and  waterbucks  abound,  and  there  is  also 
a great  abundance  of  wild  pigs,  koodoos,  and  the  black  antelope. 
We  got  one  buffalo  as  he  was  rolling  himself  in  a pool  of  mud. 
He  had  a large  piece  of  skin  torn  off  his  flank,  it  was  believed  by 
an  alligator. 

We  were  struck  by  the  fact  that,  as  soon  as  we  came  between 
the  ranges  of  hills  which  flank  the  Zambesi,  the  rains  felt  warm. 
At  sunrise  the  thermometer  stood  at  from  82°  to  86°;  at  midday, 
in  the  coolest  shade,  namely,  in  my  little  tent,  under  a shady  tree, 
at  96°  to  98° ; and  at  sunset  it  was  86°.  This  is  different  from  any 
thing  we  experienced  in  the  interior,  for  these  rains  always  bring 


AN  ALBINO  MURDERED  BY  HIS  MOTHER. 


617 


down  the  mercury  to  72°  or  even  68°.  There,  too,  we  found  a 
small  black  coleopterous  insect,  which  stung  like  the  musquito, 
but  injected  less  poison  ; it  puts  us  in  mind  of  that  insect,  which 
does  not  exist  in  the  high  lands  we  had  left. 

January  6tli,  1856.  Each  village  we  passed  furnished  us  with 
a couple  of  men  to  take  us  on  to  the  next.  They  were  useful  in 
showing  us  the  parts  least  covered  with  jungle.  When  we  came 
near  a village,  we  saw  men,  women,  and  children  employed  in 
weeding  their  gardens,  they  being  great  agriculturists.  Most  of 
the  men  are  muscular,  and  have  large  plowman  hands.  Their 
color  is  the  same  admixture,  from  very  dark  to  light  olive,  that 
we  saw  in  Londa.  Though  all  have  thick  lips  and  flat  noses, 
only  the  more  degraded  of  the  population  possess  the  ugly  negro 
physiognomy.  They  mark  themselves  by  a line  of  little  raised 
cicatrices,  each  of  which  is  a quarter  of  an  inch  long;  they  ex- 
tend from  the  tip  of  the  nose  to  the  root  of  the  hair  on  the 
forehead.  It  is  remarkable  that  I never  met  with  an  Albino  in 
crossing  Africa,  though,  from  accounts  published  by  the  Portu- 
guese, I was  led  to  expect  that  they  were  held  in  favor  as  doc- 
tors by  certain  chiefs.  I saw  several  in  the  south  : one  at  Kuru- 
man  is  a full-grown  woman,  and  a man  having  this  peculiarity 
of  skin  was  met  with  in  the  colony.  Their  bodies  are  always 
blistered  on  exposure  to  the  sun,  as  the  skin  is  more  tender  than 
that  of  the  blacks.  The  Kuruman  woman  lived  some  time  at 
Kolobeng,  and  generally  had  on  her  bosom  and  shoulders  the 
remains  of  large  blisters.  She  was  most  anxious  to  be  made 
black,  but  nitrate  of  silver,  taken  internally,  did  not  produce  its 
usual  effect.  During  the  time  I resided  at  Mabotsa,  a woman 
came  to  the  station  with  a fine  boy,  an  Albino.  The  father  had 
ordered  her  to  throw  him  away,  but  she  clung  to  her  offspring  for 
many  years.  He  was  remarkably  intelligent  for  his  age.  The 
pupil  of  the  eye  was  of  a pink  color,  and  the  eye  itself  was  un- 
steady in  vision.  The  hair,  or  rather  wool,  was  yellow,  and  the 
features  were  those  common  among  the  Bechuanas.  After  I left 
the  place  the  mother  is  said  to  have  become  tired  of  living  apart 
from  the  father,  who  refused  to  have  her  while  she  retained  the 
son.  She  took  him  out  one  day,  and  killed  him  close  to  the  vil- 
lage of  Mabotsa,  and  nothing  was  done  to  her  by  the  authorities. 
From  having  met  with  no  Albinos  in  Londa,  I suspect  they  are 


618 


TLOLO.”— IDEA  OF  FEMALE  BEAUTY. 


there  also  put  to  death.  We  saw  one  dwarf  only  in  Londa,  and 
brands  on  him  showed  he  had  once  been  a slave ; and  there  is 
one  dwarf  woman  at  Linyanti.  The  general  absence  of  deformed 
persons  is  partly  owing  to  their  destruction  in  infancy,  and  partly 
to  the  mode  of  life  being  a natural  one,  so  far  as  ventilation 
and  food  are  concerned.  They  use  but  few  unwholesome  mix- 
tures as  condiments,  and,  though  their  undress  exposes  them  to 
the  vicissitudes  of  the  temperature,  it  does  not  harbor  vomites. 
It  was  observed  that,  when  smallpox  and  measles  visited  the  coun- 
try, they  were  most  severe  on  the  half-castes  who  were  clothed. 
In  several  tribes,  a child  which  is  said  to  “ tlola,”  transgress, 
is  put  to  death.  “Tlolo,”  or  transgression,  is  ascribed  to  sev- 
eral curious  cases.  A child  who  cut  the  upper  front  teeth  be- 
fore the  under  was  always  put  to  death  among  the  Bakaa,  and, 
I believe,  also  among  the  Bakwains.  In  some  tribes,  a case  of 
twins  renders  one  of  them  liable  to  death  ; and  an  ox,  Avhich, 
while  lying  in  the  pen,  beats  the  ground  with  its  tail,  is  treated 
in  the  same  way.  It  is  thought  to  be  calling  death  to  visit  the 
tribe.  When  I was  coming  through  Londa,  my  men  carried  a 
great  number  of  fowls,  of  a larger  breed  than  any  they  had  at 
home.  If  one  crowed  before  midnight,  it  had  been  guilty  of  “ tlo- 
lo,” and  was  killed.  The  men  often  carried  them  sitting  on  their 
guns,  and,  if  one  began  to  crow  in  a forest,  the  owner  would  give 
it  a beating,  by  way  of  teaching  it  not  to  be  guilty  of  crowing  at 
unseasonable  hours. 

The  women  here  are  in  the  habit  of  piercing  the  upper  lip,  and 
gradually  enlarging  the  orifice  until  they  can  insert  a shell.  The 
lip  then  appears  drawn  out  beyond  the  perpendicular  of  the  nose, 
and  gives  them  a most  ungainly  aspect.  Sekwebu  remarked, 
“ These  women  want  to  make  their  mouths  like  those  of  ducks 
and,  indeed,  it  does  appear  as  if  they  had  the  idea  that  female 
beauty  of  lip  had  been  attained  by  the  Ornithorhynchus paradox- 
us  alone.  This  custom  prevails  throughout  the  country  of  the 
Maravi,  and  no  one  could  see  it  without  confessing  that  fashion 
had  never  led  women  to  a freak  more  mad.  We  had  rains  now 
every  day,  and  considerable  cloudiness,  but  the  sun  often  burst 
through  with  scorching  intensity.  All  call  out  against  it  then, 
saying,  “ O the  sun  ! that  is  rain  again.”  It  was  worth  noticing 
that  my  companions  never  complained  of  the  heat  while  on  the 


SELOLE’S  HOSTILITY. 


619 


highlands,  hut  when  we  descended  into  the  lowlands  of  Angola, 
and  here  also,  they  began  to  fret  on  account  of  it.  I myself  felt 
an  oppressive  steaminess  in  the  atmosphere  which  I had  not  ex- 
perienced on  the  higher  lands. 

As  the  game  was  abundant  and  my  party  very  large,  I had 
still  to  supply  their  wants  with  the  gun.  We  slaughtered  the 
oxen  only  when  unsuccessful  in  hunting.  We  always  entered 
into  friendly  relations  with  the  head  men  of  the  different  villages, 
and  they  presented  grain  and  other  food  freely.  One  man  gave  a 
basinful  of  rice,  the  first  we  met  with  in  the  country.  It  is  never 
seen  in  the  interior.  lie  said  he  knew  it  was  “ white  man’s 
corn,”  and  when  I wished  to  buy  some  more,  he  asked  me  to  give 
him  a slave.  This  was  the  first  symptom  of  the  slave-trade  on 
this  side  of  the  country.  The  last  of  these  friendly  head  men 
was  named  Mobala ; and  having  passed  him  in  peace,  we  had  no 
anticipation  of  any  thing  else ; but,  after  a few  hours,  we  reached 
Selole  or  Chilole,  and  found  that  he  not  only  considered  us  ene- 
mies, but  had  actually  sent  an  express  to  raise  the  tribe  of  Mbu- 
ruma against  us.  All  the  women  of  Selole  had  fled,  and  the  few 
people  we  met  exhibited  symptoms  of  terror.  An  armed  party 
had  come  from  Mburuma  in  obedience  to  the  call ; but  the  head 
man  of  the  company,  being  Mburuma’s  brother,  suspecting  that 
it  was  a hoax,  came  to  our  encampment  and  told  us  the  whole. 
When  we  explained  our  objects,  he  told  us  that  Mburuma,  he  had 
no  doubt,  would  receive  us  well.  The  reason  why  Selole  acted 
in  this  foolish  manner  we  afterward  found  to  be  this : an  Italian 
named  Simoens,  and  nicknamed  Siriatomba  (don’t  eat  tobacco), 
had  married  the  daughter  of  a chief  called  Sekokole,  living  north 
of  Tete.  He  armed  a party  of  fifty  slaves  with  guns,  and,  as- 
cending the  river  in  canoes  some  distance  beyond  the  island  Meya 
makaba,  attacked  several  inhabited  islands  beyond,  securing  a 
large  number  of  prisoners,  and  much  ivory.  On  his  return,  the 
different  chiefs,  at  the  instigation  of  his  father-in-law,  who  also  did 
not  wish  him  to  set  up  as  a chief,  united,  attacked  and  dispersed 
the  party  of  Simoens,  and  killed  him  while  trying  to  escape  on 
foot.  Selole  imagined  that  I was  another  Italian,  or,  as  he  express- 
ed it,“  Siriatomba  risen  from  the  dead.”  In  his  message  to  Mbu- 
ruma he  even  said  that  Mobala,  and  all  the  villages  beyond,  were 
utterly  destroyed  by  our  fire-arms,  but  the  sight  of  Mobala  him- 


620 


ELEPHANTS’  TENACITY  OF  LIFE. 


self,  who  had  come  to  the  village  of  Selole,  led  the  brother  of 
Mburuma  to  see  at  once  that  it  was  all  a hoax.  But  for  this,  the 
foolish  fellow  Selole  might  have  given  us  trouble. 

We  saw  many  of  the  liberated  captives  of  this  Italian  among 
the  villages  here,  and  Sekwebu  found  them  to  be  Matebele.  The 
brother  of  Mburuma  had  a gun,  which  was  the  first  we  had  seen 
in  coming  eastward.  Before  we  reached  Mburuma  my  men  went 
to  attack  a troop  of  elephants,  as  they  were  much  in  need  of  meat. 
When  the  troop  began  to  run,  one  of  them  fell  into  a hole,  and 
before  he  could  extricate  himself  an  opportunity  was  afforded  for 
all  the  men  to  throw  their  spears.  When  he  rose  he  was  like  a 
huge  porcupine,  for  each  of  the  seventy  or  eighty  men  had  dis- 
charged more  than  one  spear  at  him.  As  they  had  no  more, 
they  sent  for  me  to  finish  him.  In  order  to  put  him  at  once  out 
of  pain,  I went  to  within  twenty  yards,  there  being  a bank  be- 
tween us  which  he  could  not  readily  climb.  I rested  the  gun 
upon  an  ant-hill  so  as  to  take  a steady  aim ; but,  though  I fired 
twelve  two-ounce  bullets,  all  I had,  into  different  parts,  I could 
not  kill  him.  As  it  was  becoming  dark,  I advised  my  men  to 
let  him  stand,  being  sure  of  finding  him  dead  in  the  morning ; 
but,  though  we  searched  all  the  next  day,  and  went  more  than 
ten  miles,  we  never  saw  him  again.  I mention  this  to  young 
men  who  may  think  that  they  will  be  able  to  hunt  elephants  on 
foot  by  adopting  the  Ceylon  practice  of  killing  them  by  one  ball 
in  the  brain.  I believe  that  in  Africa  the  practice  of  standing  be- 
fore an  elephant,  expecting  to  kill  him  with  one  shot,  would  be 
certain  death  to  the  hunter ; and  I would  add,  for  the  information 
of  those  who  may  think  that,  because  I met  with  a great  abun- 
dance of  game  here,  they  also  might  find  rare  sport,  that  the 
tsetse  exists  all  along  both  banks  of  the  Zambesi,  and  there  can 
be  no  hunting  by  means  of  horses.  Hunting  on  foot  in  this  cli- 
mate is  such  excessively  hard  work,  that  I feel  certain  the  keenest 
sportsman  would  very  soon  turn  away  from  it  in  disgust.  I my- 
self was  rather  glad,  when  furnished  with  the  excuse  that  I had 
no  longer  any  balls,  to  hand  over  all  the  hunting  to  my  men,  who 
had  no  more  love  for  the  sport  than  myself,  as  they  never  engaged 
in  it  except  when  forced  by  hunger. 

Some  of  them  gave  me  a hint  to  melt  down  my  plate  by  asking 
if  it  were  not  lead.  I had  two  pewter  plates  and  a piece  of  zinc 


MR.  OSWELL’S  NARROW  ESCAPE. 


621 


which  I now  melted  into  bullets.  I also  spent  the  remainder  of 
my  handkerchiefs  in  buying  spears  for  them.  My  men  frequently 
surrounded  herds  of  buffaloes  and  killed  numbers  of  the  calves. 
I,  too,  exerted  myself  greatly ; but,  as  I am  now  obliged  to  shoot 
with  the  left  arm,  I am  a bad  shot,  and  this,  with  the  lightness  of 
the  bullets,  made  me  very  unsuccessful.  The  more  the  hunger, 
the  less  my  success,  invariably. 

I may  here  add  an  adventure  with  an  elephant  of  one  who  has 
had  more  narrow  escapes  than  any  man  living,  but  whose  modesty 
has  always  prevented  him  from  publishing  any  thing  about  him- 
self. When  we  were  on  the  banks  of  the  Zouga  in  1850,  Mr.  Os- 
well  pursued  one  of  these  animals  into  the  dense,  thick,  thorny 
bushes  met  with  on  the  margin  of  that  river,  and  to  which  the  el- 
ephant usually  flees  for  safety.  lie  followed  through  a narrow 
pathway  by  lifting  up  some  of  the  branches  and  forcing  his  way 
through  the  rest ; but,  when  he  had  just  got  over  this  difficulty, 
he  saw  the  elephant,  whose  tail  he  had  but  got  glimpses  of  before, 
now  rushing  toward  him.  There  was  then  no  time  to  lift  up 
branches,  so  he  tried  to  force  the  horse  through  them.  He  could 
not  effect  a passage ; and,  as  there  was  but  an  instant  between 
the  attempt  and  failure,  the  hunter  tried  to  dismount,  but  in  do- 
ing this  one  foot  was  caught  by  a branch,  and  the  spur  drawn 
along  the  animal’s  flank ; this  made  him  spring  away  and  throw 
the  rider  on  the  ground  with  his  face  to  the  elephant,  which,  being 
in  full  chase,  still  went  on.  Mr.  Oswell  saw  the  huge  fore  foot 
about  to  descend  on  his  legs,  parted  them,  and  drew  in  his  breath 
as  if  to  resist  the  pressure  of  the  other  foot,  which  he  expected 
would  next  descend  on  his  body.  lie  saw  the  whole  length  of 
the  under  part  of  the  enormous  brute  pass  over  him ; the  horse 
got  away  safely.  I have  heard  of  but  one  other  authentic  instance 
in  which  an  elephant  went  over  a man  without  injury,  and,  for 
any  one  who  knows  the  nature  of  the  bush  in  which  this  occurred, 
the  very  thought  of  an  encounter  in  it  with  such  a foe  is  appall- 
ing. As  the  thorns  are  placed  in  pairs  on  opposite  sides  of  the 
branches,  and  these  turn  round  on  being  pressed  against,  one  pair 
brings  the  other  exactly  into  the  position  in  which  it  must  pierce 
the  intruder.  They  cut  like  knives.  Horses  dread  this  bush  ex- 
tremely ; indeed,  most  of  them  refuse  to  face  its  thorns. 

On  reaching  Mburuma’s  village,  his  brother  came  to  meet  us. 


622 


MBUEUMA’S  VILLAGE  AND  PEOPLE. 


We  explained  the  reason  of  our  delay,  and  he  told  us  that  we 
were  looked  upon  with  alarm.  He  said  that  Siriatomba  had  been 
killed  near  the  village  of  Selole,  and  hence  that  man’s  fears.  He 
added  that  the  Italian  had  come  talking  of  peace,  as  we  did,  but 
had  kidnapped  children  and  bought  ivory  with  them,  and  that  we 
were  supposed  to  be  following  the  same  calling.  I pointed  to  my 
men,  and  asked  if  any  of  these  were  slaves,  and  if  we  had  any 
children  among  them,  and  I think  we  satisfied  him  that  we  were 
true  men.  Referring  to  our  ill  success  in  hunting  the  day  before, 
he  said,  “ The  man  at  whose  village  you  remained  was  in  fault  in 
allowing  you  to  want  meat,  for  he  had  only  to  run  across  to  Mbu- 
ruma ; he  would  have  given  him  a little  meal,  and,  having  sprin- 
kled that  on  the  ground  as  an  offering  to  the  gods,  you  would  have 
found  your  elephant.”  The  chiefs  in  these  parts  take  upon  them- 
selves an  office  somewhat  like  the  priesthood,  and  the  people  im- 
agine that  they  can  propitiate  the  Deity  through  them.  In  illus- 
tration of  their  ideas,  it  may  be  mentioned  that,  when  we  were 
among  the  tribes  west  of  Semalembue,  several  of  the  people  came 
forward  and  introduced  themselves — one  as  a hunter  of  elephants, 
another  as  a hunter  of  hippopotami,  a third  as  a digger  of  pitfalls 
— apparently  wishing  me  to  give  them  medicine  for  success  in 
their  avocations,  as  well  as  to  cure  the  diseases  of  those  to  whom 
I was  administering  the  drugs.  I thought  they  attributed  super- 
natural power  to  them,  for,  like  all  Africans,  they  have  unbounded 
faith  in  the  efficacy  of  charms  ; but  I took  pains  to  let  them  know 
that  they  must  pray  and  trust  to  another  power  than  mine  for  aid. 
We  never  saw  Mburuma  himself,  and  the  conduct  of  his  people 
indicated  very  strong  suspicions,  though  he  gave  us  presents  of 
meal,  maize,  and  native  corn.  His  people  never  came  near  us  ex- 
cept in  large  bodies  and  fully  armed.  We  had  to  order  them  to 
place  their  bows,  arrows,  and  spears  at  a distance  before  entering 
our  encampment.  We  did  not,  however,  care  much  for  a little 
trouble  now,  as  we  hoped  that,  if  we  could  pass  this  time  without 
much  molestation,  we  might  yet  be  able  to  return  with  ease,  and 
without  meeting  sour,  suspicious  looks. 

The  soil,  glancing  every  where  with  mica,  is  very  fertile,  and  all 
the  valleys  ax-e  cultivated,  the  maize  being  now  in  ear  and  eatable. 
Hanses  of  hills,  which  line  both  banks  of  the  river  above  this, 
now  come  close  up  to  each  bank,  and  form  a narrow  gorge,  which, 


MA  MBUKUMA’S  VILLAGE  AND  PEOPLE.  623 

like  all  others  of  the  same  nature,  is  called  Mpata.  There  is  a 
narrow  pathway  by  the  side  of  the  river,  but  we  preferred  a more 
open  one  in  a pass  among  the  hills  to  the  east,  which  is  called  Mo- 
han go.  The  hills  rise  to  a height  of  800  or  1000  feet,  and  are  all 
covered  with  trees.  The  rocks  were  of  various  colored  mica 
schist ; and  parallel  with  the  Zambesi  lay  a broad  band  of  gneiss 
with  garnets  in  it.  It  stood  on  edge,  and  several  dikes  of  basalt, 
with  dolerite,  had  cut  through  it. 

Mburuma  sent  two  men  as  guides  to  the  Loangwa.  These  men 
tried  to  bring  us  to  a stand,  at  a distance  of  about  six  miles  from 
the  village,  by  the  notice,  “ Mburuma  says  you  are  to  sleep  under 
that  tree.”  On  declining  to  do  this,  we  were  told  that  we  must 
wait  at  a certain  village  for  a supply  of  corn.  As  none  appeared 
in  an  hour,  I proceeded  on  the  march.  It  is  not  quite  certain 
that  their  intentions  were  hostile,  but  this  seemed  to  disarrange 
their  plans,  and  one  of  them  was  soon  observed  running  back  to 
Mburuma.  They  had  first  of  all  tried  to  separate  our  party  by 
volunteering  the  loan  of  a canoe  to  convey  Sekwebu  and  me,  to- 
gether with  our  luggage,  by  way  of  the  river,  and,  as  it  was  pressed 
upon  us,  I thought  that  this  was  their  design.  The  next  attempt 
was  to  detain  us  in  the  pass ; but,  betraying  no  suspicion,  we  civil- 
ly declined  to  place  ourselves  in  their  power  in  an  unfavorable  po- 
sition. We  afterward  heard  that  a party  of  Babisa  traders,  who 
came  from  the  northeast,  bringing  English  goods  from  Mozam- 
bique, had  been  plundered  by  this  same  people. 

Elephants  were  still  abundant,  but  more  wild,  as  they  fled  with 
great  speed  as  soon  as  we  made  our  appearance.  The  country 
between  Mburuma’s  and  his  mother’s  village  was  all  hilly  and 
very  difficult,  and  prevented  us  from  traveling  more  than  ten 
miles  a day.  At  the  village  of  Ma  Mburuma  (mother  of  Mbu- 
ruma), the  guides,  who  had  again  joined  us,  gave  a favorable 
report,  and  the  women  and  children  did  not  flee.  Here  we  found 
that  traders,  called  Bazunga,  have  been  in  the  habit  of  coming  in 
canoes,  and  that  I was  named  as  one  of  them.  These  I supposed 
to  be  half-caste  Portuguese,  for  they  said  that  the  hair  of  their 
heads  and  the  skin  beneath  their  clothing  were  different  from 
mine.  Ma  Mburuma  promised  us  canoes  to  cross  the  Loangwa 
in  our  front.  It  was  pleasant  to  see  great  numbers  of  men, 
women,  and  boys  come,  without  suspicion,  to  look  at  the  books, 


624 


OPINIONS  OF  THE  GUIDES. 


watch,  looking-glass,  revolver,  etc.  They  are  a strong,  muscular 
race,  and  both  men  and  women  are  seen  cultivating  the  ground. 
The  soil  contains  so  much  comminuted  talc  and  mica  from  the 
adjacent  hills  that  it  seems  as  if  mixed  with  spermaceti.  They 
generally  eat  their  corn  only  after  it  has  begun  to  sprout  from 
steeping  it  in  water.  The  deformed  lips  of  the  women  make  them 
look  very  ugly ; I never  saw  one  smile.  The  people  in  this  part 
seem  to  understand  readily  what  is  spoken  about  God,  for  they 
listen  with  great  attention,  and  tell  in  return  their  own  ideas  of 
departed  spirits.  The  position  of  the  village  of  Mburuma’s  mother 
was  one  of  great  beauty,  quite  inclosed  by  high,  steep  hills ; and 
the  valleys  are  all  occupied  by  gardens  of  native  corn  and  maize, 
which  grow  luxuriantly.  We  were  obliged  to  hurry  along,  for 
the  oxen  were  bitten  daily  by  the  tsetse,  which,  as  I have  before 
remarked,  now  inhabits  extensive  tracts  which  once  supported 
herds  of  cattle  that  were  swept  off  by  Mpakane  and  other 
marauders,  whose  devastations  were  well  known  to  Sekwebu,  for 
he  himself  had  been  an  actor  in  the  scenes.  When  he  told  me 
of  them  he  always  lowered  his  voice,  in  order  that  the  guides 
might  not  hear  that  he  had  been  one  of  their  enemies.  But  that 
we  were  looked  upon  with  suspicion,  on  account  of  having  come 
in  the  footsteps  of  invaders,  was  evident  from  our  guides  remark- 
ing to  men  in  the  gardens  through  which  we  passed,  “ They  have 
words  of  peace — all  very  fine  ; but  lies  only,  as  the  Bazunga  are 
great  liars.”  They  thought  we  did  not  understand  them ; but 
Sekwebu  knew  every  word  perfectly ; and,  without  paying  any 
ostensible  attention  to  these  complimentary  remarks,  we  always 
took  care  to  explain  ever  afterward  that  we  were  not  Bazunga, 
but  Makoa  (English). 


HOSTILE  APPEARANCES. 


625 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Confluence  of  Loangwa  and  Zambesi. — Hostile  Appearances. — Ruins  of  a Church. — 
Turmoil  of  Spirit. — Cross  the  River. — Friendly  Parting. — Ruins  of  stone  Houses. 
— The  Situation  of  Zumbo  for  Commerce. — Pleasant  Gardens. — Dr.  Lacerda’s 
Visit  to  Cazembe. — Pereira’s  Statement. — Unsuccessful  Attempt  to  establish  Trade 
with  the  People  of  Cazembe. — One  of  my  Men  tossed  by  a Buffalo. — Meet  a Man 
with  Jacket  and  Hat  on. — Hear  of  the  Portuguese  and  native  War. — Holms  and 
Terraces  on  the  Banks  of  a River. — Dancing  for  Corn. — Beautiful  Country. — 
Mpende’s  Hostility. — Incantations. — A Fight  anticipated. — Courage  and  Re- 
marks of  my  Men. — Visit  from  two  old  Councilors  of  Mpende. — Their  Opinion 
of  the  English. — Mpende  concludes  not  to  fight  us. — His  subsequent  Friendship. — 
Aids  us  to  cross  the  River. — The  Country. — Sweet  Potatoes. — Bakwain  Theory  of 
Rain  confirmed. — Thunder  without  Clouds. — Desertion  of  one  of  my  Men. — Other 
Natives’  Ideas  of  the  English. — Dalama  (gold). — Inhabitants  dislike  Slave-buyers. — 
Meet  native  Traders  with  American  Calico. — Game-laws. — Elephant  Medicine. — 
Salt  from  the  Sand. — Fertility  of  Soil. — Spotted  Hyaena. — Liberality  and  Polite- 
ness of  the  People. — Presents. — A stingy  white  Trader. — Natives’  Remarks  about 
him. — Effect  on  their  Minds. — Rain  and  Wind  now  from  an  opposite  Direction. — 
Scarcity  of  Fuel. — Trees  for  Boat-building. — Boroma.— Freshets. — Leave  the 
River. — Chicova,  its  Geological  Features. — Small  Rapid  nearTete. — Loquacious 
Guide. — Nyampungo,  the  Rain-charmer.. — -An  old  Man. — No  Silver. — Gold- 
washing.— No  Cattle. 

14 th.  We  reached  the  confluence  of  the  Loangwa  and  the 
Zambesi,  most  thankful  to  God  for  his  great  mercies  in  helping 
us  thus  far.  Mburuma’s  people  had  behaved  so  suspiciously,  that, 
though  we  had  guides  from  him,  we  were  by  no  means  sure  that 
we  should  not  be  attacked  in  crossing  the  Loangwa.  We  saw 
them  here  collecting  in  large  numbers,  and,  though  professing 
friendship,  they  kept  at  a distance  from  our  camp.  They  refused 
to  lend  us  more  canoes  than  two,  though  they  have  many.  They 
have  no  intercourse  with  Europeans  except  through  the  Babisa. 
They  tell  us  that  this  was  formerly  the  residence  of  the  Bazunga, 
and  maintain  silence  as  to  the  cause  of  their  leaving  it.  I walked 
about  some  ruins  I discovered,  built  of  stone,  and  found  the 
remains  of  a church,  and  on  one  side  lay  a broken  bell,  with 
the  letters  I.  H.  S.  and  a cross,  but  no  date.  There  were  no 

R R 


626 


CROSSING  THE  LOANGWA. 


inscriptions  on  stone,  and  the  people  could  not  tell  what  the  Ba- 
zunga  called  their  place.  We  found  afterward  it  was  Zurnbo. 

I felt  some  turmoil  of  spirit  in  the  evening  at  the  prospect  of 
having  all  my  efforts  for  the  welfare  of  this  great  region  and  its 
teeming  population  knocked  on  the  head  by  savages  to-morrow, 
who  might  be  said  to  “ know  not  what  they  do.”  It  seemed  such 
a pity  that  the  important  fact  of  the  existence  of  the  two  healthy 
ridges  which  I had  discovered  should  not  become  known  in  Chris- 
tendom, for  a confirmation  would  thereby  have  been  given  to  the 
idea  that  Africa  is  not  open  to  the  Gospel.  But  I read  that  Jesus 
said,  “ All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth  ; go  ye, 

therefore,  and  teach  all  nations and  lo,  I am  with  you  al- 

way , even  unto  the  end  of  the  world''  I took  this  as  His  word 
of  honor,  and  then  went  out  to  take  observations  for  latitude  and 
longitude,  which,  I think,  were  very  successful.  (The  church : lat. 
15°  37'  22"  S.,  long.  30°  32'  E.) 

1 5th.  The  natives  of  the  surrounding  country  collected  around 
us  this  morning,  all  armed.  The  women  and  children  were  sent 
away,  and  one  of  Mburuma’s  wives,  who  lives  in  the  vicinity,  was 
not  allowed  to  approach,  though  she  had  come  from  her  village  to 
pay  me  a visit.  Only  one  canoe  was  lent  to  us,  though  we  saw 
two  others  tied  to  the  bank.  The  part  we  crossed  was  about  a 
mile  from  the  confluence,  and,  as  it  was  now  flooded,  it  seemed 
upward  of  half  a mile  in  breadth.  We  passed  all  our  goods  first 
on  to  an  island  in  the  middle,  then  the  remaining  cattle  and  men ; 
occupying  the  post  of  honor,  I,  as  usual,  was  the  last  to  enter  the 
canoe.  A number  of  the  inhabitants  stood  armed  all  the  time  we 
were  embarking.  I showed  them  my  watch,  lens,  and  other  things 
to  keep  them  amused,  until  there  only  remained  those  who  were 
to  enter  the  canoe  with  me.  I thanked  them  for  their  kindness, 
and  wished  them  peace.  After  all,  they  may  have  been  influenced 
only  by  the  intention  to  be  ready  in  case  I should  play  them  some 
false  trick,  for  they  have  reason  to  be  distrustful  of  the  whites. 
The  guides  came  over  to  bid  us  adieu,  and  we  sat  under  a mango- 
tree  fifteen  feet  in  circumference.  We  found  them  more  commu- 
nicative now.  They  said  that  the  land  on  both  sides  belonged  to 
the  Bazunga,  and  that  they  had  left  of  old,  on  the  approach  of 
Changamera,  Ngaba,  and  Mpakane.  Sekwebu  was  with  the  last 
named,  but  he  maintained  that  they  never  came  to  the  confluence, 


RUINS  OF  STONE  HOUSES. 


627 


though  they  carried  off  all  the  cattle  of  Mburuma.  The  guides 
confirmed  this  by  saying  that  the  Bazunga  were  not  attacked,  but 
tied  in  alarm  on  the  approach  of  the  enemy.  This  mango-tree  he 
knew  by  its  proper  name,  and  we  found  seven  others  and  several 
tamarinds,  and  were  informed  that  the  chief  Mburuma  sends  men 
annually  to  gather  the  fruit,  but,  like  many  Africans  whom  I have 
known,  has  not  had  patience  to  propagate  more  trees.  I gave 
them  some  little  presents  for  themselves,  a handkerchief  and  a few 
beads,  and  they  were  highly  pleased  with  a cloth  of  red  baize  for 
Mburuma,  which  Sekeletu  had  given  me  to  purchase  a canoe.  We 
were  thankful  to  part  good  friends. 

Next  morning  we  passed  along  the  bottom  of  the  range,  called 
Mazanzwe,  and  found  the  ruins  of  eight  or  ten  stone  houses. 
They  all  faced  the  river,  and  were  high  enough  up  the  flanks 
of  the  hill  Mazanzwe  to  command  a pleasant  view  of  the  broad 
Zambesi.  These  establishments  had  all  been  built  on  one  plan — 
a house  on  one  side  of  a large  court,  surrounded  by  a wall ; both 
houses  and  walls  had  been  built  of  soft  gray  sandstone  cemented 
together  with  mud.  The  work  had  been  performed  by  slaves 
ignorant  of  building,  for  the  stones  were  not  often  placed  so  as  to 
cover  the  seams  below.  Hence  you  frequently  find  the  joinings 
forming  one  seam  from  the  top  to  the  bottom.  Much  mortar  or 
clay  had  been  used  to  cover  defects,  and  now  trees  of  the  fig 
family  grow  upon  the  walls,  and  clasp  them  with  their  roots. 
When  the  clay  is  moistened,  masses  of  the  walls  come  down 
by  wholesale.  Some  of  the  rafters  and  beams  had  fallen  in,  but 
were  entire,  and  there  were  some  trees  in  the  middle  of  the 
houses  as  large  as  a man’s  body.  On  the  opposite  or  south  bank 
of  the  Zambesi  we  saw  the  remains  of  a wall  on  a height  which 
was  probably  a fort,  and  the  church  stood  at  a central  point, 
formed  by  the  right  bank  of  the  Loangwa  and  the  left  of  the 
Zambesi. 

The  situation  of  Zumbo  was  admirably  well  chosen  as  a site 
for  commerce.  Looking  backward  we  see  a mass  of  high,  dark 
mountains,  covered  with  trees ; behind  us  rises  the  fine  high 
hill  Mazanzwe,  which  stretches  away  northward  along  the  left 
bank  of  the  Loangwa;  to  the  S.E.  lies  an  open  country,  with 
a small  round  hill  in  the  distance  called  Tofulo.  The  mer- 
chants, as  they  sat  beneath  the  verandahs  in  front  of  their 


628 


LACERDA’S  VISIT  TO  CAZEMBE. 


houses,  had  a magnificent  view  of  the  two  rivers  at  their  conflu- 
ence ; of  their  church  at  the  angle ; and  of  all  the  gardens  which 
they  had  on  both  sides  of  the  rivers.  In  these  they  cultivated 
wheat  without  irrigation,  and,  as  the  Portuguese  assert,  of  a grain 
twice  the  size  of  that  at  Tete.  From  the  guides  we  learned  that 
the  inhabitants  had  not  imbibed  much  idea  of  Christianity,  for 
they  used  the  same  term  for  the  church  bell  which  they  did  for 
a diviner’s  drum.  From  this  point  the  merchants  had  water 
communication  in  three  directions  beyond,  namely,  from  the  Lo- 
angwa  to  the  N.N.  W.,  by  the  Kafue  to  the  W.,  and  by  the  Zam- 
besi to  the  S.  W.  Their  attention,  however,  was  chiefly  attracted 
to  the  N.  or  Londa  ; and  the  principal  articles  of  trade  were  ivory 
and  slaves.  Private  enterprise  was  always  restrained,  for  the 
colonies  of  the  Portuguese  being  strictly  military,  and  the  pay  of 
the  commandants  being  very  small,  the  officers  have  always  been 
obliged  to  engage  in  trade ; and  had  they  not  employed  their 
power  to  draw  the  trade  to  themselves  by  preventing  private 
traders  from  making  bargains  beyond  the  villages,  and  only  at 
regulated  prices,  they  would  have  had  no  trade,  as  they  them- 
selves were  obliged  to  remain  always  at  their  posts. 

Several  expeditions  went  to  the  north  as  far  as  to  Cazembe,  and 
Dr.  Lacerda,  himself  commandant  of  Tete,  went  to  that  chief’s 
residence.  Unfortunately,  he  was  cut  off  while  there,  and  his 
papers,  taken  possession  of  by  a Jesuit  who  accompanied  him, 
were  lost  to  the  world.  This  Jesuit  probably  intended  to  act  fair- 
ly and  have  them  published ; but  soon  after  his  return  he  was  call- 
ed away  by  death  himself,  and  the  papers  were  lost  sight  of.  Dr. 
Lacerda  had  a strong  desire  to  open  up  communication  with  An- 
gola, which  would  have  been  of  importance  then,  as  affording  a 
speedier  mode  of  communication  with  Portugal  than  by  the  way 
of  the  Cape ; but  since  the  opening  of  the  overland  passage  to 
India,  a quicker  transit  is  effected  from  Eastern  Africa  to  Lisbon 
by  way  of  the  Red  Sea.  Besides  Lacerda,  Cazembe  was  visited 
by  Pereira,  who  gave  a glowing  account  of  that  chief’s  power, 
which  none  of  my  inquiries  have  confirmed.  The  people  of 
Matiamvo  stated  to  me  that  Cazembe  was  a vassal  of  their  chief ; 
and,  from  all  the  native  visitors  whom  I have  seen,  he  appears  to 
be  exactly  like  Shinte  and  Katema,  only  a little  more  powerful. 
The  term  “Emperor,”  which  has  been  applied  to  him,  seems  totally 


. 


TIIE  TRAVELING  PEOCE88ION  INTERRUPTED. 


A MAN  TOSSED  BY  A BUFFALO. 


631 


inappropriate.  The  statement  of  Pereira  that  twenty  negroes  were 
slaughtered  in  a day,  was  not  confirmed  by  any  one  else,  though 
numbers  may  have  been  killed  on  some  particular  occasion  during 
the  time  of  his  visit,  for  we  find  throughout  all  the  country  north 
of  20°,  which  I consider  to  be  real  negro,  the  custom  of  slaugh- 
tering victims  to  accompany  the  departed  soul  of  a chief,  and  hu- 
man sacrifices  are  occasionally  offered,  and  certain  parts  of  the 
bodies  are  used  as  charms.  It  is  on  account  of  the  existence 
of  such  rites,  with  the  similarity  of  the  language,  and  the  fact 
that  the  names  of  rivers  are  repeated  again  and  again  from  north 
to  south  through  all  that  region,  that  I consider  them  to  have 
been  originally  one  family.  The  last  expedition  to  Cazembe  was 
somewhat  of  the  same  nature  as  the  others,  and  failed  in  estab- 
lishing a commerce,  because  the  people  of  Cazembe,  who  had 
come  to  Tete  to  invite  the  Portuguese  to  visit  them,  had  not  been 
allowed  to  trade  with  whom  they  might.  As  it  had  not  been  free- 
trade  there,  Cazembe  did  not  see  why  it  should  be  free-trade  at 
his  town ; he  accordingly  would  not  allow  his  people  to  furnish 
the  party  with  food  except  at  his  price ; and  the  expedition,  being 
half  starved  in  consequence,  came  away  voting  unanimously  that 
Cazembe  was  a great  bore. 

When  we  left  the  Loangwa  we  thought  we  had  got  rid  of  the 
hills ; but  there  are  some  behind  Mazanzwe,  though  five  or  six 
miles  off  from  the  river.  Tsetse  and  the  hills  had  destroyed  two 
riding  oxen,  and  when  the  little  one  that  I now  rode  knocked 
up,  I was  forced  to  march  on  foot.  The  bush  being  very  dense 
and  high,  we  were  going  along  among  the  trees,  when  three  buf- 
faloes, which  we  had  unconsciously  passed  above  the  wind,  thought 
that  they  were  surrounded  by  men,  and  dashed  through  our  line. 
My  ox  set  off  at  a gallop,  and  when  I could  manage  to  glance 
back,  I saw  one  of  the  men  up  in  the  air  about  five  feet  above  a 
buffalo,  which  was  tearing  along  with  a stream  of  blood  running 
down  his  flank.  When  I got  back  to  the  poor  fellow,  I found 
that  he  had  lighted  on  his  face,  and,  though  he  had  been  earned 
on  the  horns  of  the  buffalo  about  twenty  yards  before  getting  the 
final  toss,  the  skin  was  not  pierced  nor  was  a bone  broken.  When 
the  beasts  appeared,  he  had  thrown  down  his  load  and  stabbed  one 
in  the  side.  It  turned  suddenly  upon  him,  and,  before  he  could 
use  a tree  for  defense,  carried  him  off.  We  shampooed  him  well, 


632 


CAFFRE  WAR. 


and  then  went  on,  and  in  about  a week  he  was  able  to  engage  in 
the  hunt  again. 

At  Zumbo  we  had  entered  upon  old  gray  sandstone,  with  shingle 
in  it,  dipping  generally  toward  the  south,  and  forming  the  bed  of 
the  river.  The  Zambesi  is  very  broad  here,  but  contains  many 
inhabited  islands.  We  slept  opposite  one  on  the  16th  called  Shi- 
banga.  The  nights  are  warm,  the  temperature  never  falling  below 
80°;  it  was  91°  even  at  sunset.  One  can  not  cool  the  water  by 
a wet  towel  round  the  vessel,  and  we  feel  no  pleasure  in  drinking- 
warm  water,  though  the  heat  makes  us  imbibe  large  quantities. 
We  often  noticed  lumps  of  a froth-like  substance  on  the  bushes 
as  large  as  cricket-balls,  which  we  could  not  explain. 

On  the  morning  of  the  17th  we  were  pleased  to  see  a person 
coming  from  the  island  of  Shibanga  with  jacket  and  hat  on.  He 
was  quite  black,  but  had  come  from  the  Portuguese  settlement  at 
Tete  or  Nyungwe ; and  now,  for  the  first  time,  we  understood  that 
the  Portuguese  settlement  was  on  the  other  bank  of  the  river,  and 
that  they  had  been  fighting  with  the  natives  for  the  last  two 
years.  We  had  thus  got  into  the  midst  of  a Caffre  war,  without 
any  particular  wish  to  be  on  either  side.  He  advised  us  to  cross 
the  river  at  once,  as  Mpende  lived  on  this  side.  We  had  been 
warned  by  the  guides  of  Mburuma  against  him,  for  they  said  that 
if  we  could  get  past  Mpende  we  might  reach  the  white  men,  but 
that  he  was  determined  that  no  white  man  should  pass  him. 
Wishing  to  follow  this  man’s  advice,  we  proposed  to  borrow  his 
canoes ; but,  being  afraid  to  offend  the  lords  of  the  river,  he  de- 
clined. The  consequence  was,  we  were  obliged  to  remain  on  the 
enemy’s  side.  The  next  island  belonged  to  a man  named  Zungo, 
a fine,  frank  fellow,  who  brought  us  at  once  a present  of  corn, 
bound  in  a peculiar  way  in  grass.  He  freely  accepted  our  apolo- 
gy for  having  no  present  to  give  in  return,  as  he  knew  that  there 
were  no  goods  in  the  interior,  and,  besides,  sent  forward  a recom- 
mendation to  his  brother-in-law  Pangola.  The  country  adjacent 
to  the  river  is  covered  with  dense  bush,  thorny  and  tangled,  mak- 
ing one  stoop  or  wait  till  the  men  broke  or  held  the  branches  on 
one  side.  There  is  much  rank  grass,  but  it  is  not  so  high  or  rank 
as  that  of  Angola.  The  maize,  however,  which  is  grown  here  is 
equal  in  size  to  that  which  the  Americans  sell  for  seed  at  the 
Cape.  There  is  usually  a holm  adjacent  to  the  river,  studded 


DANCING  FOR  CORN. 


633 


with  villages  and  gardens.  The  holms  are  but  partially  culti- 
vated, and  on  the  other  parts  grows  rank  and  weedy  grass.  There 
is  then  a second  terrace,  on  which  trees  and  bushes  abound ; and 
I thought  I could  detect  a third  and  higher  steppe.  But  I never 
could  discover  terraces  on  the  adjacent  country,  such  as  in  other 
countries  show  ancient  sea-beaches.  The  path  runs  sometimes  on 
the  one  and  sometimes  on  the  other  of  these  river  terraces.  Ca- 
noes are  essentially  necessary ; but  I find  that  they  here  cost  too 
much  for  my  means,  and  higher  up,  where  my  hoes  might  have 
secured  one,  I was  unwilling  to  enter  into  a canoe  and  part  with 
my  men  while  there  was  danger  of  their  being  attacked. 

18^/i.  Yesterday  we  rested  under  a broad-spreading  fig-tree. 
Large  numbers  of  buffaloes  and  water-antelopes  were  feeding  qui- 
etly in  the  meadows ; the  people  have  either  no  guns  or  no  am- 
munition, or  they  would  not  be  so  tame.  Pangola  visited  us,  and 
presented  us  with  food.  In  few  other  countries  would  one  hund- 
red and  fourteen  sturdy  vagabonds  be  supported  by  the  generosity 
of  the  head  men  and  villagers,  and  whatever  they  gave  be  pre- 
sented with  politeness.  My  men  got  pretty  well  supplied  indi- 
vidually, for  they  went  into  the  villages  and  commenced  dancing. 
The  young  women  were  especially  pleased  with  the  new  steps  they 
had  to  show,  though  I suspect  many  of  them  were  invented  for 
the  occasion,  and  would  say,  “Dance  for  me,  and  I will  grind  corn 
for  you.”  At  every  fresh  instance  of  liberality,  Sekwebu  said, 
“ Did  not  I tell  you  that  these  people  had  hearts,  while  we  were 
still  at  Linyanti  ?”  All  agreed  that  the  character  he  had  given 
was  true,  and  some  remarked,  “ Look ! although  we  have  been  so 
long  away  from  home,  not  one  of  us  has  become  lean.”  It  was  a 
fact  that  we  had  been  all  well  supplied  either  with  meat  by  my 
gun  or  their  own  spears,  or  food  from  the  great  generosity  of  the 
inhabitants.  Pangola  promised  to  ferry  us  across  the  Zambesi, 
but  failed  to  fulfill  his  promise.  He  seemed  to  wish  to  avoid 
offending  his  neighbor  Mpende  by  aiding  us  to  escape  from  his 
hands,  so  we  proceeded  along  the  bank.  Although  we  were  in 
doubt  as  to  our  reception  by  Mpende,  I could  not  help  admiring 
the  beautiful  country  as  we  passed  along.  There  is,  indeed,  only 
a small  part  under  cultivation  in  this  fertile  valley,  but  my  mind 
naturally  turned  to  the  comparison  of  it  with  Kolobeng,  where 
we  waited  anxiously  during  months  for  rain,  and  only  a mere 


634 


BEAUTIFUL  COUNTRY. 


thunder-shower  followed.  I shall  never  forget  the  dry,  hot  east 
winds  of  that  region ; the  yellowish,  sultry,  cloudless  sky ; the 
grass  and  all  the  plants  drooping  from  drought,  the  cattle  lean, 
the  people  dispirited,  and  our  own  hearts  sick  from  hope  deferred. 
There  we  often  heard  in  the  dead  of  the  night  the  shrill  whistle 
of  the  rain-doctor  calling  for  rain  that  would  not  come,  while  here 
we  listened  to  the  rolling  thunder  by  night,  and  beheld  the  swell- 
ing valleys  adorned  with  plenty  by  day.  We  have  rain  almost 
daily,  and  every  thing  is  beautifully  fresh  and  green.  I felt 
somewhat  as  people  do  on  coming  ashore  after  a long  voyage — 
inclined  to  look  upon  the  landscape  in  the  most  favorable  light. 
The  hills  are  covered  with  forests,  and  there  is  often  a long  line 
of  fleecy  cloud  lying  on  them  about  midway  up ; they  are  very 
beautiful.  Finding  no  one  willing  to  aid  us  in  crossing  the  river, 
we  proceeded  to  the  village  of  the  chief  Mpende.  A fine  large 
conical  hill  now  appeared  to  the  N.N.E.  ; it  is  the  highest  I 
have  seen  in  these  parts,  and  at  some  points  it  appears  to  be  two 
cones  joined  together,  the  northern  one  being  a little  lower  than 
the  southern.  Another  high  hill  stands  on  the  same  side  to  the 
N.E.,  and,  from  its  similarity  in  shape  to  an  axe  at  the  top,  is 
called  Motemwa.  Beyond  it,  eastward,  lies  the  country  of 
Kaimbwa,  a chief  who  has  been  engaged  in  actual  conflict  with 
the  Bazunga,  and  beat  them  too,  according  to  the  version  of 
things  here.  The  hills  on  the  north  bank  are  named  Kamoenja. 
When  we  came  to  Mpende’s  village,  he  immediately  sent  to  in- 
quire who  we  were,  and  then  ordered  the  guides  who  had  come 
with  us  from  the  last  village  to  go  back  and  call  their  masters. 
He  sent  no  message  to  us  whatever.  We  had  traveled  very 
slowly  up  to  this  point,  the  tsetse-stricken  oxen  being  now  unable 
to  go  two  miles  an  hour.  We  were  also  delayed  by  being  obliged 
to  stop  at  every  village,  and  send  notice  of  our  approach  to  the 
head  man,  who  came  and  received  a little  information,  and  gave 
some  food.  If  we  had  passed  on  without  taking  any  notice  of 
them,  they  would  have  considered  it  impolite,  and  we  should 
have  appeared  more  as  enemies  than  friends.  I consoled  myself 
for  the  loss  of  time  by  the  thought  that  these  conversations  tended 
to  the  opening  of  our  future  path. 

23 d.  This  morning,  at  sunrise,  a party  of  Mpende’s  people 
came  close  to  our  encampment,  uttering  strange  cries  and  waving 


A FIGHT  ANTICIPATED. 


635 


some  bright  red  substance  toward  us.  They  then  lighted  a fire 
with  charms  in  it,  and  departed,  uttering  the  same  hideous 
screams  as  before.  This  was  intended  to  render  us  powerless, 
and  probably  also  to  frighten  us.  Ever  since  dawn,  parties  of 
armed  men  have  been  seen  collecting  from  all  quarters,  and  num- 
bers passed  us  while  it  was  yet  dark.  Had  we  moved  down  the 
river  at  once,  it  would  have  been  considered  an  indication  of  fear 
or  defiance,  and  so  would  a retreat.  I therefore  resolved  to  wait, 
trusting  in  Him  who  has  the  hearts  of  all  men  in  His  hands. 
They  evidently  intended  to  attack  us,  for  no  friendly  message 
was  sent ; and  when  three  of  the  Batoka  the  night  before  entered 
the  village  to  beg  food,  a man  went  round  about  each  of  them, 
making  a noise  like  a lion.  The  villagers  then  called  upon 
them  to  do  homage,  and,  when  they  complied,  the  chief  ordered 
some  chaff  to  be  given  them,  as  if  it  had  been  food.  Other 
things  also  showed  unmistakable  hostility.  As  we  were  now 
pretty  certain  of  a skirmish,  I ordered  an  ox  to  be  slaughtered, 
as  this  is  a means  which  Sebituane  employed  for  inspiring 
courage.  I have  no  doubt  that  we  should  have  been  victorious ; 
indeed,  my  men,  who  were  far  better  acquainted  with  fighting 
than  any  of  the  people  on  the  Zambesi,  were  rejoicing  in  the 
prospect  of  securing  captives  to  carry  the  tusks  for  them.  “We 
shall  now,”  said  they,  “get  both  corn  and  clothes  in  plenty.” 
They  were  in  a sad  state,  poor  fellows ; .for  the  rains  we  had 
encountered  had  made  their  skin-clothing  drop  off  piecemeal,  and 
they  were  looked  upon  with  disgust  by  the  well-fed  and  well- 
clothed  Zambesians.  They  were,  however,  veterans  in  maraud- 
ing, and  the  head  men,  instead  of  being  depressed  by  fear,  as  the 
people  of  Mpende  intended  should  be  the  case  in  using  their 
charms,  hinted  broadly  to  me  that  I ought  to  allow  them  to 
keep  Mpende’s  wives.  The  roasting  of  meat  went  on  fast  and 
furious,  and  some  of  the  young  men  said  to  me,  “ You  have  seen 
us  with  elephants,  but  you  don’t  know  yet  what  we  can  do  with 
men.”  I believe  that,  had  Mpende  struck  the  first  blow,  he 
would  soon  have  found  out  that  he  never  made  a greater  mistake 
in  his  life. 

His  whole  tribe  was  assembled  at  about  the  distance  of  half 
a mile.  As  the  country  is  covered  with  trees,  we  did  not  see 
them  ; but  every  now  and  then  a few  came  about  us  as  spies, 


G36 


MPENDE’S  FRIENDSHIP. 


and  would  answer  no  questions.  I handed  a leg  of  the  ox  to  two 
of  these,  and  desired  them  to  take  it  to  Mpende.  After  waiting 
a considerable  time  in  suspense,  two  old  men  made  their  appear- 
ance, and  said  they  had  come  to  inquire  who  I was.  I replied, 
“I  am  a Lekoa”  (an  Englishman).  They  said,  “We  don’t  know 
that  tribe.  We  suppose  you  are  a Mozunga,  the  tribe  with  which 
we  have  been  fighting.”  As  I was  not  yet  aware  that  the  term 
Mozunga  was  applied  to  a Portuguese,  and  thought  they  meant 
half-castes,  I showed  them  my  hair  and  the  skin  of  my  bosom, 
and  asked  if  the  Bazunga  had  hair  and  skin  like  mine.  As  the 
Portuguese  have  the  custom  of  cutting  the  hair  close,  and  are  also 
somewhat  darker  than  we  are,  they  answered,  “ No  ; we  never  saw 
skin  so  white  as  that and  added,  “ Ah ! you  must  be  one  of 
that  tribe  that  loves  (literally,  has  heart  to)  the  black  men.”  I, 
of  course,  gladly  responded  in  the  affirmative.  They  returned  to 
the  village,  and  we  afterward  heard  that  there  had  been  a long 
discussion  between  Mpende  and  his  councilors,  and  that  one  of  the 
men  with  whom  we  had  remained  to  talk  the  day  before  had  been 
our  advocate.  He  was  named  Sindese  Oalea.  When  we  were 
passing  his  village,  after  some  conversation,  he  said  to  his  people, 
“ Is  that  the  man  whom  they  wish  to  stop  after  he  has  passed  so 
many  tribes  ? What  can  Mpende  say  to  refusing  him  a pas- 
sage ?”  It  was  owing  to  this  man,  and  the  fact  that  I belonged 
to  the  “friendly  white  tribe,”  that  Mpende  was  persuaded  to  al- 
low us  to  pass.  When  we  knew  the  favorable  decision  of  the 
council,  I sent  Sekwebu  to  speak  about  the  purchase  of  a canoe, 
as  one  of  my  men  had  become  very  ill,  and  I wished  to  relieve 
his  companions  by  taking  him  in  a canoe.  Before  Sekwebu 
could  finish  his  story,  Mpende  remarked,  “ That  white  man  is 
truly  one  of  our  friends.  See  how  he  lets  me  know  his  afflic- 
tions !”  Sekwebu  adroitly  took  advantage  of  this  turn  in  the 
conversation,  and  said,  “Ah!  if  you  only  knew  him  as  well  as 
we  do  who  have  lived  with  him,  you  would  understand  that  he 
highly  values  your  friendship  and  that  of  Mburuma,  and,  as  he  is 
a stranger,  he  trusts  in  you  to  direct  him.”  He  replied,  “ Well, 
he  ought  to  cross  to  the  other  side  of  the  river,  for  this  bank  is 
hilly  and  rough,  and  the  way  to  Tete  is  longer  on  this  than  on 
the  opposite  bank.”  “But  who  will  take  us  across,  if  you  do  not?” 
“ Truly  1”  replied  Mpende ; “ I only  wish  you  had  come  sooner  to 


CROSSING  THE  ZAMBESI. 


637 


tell  me  about  him  ; but  you  shall  cross.  *’  Mpende  said  frequent- 
ly he  was  sorry  he  had  not  known  me  sooner,  but  that  he  had 
been  prevented  by  his  enchanter  from  coming  near  me ; and  he 
lamented  that  the  same  person  had  kept  him  from  eating  the  meat 
which  I had  presented.  He  did  every  thing  he  could  afterward  to 
aid  us  on  our  course,  and  our  departure  was  as  different  as  possi- 
ble from  our  approach  to  his  village.  I was  very  much  pleased 
to  find  the  English  name  spoken  of  with  such  great  respect  so  far 
from  the  coast,  and  most  thankful  that  no  collision  occurred  to 
damage  its  influence. 

24 th.  Mpende  sent  two  of  his  principal  men  to  order  the 
people  of  a large  island  below  to  ferry  us  across.  The  river  is 
very  broad,  and,  though  my  men  were  well  acquainted  with  the 
management  of  canoes,  we  could  not  all  cross  over  before  dark. 
It  is  1200  yards  from  bank  to  bank,  and  between  700  and  800 
of  deep  water,  flowing  at  the  rate  of  3f  miles  per  hour.  Wc 
landed  first  on  an  island ; then,  to  prevent  our  friends  playing 
false  with  us,  hauled  the  canoes  up  to  our  bivouac,  and  slept  in 
them.  Next  morning  we  all  reached  the  opposite  bank  in  safety. 
We  observed,  as  we  came  along  the  Zambesi,  that  it  had  fallen  two 
feet  below  the  height  at  which  we  first  found  it,  and  the  water, 
though  still  muddy  enough  to  deposit  a film  at  the  bottom  of  ves- 
sels in  a few  hours,  is  not  nearly  so  red  as  it  was,  nor  is  there  so 
much  wreck  on  its  surface.  It  is  therefore  not  yet  the  period  of 
the  central  Zambesi  inundation,  as  we  were  aware  also  from  our 
knowledge  of  the  interior.  The  present  height  of  the  water  has 
been  caused  by  rains  outside  the  eastern  ridge.  The  people  here 
seem  abundantly  supplied  with  English  cotton  goods.  The  Ba- 
bisa  are  the  medium  of  trade,  for  we  were  informed  that  the  Ba- 
zunga,  who  formerly  visited  these  parts,  have  been  prevented  by 
the  war  from  coming  for  the  last  two  years.  The  Babisa  are  said 
to  be  so  fond  of  a tusk  that  they  will  even  sell  a newly-married 
wife  for  one.  As  we  were  now  not  far  from  the  latitude  of  Mozam- 
bique, I was  somewhat  tempted  to  strike  away  from  the  river  to  that 
port,  instead  of  going  to  the  S.E.,  in  the  direction  the  river  flows  ; 
but,  the  great  object  of  my  journey  being  to  secure  water-carriage, 
I resolved  to  continue  along  the  Zambesi,  though  it  did  lead  me 
among  the  enemies  of  the  Portuguese.  The  region  to  the  north 
of  the  ranges  of  hills  on  our  left  is  called  Senga,  from  being  the 


638 


BAKWAIN  THEORY  OF  RAIN. 


country  of  the  Basenga,  who  are  said  to  he  great  workers  in  iron, 
and  to  possess  abundance  of  fine  iron  ore,  which,  when  broken, 
shows  veins  of  the  pure  metal  in  its  substance.  It  has  been 
well  roasted  in  the  operations  of  nature.  Beyond  Senga  lies  a 
range  of  mountains  called  Mashinga,  to  which  the  Portuguese 
in  former  times  went  to  wash  for  gold,  and  beyond  that  are 
great  numbers  of  tribes  which  pass  under  the  general  term  Ma- 
ravi.  To  the  northeast  there  are  extensive  plains  destitute  of 
trees,  but  covered  with  grass,  and  in  some  places  it  is  marshy. 
The  whole  of  the  country  to  the  north  of  the  Zambesi  is  asserted 
to  be  very  much  more  fertile  than  that  to  the  south.  The  Mara- 
vi,  for  instance,  raise  sweet  potatoes  of  immense  size,  but  when 
these  are  planted  on  the  southern  bank  they  soon  degenerate. 
The  root  of  this  plant  ( Convolvulus  batata)  does  not  keep  more 
than  two  or  three  days,  unless  it  is  cut  into  thin  slices  and  dried 
in  the  sun,  but  the  Maravi  manage  to  preserve  them  for  months 
by  digging  a pit  and  burying  them  therein  inclosed  in  wood-ashes. 
Unfortunately,  the  Maravi,  and  all  the  tribes  on  that  side  of  the 
country,  are  at  enmity  with  the  Portuguese,  and,  as  they  practice 
night  attacks  in  their  warfare,  it  is  dangerous  to  travel  among 
them. 

29 th.  I was  most  sincerely  thankful  to  find  myself  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Zambesi,  and,  having  nothing  else,  I sent  back 
one  of  my  two  spoons  and  a shirt  as  a thank-offering  to  Mpende. 
The  different  head  men  along  this  river  act  very  much  in  concert, 
and  if  one  refuses  passage  they  all  do,  uttering  the  sage  remark, 
“ If  so-and-so  did  not  lend  his  canoes,  he  must  have  had  some 
good  reason.”  The  next  island  we  came  to  was  that  of  a man 
named  Mozinkwa.  Here  we  were  detained  some  days  by  con- 
tinuous rains,  and  thought  we  observed  the  confirmation  of  the 
Bakwain  theory  of  rains.  A double  tier  of  clouds  floated  quick- 
ly away  to  the  west,  and  as  soon  as  they  began  to  come  in  an 
opposite  direction  the  rains  poured  down.  The  inhabitants  who 
live  in  a dry  region  like  that  of  Kolobeng  are  nearly  all  as  weath- 
erwise  as  the  rain-makers,  and  any  one  living  among  them  for 
any  length  of  time  becomes  as  much  interested  in  the  motions 
of  the  clouds  as  they  are  themselves.  Mr.  Moffat,  who  was  as 
sorely  tried  by  droughts  as  we  were,  and  had  his  attention  direct- 
ed in  the  same  way,  has  noted  the  curious  phenomenon  of  thun- 


NATIVES’  IDEAS  OF  THE  ENGLISH. 


639 


der  without  clouds.  3ilrs.  L.  heard  it  once,  but  I never  had  that 
good  fortune.  It  is  worth  the  attention  of  the  observant.  Hum- 
boldt has  seen  rain  without  clouds,  a phenomenon  quite  as  singu- 
lar. I have  been  in  the  vicinity  of  the  fall  of  three  aerolites,  none 
of  which  I could  afterward  discover.  One  fell  into  the  lake  Ku- 
madau  with  a report  somewhat  like  a sharp  peal  of  thunder.  The 
women  of  the  Bakurutse  villages  there  all  uttered  a scream  on 
hearing  it.  This  happened  at  midday,  and  so  did  another  at  what 
is  called  the  Great  Chuai,  which  was  visible  in  its  descent,  and 
was  also  accompanied  with  a thundering  noise.  The  third  fell 
near  Kuruman,  and  at  night,  and  was  seen  as  a falling  star  by 
people  at  Motito  and  at  Daniel’s  Kuil,  places  distant  forty  miles 
on  opposite  sides  of  the  spot.  It  sounded  to  me  like  the  report 
of  a great  gun,  and  a few  seconds  after,  a lesser  sound,  as  if  strik- 
ing the  earth  after  a rebound.  Does  the  passage  of  a few  such 
aerolites  through  the  atmosphere  to  the  earth  by  day  cause  thun- 
der without  clouds? 

We  were  detained  here  so  long  that  my  tent  became  again 
quite  rotten.  One  of  my  men,  after  long  sickness,  which  I did 
not  understand,  died  here.  He  was  one  of  the  Batoka,  and  when 
unable  to  walk  I had  some  difficulty  in  making  his  companions 
carry  him.  They  wished  to  leave  him  to  die  when  his  case  be- 
came hopeless.  Another  of  them  deserted  to  Mozinkwa.  He 
said  that  his  motive  for  doing  so  was  that  the  Makololo  had 
lulled  both  his  father  and  mother,  and,  as  he  had  neither  wife 
nor  child,  there  was  no  reason  why  he  should  continue  longer 
with  them.  I did  not  object  to  his  statements,  but  said  if  he 
should  change  his  mind  he  would  be  welcome  to  rejoin  us,  and 
intimated  to  Mozinkwa  that  he  must  not  be  sold  as  a slave. 
We  are  now  among  people  inured  to  slave-dealing.  We  were 
visited  by  men  who  had  been  as  far  as  Tete  or  Nyungwe,  and 
were  told  that  we  were  but  ten  days  from  that  fort.  One  of 
them,  a Mashona  man,  who  had  come  from  a great  distance  to  the 
southwest,  was  anxious  to  accompany  us  to  the  country  of  the 
white  men ; he  had  traveled  far,  and  I found  that  he  had  also 
knowledge  of  the  English  tribe,  and  of  their  hatred  to  the  trade 
in  slaves.  He  told  Sekwebu  that  the  “English  were  men,”  an 
emphasis  being  put  upon  the  term  men , which  leaves  the  impres- 
sion that  others  are,  as  they  express  it  in  speaking  scornfully, 


640 


DISLIKE  TO  SLAVE-BUYERS. 


“only  things .”  Several  spoke  in  the  same  manner,  and  I found 
that  from  Mpende’s  downward  I rose  higher  every  day  in  the 
estimation  of  my  own  people.  Even  the  slaves  gave  a very  high 
character  to  the  English,  and  I found  out  afterward  that,  when 
I was  first  reported  at  Tete,  the  servants  of  my  friend  the  com- 
mandant said  to  him  in  joke,  “ Ah ! this  is  our  brother  who  is 
coming ; we  shall  all  leave  you  and  go  with  him.”  We  had  still, 
however,  some  difficulties  in  store  for  us  before  reaching  that 
point. 

The  man  who  wished  to  accompany  us  came  and  told  us  before 
our  departure  that  his  wife  would  not  allow  him  to  go,  and  she 
herself  came  to  confirm  the  decision.  Here  the  women  have  only 
a small  puncture  in  the  upper  lip,  in  which  they  insert  a little 
button  of  tin.  The  perforation  is  made  by  degrees,  a ring  with 
an  opening  in  it  being  attached  to  the  lip,  and  the  ends  squeezed 
gradually  together.  The  pressure  on  the  flesh  between  the  ends 
of  the  ring  causes  its  absorption,  and  a hole  is  the  result.  Chil- 
dren may  be  seen  with  the  ring  on  the  lip,  but  not  yet  punctured. 
The  tin  they  purchase  from  the  Portuguese,  and,  although  silver 
is  reported  to  have  been  found  in  former  times  in  this  district,  no 
one  could  distinguish  it  from  tin.  But  they  had  a knowledge  of 
gold,  and  for  the  first  time  I heard  the  word  “ dalama”  (gold)  in 
the  native  language.  The  word  is  quite  unknown  in  the  interior, 
and  so  is  the  metal  itself.  In  conversing  with  the  different  peo- 
ple, we  found  the  idea  prevalent  that  those  who  had  purchased 
slaves  from  them  had  done  them  an  injury.  “ All  the  slaves  of 
Nyungwe,”  said  one,  “are  our  children  ; the  Bazunga  have  made 
a town  at  our  expense.”  When  I asked  if  they  had  not  taken 
the  prices  offered  them,  they  at  once  admitted  it,  but  still  thought 
that  they  had  been  injured  by  being  so  far  tempted.  From  the 
way  in  which  the  lands  of  Zumbo  were  spoken  of  as  still  belong- 
ing to  the  Portuguese  (and  they  are  said  to  have  been  obtained  by 
purchase),  I was  inclined  to  conclude  that  the  purchase  of  land  is 
not  looked  upon  by  the  inhabitants  in  the  same  light  as  the  pur- 
chase of  slaves. 

February  1st.  We  met  some  native  traders,  and,  as  many  of 
my  men  were  now  in  a state  of  nudity,  I bought  some  American 
calico  marked  “ Lawrence  Mills,  Lowell,”  with  two  small  tusks, 
and  distributed  it  among  the  most  needy.  After  leaving  Mo- 


SAND-RIVULET  ZINGESI. 


641 


zinkwa’s  we  came  to  the  Zingesi,  a sand-rivulet  in  flood  (lat.  15° 
38'  34"  S.,  long.  31°  V E.).  It  was  sixty  or  seventy  yards  wide, 
and  waist-deep.  Like  all  these  sand-rivers,  it  is  for  the  most  part 
dry  ; but  by  digging  down  a few  feet,  water  is  to  be  found,  which 
is  percolating  along  the  bed  on  a stratum  of  clay.  This  is  the 
phenomenon  which  is  dignified  by  the  name  of  “ a river  flowing 
under  ground.”  In  trying  to  ford  this  I felt  thousands  of  particles 
of  coarse  sand  striking  my  legs,  and  the  slight  disturbance  of  our 
footsteps  caused  deep  holes  to  be  made  in  the  bed.  The  water, 
which  is  almost  always  very  rapid  in  them,  dug  out  the  sand  be- 
neath our  feet  in  a second  or  two,  and  we  were  all  sinking  by  that 
means  so  deep  that  we  were  glad  to  relinquish  the  attempt  to 
ford  it  before  we  got  half  way  over ; the  oxen  were  carried  away 
down  into  the  Zambesi.  These  sand-rivers  remove  vast  masses 
of  disintegrated  rock  before  it  is  fine  enough  to  form  soil.  The 
man  who  preceded  me  was  only  thigh-deep,  but  the  disturbance 
caused  by  his  feet  made  it  breast -deep  for  me.  The  shower 
of  particles  and  gravel  which  struck  against  my  legs  gave  me 
the  idea  that  the  amount  of  matter  removed  by  every  freshet 
must  be  very  great.  In  most  rivers  where  much  wearing  is 
going  on,  a person  diving  to  the  bottom  may  hear  literally  thou- 
sands of  stones  knocking  against  each  other.  This  attrition, 
being  carried  on  for  hundreds  of  miles  in  different  rivers,  must 
have  an  effect  greater  than  if  all  the  pestles  and  mortars  and 
mills  of  the  world  were  grinding  and  wearing  away  the  rocks. 
The  pounding  to  which  I refer  may  be  heard  most  distinctly 
in  the  Yaal  River,  when  that  is  slightly  in  flood.  It  was  there 
I first  heard  it.  In  the  Leeambye,  in  the  middle  of  the  country, 
where  there  is  no  discoloration,  and  little  carried  along  but  sand,  it 
is  not  to  be  heard. 

While  opposite  the  village  of  a head  man  called  Mosusa,  a 
number  of  elephants  took  refuge  on  an  island  in  the  river. 
There  were  two  males,  and  a third  not  full  grown ; indeed, 
scarcely  the  size  of  a female.  This  was  the  first  instance  I had 
ever  seen  of  a comparatively  young  one  with  the  males,  for  they 
usually  remain  with  the  female  herd  till  as  large  as  their  dams. 
The  inhabitants  W'ere  very  anxious  that  my  men  should  attack 
them,  as  they  go  into  the  gardens  on  the  islands,  and  do  much 
damage.  The  men  went,  but  the  elephants  ran  about  half  a 

Ss 


642 


GAME-LAWS. 


mile  to  the  opposite  end  of  the  island,  and  swam  to  the  main 
land  with  their  probosces  above  the  water,  and,  no  canoe  being 
near,  they  escaped.  They  swim  strongly,  with  the  proboscis 
erect  in  the  air.  I was  not  very  desirous  to  have  one  of  these 
animals  killed,  for  we  understood  that  when  we  passed  Mpende 
we  came  into  a country  where  the  game-laws  are  strictly  en- 
forced. The  lands  of  each  chief  are  very  well  defined,  the  bound- 
aries being  usually  marked  by  rivulets,  great  numbers  of  which 
flow  into  the  Zambesi  from  both  banks,  and,  if  an  elephant  is 
wounded  on  one  man’s  land  and  dies  on  that  of  another,  the  under 
half  of  the  carcass  is  claimed  by  the  lord  of  the  soil ; and  so  strin- 
gent is  the  law,  that  the  hunter  can  not  begin  af  once  to  cut  up 
his  own  elephant,  but  must  send  notice  to  the  lord  of  the  soil  on 
which  it  lies,  and  wait  until  that  personage  sends  one  authorized 
to  see  a fair  partition  made.  If  the  hunter  should  begin  to  cut  up 
before  the  agent  of  the  landowner  arrives,  he  is  liable  to  lose  both 
the  tusks  and  all  the  flesh.  The  hind  leg  of  a buffalo  must  also 
be  given  to  the  man  on  whose  land  the  animal  was  grazing,  and 
a still  larger  quantity  of  the  eland,  which  here  and  every  where 
else  in  the  country  is  esteemed  right  royal  food.  In  the  country 
above  Zumbo  we  did  not  find  a vestige  of  this  law ; and  but  for 
the  fact  that  it  existed  in  the  country  of  the  Bamapela,  far  to  the 
south  of  this,  I should  have  been  disposed  to  regard  it  in  the  same 
light  as  I do  the  payment  for  leave  to  pass — an  imposition  levied 
on  him  who  is  seen  to  be  weak  because  in  the  hands  of  his  slaves. 
The  only  game-laws  in  the  interior  are,  that  the  man  who  first 
wounds  an  animal,  though  he  has  inflicted  but  a mere  scratch,  is 
considered  the  killer  of  it ; the  second  is  entitled  to  a hind  quar- 
ter, and  the  third  to  a fore  leg.  The  chiefs  are  generally  enti- 
tled to  a share  as  tribute  ; in  some  parts  it  is  the  breast,  in  others 
the  whole  of  the  ribs  and  one  fore  leg.  I generally  respected  this 
law,  although  exceptions  are  sometimes  made  when  animals  arc 
killed  by  guns.  The  knowledge  that  he  who  succeeds  in  reach- 
ing the  wounded  beast  first  is  entitled  to  a share  stimulates  the 
whole  party  to  greater  exertions  in  dispatching  it.  One  of  my 
men,  having  a knowledge  of  elephant  medicine,  was  considered  the 
leader  in  the  hunt ; he  wTent  before  the  others,  examined  the  ani- 
mals, and  on  his  decision  all  depended.  If  he  decided  to  attack 
a herd,  the  rest  went  boldly  on  ; but  if  he  declined,  none  of  them 


THE  SPOTTED  HYiENA. 


643 


would  engage.  A certain  part  of  the  elephant  belonged  to  him  by 
right  of  the  office  he  held,  and  such  was  the  faith  in  medicine  held 
by  the  slaves  of  the  Portuguese  whom  wTe  met  hunting,  that  they 
offered  to  pay  this  man  handsomely  if  he  would  show  them  the 
elephant  medicine. 

When  near  Mosusa’s  village  we  passed  a rivulet  called  Chowe, 
now  running  with  rain-water.  The  inhabitants  there  extract  a 
little  salt  from  the  sand  when  it  is  dry,  and  all  the  people  of  the 
adjacent  country  come  to  purchase  it  from  them.  This  was  the 
first  salt  we  had  met  with  since  leaving  Angola,  for  none  is  to  be 
found  in  either  the  country  of  the  Balonda  or  Barotse ; but  we 
heard  of  salt-pans  about  a fortnight  west  of  Naliele,  and  I got  a 
small  supply  from  Mpololo  while  there.  That  had  long  since 
been  finished,  and  I had  again  lived  two  months  without  salt,  suf- 
fering no  inconvenience  except  an  occasional  longing  for  animal 
food  or  milk. 

In  marching  along,  the  rich  reddish-brown  soil  was  so  clammy 
that  it  was  very  difficult  to  walk.  It  is,  however,  extremely  fer- 
tile, and  the  people  cultivate  amazing  quantities  of  corn,  maize, 
millet,  ground-nuts,  pumpkins,  and  cucumbers.  We  observed 
that,  when  plants  failed  in  one  spot,  they  were  in  the  habit  of  trans- 
planting them  into  another,  and  they  had  also  grown  large  num- 
bers of  young  plants  on  the  islands,  where  they  are  favored  by 
moisture  from  the  river,  and  were  now  removing  them  to  the  main 
land.  The  fact  of  their  being  obliged  to  do  this  show's  that  there 
is  less  rain  here  than  in  Londa,  for  there  we  observed  the  grain  in 
all  stages  of  its  growth  at  the  same  time. 

The  people  here  build  their  huts  in  gardens  on  high  stages. 
This  is  necessary  on  account  of  danger  from  the  spotted  hyasna, 
which  is  said  to  be  very  fierce,  and  also  as  a protection  against 
lions  and  elephants.  The  hyama  is  a very  cowardly  animal, 
but  frequently  approaches  persons  lying  asleep,  and  makes  an 
ugly  gash  on  the  face.  Mozinkwa  had  lost  his  upper  lip  in  this 
way,  and  I have  heard  of  men  being  killed  by  them  ; children, 
too,  are  sometimes  carried  off ; for,  though  he  is  so  cowardly  that 
the  human  voice  will  make  him  run  away  at  once,  yet,  when  his 
teeth  are  in  the  flesh,  he  holds  on,  and  shows  amazing  power  of 
jaw.  Leg-bones  of  oxen,  from  which  the  natives  have  extracted 
the  marrow  and  every  thing  eatable,  are  by  this  animal  crunched 


044 


A STINGY  WHITE  TRADER. 


up  with  the  greatest  ease,  which  he  apparently  effects  by  turning 
them  round  in  his  teeth  till  they  are  in  a suitable  position  for  be- 
ing split. 

We  had  now  come  among  people  who  had  plenty,  and  were 
really  very  liberal.  My  men  never  returned  from  a village  with- 
out some  corn  or  maize  in  their  hands.  The  real  politeness  with 
which  food  is  given  by  nearly  all  the  interior  tribes,  who  have  not 
had  much  intercourse  with  Europeans,  makes  it  a pleasure  to  ac- 
cept. Again  and  again  I have  heard  an  apology  made  for  the 
smallness  of  the  present,  or  regret  expressed  that  they  had  not 
received  notice  of  my  approach  in  time  to  grind  more,  and  gener- 
ally they  readily  accepted  our  excuse  at  having  nothing  to  give  in 
return  by  saying  that  they  were  quite  aware  that  there  are  no 
white  men’s  goods  in  the  interior.  When  I had  it  in  my  power, 
I always  gave  something  really  useful.  To  Katema,  Shinte, 
and  others,  I gave  presents  which  cost  me  about  £2  each,  and  I 
could  return  to  them  at  any  time  without  having  a character  for 
stinginess.  How  some  men  can  offer  three  buttons,  or  some 
other  equally  contemptible  gift,  while  they  have  abundance  in 
their  possession,  is  to  me  unaccountable.  They  surely  do  not 
know,  when  they  write  it  in  their  books,  that  they  are  declaring 
they  have  compromised  the  honor  of  Englishmen.  The  people 
receive  the  offering  with  a degree  of  shame,  and  ladies  may  be 
seen  to  hand  it  quickly  to  the  attendants,  and,  when  they  retire, 
laugh  until  the  tears  stand  in  their  eyes,  saying  to  those  about 
them,  “Is  that  a white  man?  then  there  are  niggards  among 
them  too.  Some  of  them  are  born  without  hearts  !”  One  white 
trader,  having  presented  an  old  gun  to  a chief,  became  a standing- 
joke  in  the  tribe:  “The  white  man  who  made  a present  of  a 
gun  that  was  new  when  his  grandfather  was  sucking  his  great- 
grandmother.” When  these  tricks  are  repeated,  the  natives  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  people  who  show  such  a want  of  sense 
must  be  told  their  duty  ; they  therefore  let  them  know  what  they 
ought  to  give,  and  travelers  then  complain  of  being  pestered 
with  their  “ shameless  begging.”  I was  troubled  by  importu- 
nity on  the  confines  of  civilization  only,  and  when  I first  came 
to  Africa. 

February  Ath.  We  were  much  detained  by  rains,  a heavy 
shower  without  wind  falling  every  morning  about  daybreak ; it 


BOROMA’S  VILLAGE. 


645 


often  cleared  up  after  that,  admitting  of  our  moving  on  a few 
miles.  A continuous  rain  of  several  hours  then  set  in.  The 
wind  up  to  this  point  was  always  from  the  east,  hut  both  rain  and 
wind  now  came  so  generally  from  the  west,  or  opposite  direction 
to  what  we  had  been  accustomed  to  in  the  interior,  that  wre  were 
obliged  to  make  our  encampment  face  the  east,  in  order  to  have 
them  in  our  backs.  The  country  adjacent  to  the  river  abounds 
in  large  trees ; but  the  population  is  so  numerous  that,  those  left 
being  all  green,  it  is  difficult  to  get  dry  firewood.  On  coming  to 
some  places,  too,  we  were  warned  by  the  villagers  not  to  cut  the 
trees  growing  in  certain  spots,  as  they  contained  the  graves  of 
their  ancestors.  There  are  many  tamarind-trees,  and  another 
very  similar,  which  yields  a fruit  as  large  as  a small  walnut,  of 
which  the  elephants  are  very  fond.  It  is  called  Motondo,  and  the 
Portuguese  extol  it3  timber  as  excellent  for  building  boats,  as  it 
does  not  soon  rot  in  water. 

On  the  6th  we  came  to  the  village  of  Boroma,  which  is  situated 
among  a number  of  others,  each  surrounded  by  extensive  patches 
of  cultivation.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  we  have  a great 
cluster  of  conical  hills  called  Chorichori.  Boroma  did  not  make 
his  appearance,  but  sent  a substitute  who  acted  civilly.  I sent 
Sekwebu  in  the  morning  to  state  that  we  intended  to  move  on ; 
his  mother  replied  that,  as  she  had  expected  that  we  should  re- 
main, no  food  was  ready,  but  she  sent  a basket  of  corn  and  a fowl. 
As  an  excuse  why  Boroma  did  not  present  himself,  she  said  that 
he  was  seized  that  morning  by  the  Barimo,  which  probably  meant 
that  his  lordship  was  drunk. 

We  marched  along  the  river  to  a point  opposite  the  hill  Pinkwe 
(lat.  15°  39/  11"  S.,  long.  32°  5'  E.),  but  the  late  abundant  rains 
now  flooded  the  Zambesi  again,  and  great  quantities  of  wreck 
appeared  upon  the  stream.  It  is  probable  that  frequent  freshets, 
caused  by  the  rains  on  this  side  of  the  ridge,  have  prevented 
the  Portuguese  near  the  coast  from  recognizing  the  one  peculiar 
flood  of  inundation  observed  in  the  interior,  and  caused  the  belief 
that  it  is  flooded  soon  after  the  commencement  of  the  rains.  The 
course  of  the  Nile  being  in  the  opposite  direction  to  this,  it  does 
not  receive  these  subsidiary  waters,  and  hence  its  inundation  is 
recognized  all  the  way  along  its  course.  If  the  Leeambye  were 
prolonged  southward  into  the  Cape  Colony,  its  flood  would  be 


646 


FOSSIL  TREES. 


identical  with  that  of  the  Nile.  It  would  not  be  influenced  by 
any  streams  in  the  Kalahari,  for  there,  as  in  a corresponding  part 
of  the  Nile,  there  would  be  no  feeders.  It  is  to  be  remembered 
that  the  great  ancient  river  which  flowed  to  the  lake  at  Boochap 
took  this  course  exactly,  and  probably  flowed  thither  until  the  fis- 
sure of  the  falls  was  made. 

This  flood  having  filled  the  river,  we  found  the  numerous  rivu- 
lets which  flow  into  it  filled  also,  and  when  going  along  the  Zam- 
besi, we  lost  so  much  time  in  passing  tip  each  little  stream  till  we 
could  find  a ford  about  waist  deep,  and  then  returning  to  the  bank, 
that  I resolved  to  leave  the  river  altogether,  and  strike  away  to 
the  southeast.  We  accordingly  struck  oft’  when  opposite  the  hill 
Pinkwe,  and  came  into  a hard  Mopane  country.  In  a hole  of  one 
of  the  mopane-trees  I noticed  that  a squirrel  ( Sciurus  cepajoi) 
had  placed  a great  number  of  fresh  leaves  over  a store  of  seed. 
It  is  not  against  the  cold  of  winter  that  they  thus  lay  up  food, 
but  it  is  a provision  against  the  hot  season,  when  the  trees  have 
generally  no  seed.  A great  many  silicified  trees  are  met  with 
lying  on  the  ground  all  over  this  part  of  the  country;  some  are 
broken  off  horizontally,  and  stand  upright ; others  are  lying  prone, 
and  broken  aoross  into  a number  of  pieces.  One  was  4 feet  8 
inches  in  diameter,  and  the  wood  must  have  been  soft  like  that  of 
the  baobab,  for  there  were  only  six  concentric  rings  to  the  inch. 
As  the  semidiameter  was  only  28  inches,  this  large  tree  could 
have  been  but  168  years  old.  I found  also  a piece  of  palm-tree 
transformed  into  oxide  of  iron,  and  the  pores  filled  with  pure  silica. 
These  fossil  trees  lie  upon  soft  gray  sandstone  containing  banks 
of  shingle,  which  forms  the  underlying  rock  of  the  country  all  the 
way  from  Zumbo  to  near  Lupata.  It  is  met  with  at  Litubaruba 
and  in  Angola,  with  similar  banks  of  shingle  imbedded  exactly 
like  those  now  seen  on  the  sea-beach,  but  I never  could  find  a 
shell.  There  are  many  nodules  and  mounds  of  hardened  clay 
upon  it,  which  seem  to  have  been  deposited  in  eddies  made  round 
the  roots  of  these  ancient  trees,  for  they  appear  of  different  colors 
in  wavy  and  twisted  lines.  Above  this  we  have  small  quantities 
of  calcareous  marl. 

As  we  were  now  in  the  district  of  Chicova,  I examined  the  ge- 
ological structure  of  the  country  with  interest,  because  here,  it  has 
been  stated,  there  once  existed  silver  mines.  The  general  rock  is 


DISTRICT  OF  CHICOYA. 


647 


the  gray  soft  sandstone  I have  mentioned,  hut  at  the  rivulet  Ban- 
gue  we  come  upon  a dike  of  basalt  six  yards  wide,  running  north 
and  south.  When  we  cross  this,  we  come  upon  several  others, 
some  of  which  run  more  to  the  eastward.  The  sandstone  is  then 
found  to  have  been  disturbed,  and  at  the  rivulet  called  Nake  we 
found  it  tilted  up  and  exhibiting  a section,  which  was  coarse  sand- 
stone above,  sandstone-flag,  shale,  and,  lastly,  a thin  seam  of  coal. 
The  section  was  only  shown  for  a short  distance,  and  then  became 
lost  by  a fault  made  by  a dike  of  basalt,  which  ran  to  the  E.N.E. 
in  the  direction  of  Chicova. 

This  Chicova  is  not  a kingdom,  as  has  been  stated,  but  a level 
tract,  a part  of  which  is  annually  overflowed  by  the  Zambesi,  and 
is  well  adapted  for  the  cultivation  of  corn.  It  is  said  to  be  below 
the  northern  end  of  the  hill  Bungwe.  I was  very  much  pleased 
in  discovering  this  small  specimen  of  such  a precious  mineral  as 
coal.  I saw  no  indication  of  silver,  and,  if  it  ever  was  worked 
by  the  natives,  it  is  remarkable  that  they  have  entirely  lost  the 
knowledge  of  it,  and  can  not  distinguish  between  silver  and  tin. 
In  connection  with  these  basaltic  dikes,  it  may  be  mentioned 
that  when  I reached  Tete  I was  informed  of  the  existence  of  a 
small  rapid  in  the  river  near  Chicova ; had  I known  this  pre- 
viously, I certainly  would  not  have  left  the  river  without  exam- 
ining it.  It  is  called  Kebrabasa,  and  is  described  as  a number  of 
rocks  which  jut  out  across  the  stream.  I have  no  doubt  but  that 
it  is  formed  by  some  of  the  basaltic  dikes  which  we  now  saw, 
for  they  generally  ran  toward  that  point.  I was  partly  influenced 
in  leaving  the  river  by  a wish  to  avoid  several  chiefs  in  that  di- 
rection, who  levy  a heavy  tribute  on  those  who  pass  up  or  down. 
Our  path  lay  along  the  bed  of  the  Nake  for  some  distance,  the 
banks  being  covered  with  impenetrable  thickets.  The  villages 
are  not  numerous,  but  we  went  from  one  to  the  other,  and  were 
treated  kindly.  Here  they  call  themselves  Bambiri,  though  the 
general  name  of  the  whole  nation  is  Banyai.  One  of  our  guides 
was  an  inveterate  talker,  always  stopping  and  asking  for  pay,  that 
he  might  go  on  with  a merry  heart.  I thought  that  he  led  us  in 
the  most  difficult  paths  in  order  to  make  us  feel  his  value,  for, 
after  passing  through  one  thicket  after  another,  we  always  came 
into  the  bed  of  the  Nake  again,  and  as  that  was  full  of  coarse 
sand,  and  the  water  only  ankle  deep,  and  as  hot  as  a foot-bath 


648 


NYAMPUNGO,  THE  RAIN-CHARMER. 


from  the  powerful  rays  of  the  sun,  we  were  all  completely  tired 
out.  He  likewise  gave  us  a bad  character  at  every  village  we 
passed,  calling  to  them  that  they  were  to  allow  him  to  lead  us 
astray,  as  we  were  a bad  set.  Sekwebu  knew  every  word  he 
said,  and,  as  he  became  intolerable,  I dismissed  him,  giving  him 
six  feet  of  calico  I had  bought  from  native  traders,  and  telling 
him  that  his  tongue  was  a nuisance.  It  is  in  general  best,  when 
a scolding  is  necessary,  to  give  it  in  combination  with  a present, 
and  then  end  it  by  good  wishes.  This  fellow  went  off  smiling, 
and  my  men  remarked,  “ His  tongue  is  cured  now.”  The  coun- 
try around  the  Nake  is  hilly,  and  the  valleys  covered  with  tangled 
jungle.  The  people  who  live  in  this  district  have  reclaimed  their 
gardens  from  the  forest,  and  the  soil  is  extremely  fertile.  The 
Nake  flows  northerly,  and  then  to  the  east.  It  is  50  or  60  yards 
wide,  but  during  most  of  the  year  is  dry,  affording  water  only  by 
digging  in  the  sand.  We  found  in  its  bed  masses  of  volcanic 
rock,  identical  with  those  I subsequently  recognized  as  such  at 
Aden. 

1 3th.  The  head  man  of  these  parts  is  named  Nyampungo.  I 
sent  the  last  fragment  of  cloth  we  had,  with  a request  that  we 
should  be  furnished  with  a guide  to  the  next  chief.  After  a long 
conference  with  his  council,  the  cloth  was  returned  with  a promise 
of  compliance,  and  a request  for  some  beads  only.  This  man  is 
supposed  to  possess  the  charm  for  rain,  and  other  tribes  send  to 
him  to  beg  it.  This  shows  that  what  we  inferred  before  was  cor- 
rect, that  less  rain  falls  in  this  country  than  in  Londa.  Nyam- 
pungo behaved  in  quite  a gentlemanly  manner,  presented  me  with 
some  rice,  and  told  my  people  to  go  among  all  the  villages  and 
beg  for  themselves.  An  old  man,  father-in-law  of  the  chief,  told 
me  that  he  had  seen  books  before,  but  never  knew  vhat  they 
meant.  They  pray  to  departed  chiefs  and  relatives,  but  the  idea 
of  praying  to  God  seemed  new,  and  they  heard  it  with  reverence. 
As  this  was  an  intelligent  old  man,  I asked  him  about  the  silver, 
but  he  was  as  ignorant  of  it  as  the  rest,  and  said,  “ We  never  dug 
silver,  but  we  have  washed  for  gold  in  the  sands  of  the  rivers 
Mazoe  and  Luia,  which  unite  in  the  Luenya."  I think  that  this 
is  quite  conclusive  on  the  question  of  no  silver  having  been  dug 
by  the  natives  of  this  district.  Nyampungo  is  afflicted  with  a 
kind  of  disease  called  Sesenda,  which  I imagine  to  be  a species  of 


WANT  OF  CATTLE. 


649 


leprosy  common  in  this  quarter,  though  they  are  a cleanly  people. 
They  never  had  cattle.  The  chief’s  father  had  always  lived  in 
their  present  position,  and,  when  I asked  him  why  he  did  not 
possess  these  useful  animals,  he  said,  “Who  would  give  us  the 
medicine  to  enable  us  to  keep  them  ?”  I found  out  the  reason 
afterward  in  the  prevalence  of  tsetse,  but  of  this  he  was  ignorant, 
having  supposed  that  he  could  not  keep  cattle  because  he  had  no 
medicine. 


650 


ELEPHANT-HUNT. 


I 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

An  Elephant-hunt. — Offering  and  Prayers  to  the  Barimo  for  Success. — Native 
Mode  of  Expression. — Working  of  Game-laws. — A Feast. — Laughing  Hyaenas. 
— Numerous  Insects. — Curious  Notes  of  Birds  of  Song. — Caterpillars. — Butter- 
flies.— Silica. — The  Fruit  Makorouga  and  Elephants. — Rhinoceros  Adventure. 
— Korwe  Bird. — Its  Nest. — A real  Confinement. — Honey  and  Beeswax. — Super- 
stitious Reverence  for  the  Lion. — Slow  Traveling. — Grapes. — The  Ue. — Monina’s 
Village. — Native  Names.  — Government  of  the  Banyai. — Electing  a Chief. — 
Youths  instructed  in  “ Bonyai” — Suspected  of  Falsehood. — War-dance. — Insan- 
ity and  Disappearance  of  Monahin. — Fruitless  Search. — Monina’s  Sympathy. — 
The  Sand-river  Tangwe. — The  Ordeal  Muavi : its  Victims. — An  unreasonable 
Man.  — “Woman’s  Rights.” — Presents. — Temperance. — A winding  Course  to 
shun  Villages. — Banyai  Complexion  and  Hair. — Mushrooms. — The  Tubers,  Mo- 
kuri. — The  Tree  Shekabakadzi. — Face  of  the  Country. — Pot-holes. — Pursued  by 
a Party  of  Natives. — Unpleasant  Threat. — Aroused  by  a Company  of  Soldiers. — 
A civilized  Breakfast. — Arrival  at  Tete. 

14th.  We  left  Nyampungo  this  morning.  The  path  wound 
u.p  the  Molinge,  another  sand-river  which  flows  into  the  Nake. 
When  we  got  clear  of  the  tangled  jungle  which  covers  the  banks 
of  these  rivulets,  we  entered  the  Mopane  country,  where  we  could 
walk  with  comfort.  When  we  had  gone  on  a few  hours,  my  men 
espied  an  elephant,  and  were  soon  in  full  pursuit.  They  were  in 
want  of  meat,  having  tasted  nothing  but  grain  for  several  days. 
The  desire  for  animal  food  made  them  all  eager  to  slay  him,  and, 
though  an  old  bull,  he  was  soon  killed.  The  people  of  Nyam- 
pungo  had  never  seen  such  desperadoes  before.  One  rushed  up 
and  hamstrung  the  beast,  while  still  standing,  by  a blow  with  an 
axe.  Some  Banyai  elephant-hunters  happened  to  be  present 
when  my  men  were  fighting  with  him.  One  of  them  took  out 
his  snuff-box,  and  poured  out  all  its  contents  at  the  root  of  a 
tree  as  an  offering  to  the  Barimo  for  success.  As  soon  as  the 
animal  fell,  the  whole  of  my  party  engaged  -in  a wild,  savage 
dance  round  the  body,  which  quite  frightened  the  Banyai,  and 
he  who  made  the  offering  said  to  me,  “ I see  you  are  traveling 
with  people  who  don’t  know  how  to  pray:  I therefore  offered 


GAME-LAWS. — HYAENAS. 


651 


the  only  thing  I had  in  their  behalf,  and  the  elephant  soon  fell.” 
One  of  Nyampungo’s  men,  who  remained  with  me,  ran  a little 
forward,  when  an  opening  in  the  trees  gave  us  a view  of  the 
chase,  and  uttered  loud  prayers  for  success  in  the  combat.  I 
admired  the  devout  belief  they  all  possessed  in  the  actual  exist- 
ence of  unseen  beings,  and  prayed  that  they  might  yet  know 
that  benignant  One  who  views  us  all  as  his  own.  My  own  peo- 
ple, who  are  rather  a degraded  lot,  remarked  to  me  as  I came  up, 
“ God  gave  it  to  us.  He  said  to  the  old  beast,  ‘ Go  up  there ; 
men  are  come  who  will  kill  and  eat  you.’  ” These  remarks  are 
quoted  to  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the  native  mode  of  ex- 
pression. 

As  we  were  now  in  the  country  of  stringent  game-laws,  we 
were  obliged  to  send  all  the  way  back  to  Nyampungo,  to  give 
information  to  a certain  person  who  had  been  left  there  by  the 
real  owner  of  this  district  to  watch  over  his  property,  the  owner 
himself  living  near  the  Zambesi.  The  side  upon  which  the  ele- 
phant fell  had  a short,  broken  tusk ; the  upper  one,  which  was 
ours,  was  large  and  thick.  The  Banyai  remarked  on  our  good 
luck.  The  men  sent  to  give  notice  came  back  late  in  the  after- 
noon of  the  following  day.  They  brought  a basket  of  corn,  a 
fowl,  and  a few  strings  of  handsome  beads,  as  a sort  of  thank- 
offering  for  our  having  killed  it  on  their  land,  and  said  they  had 
thanked  the  Barimo  besides  for  our  success,  adding,  “ There  it  is  ; 
eat  it  and  be  glad.”  Had  we  begun  to  cut  it  up  before  we  got 
this  permission,  we  should  have  lost  the  whole.  They  had  brought 
a large  party  to  eat  their  half,  and  they  divided  it  with  us  in  a 
friendly  way.  My  men  were  delighted  with  the  feast,  though,  by 
lying  unopened  a whole  day,  the  carcass  was  pretty  far  gone. 
An  astonishing  number  of  hysenas  collected  round,  and  kept  up 
a loud  laughter  for  two  whole  nights.  Some  of  them  do  make 
a very  good  imitation  of  a laugh.  I asked  my  men  what  the  hy- 
aenas were  laughing  at,  as  they  usually  give  animals  credit  for  a 
share  of  intelligence.  They  said  that  they  were  laughing  because 
we  could  not  take  the  whole,  and  that  they  would  have  plenty  to 
eat  as  well  as  we.- 

On  coming  to  the  part  where  the  elephant  was  slain,  we  passed 
through  grass  so  tall  that  it  reminded  me  of  that  in  the  valley  of 
Cassange.  Insects  are  very  numerous  after  the  rains  commence. 


652 


INSECT  LIFE.— BIRDS. 


While  waiting  by  the  elephant,  I observed  a great  number  of  in- 
sects, like  grains  of  fine  sand,  moving  on  my  boxes.  On  exam- 
ination with  a glass,  four  species  were  apparent ; one  of  green 
and  gold  preening  its  wings,  which  glanced  in  the  sun  with  me- 
tallic lustre ; another  clear  as  crystal ; a third  of  the  color  of  ver- 
milion ; and  a fourth  black.  These  are  probably  some  of  those 
which  consume  the  seeds  of  every  plant  that  grows.  Almost 
every  kind  has  its  own  peculiar  insect,  and  when  the  rains  are 
over  very  few  seeds  remain  untouched.  The  rankest  poisons, 
as  the  Kongwhane  and  Euphorbia,  are  soon  devoured ; the  for- 
mer has  a scarlet  insect ; and  even  the  fiery  bird’s-eye  pepper, 
which  will  keep  off  many  others  from  their  own  seeds,  is  itself 
devoured  by  a maggot.  I observed  here,  what  I had  often  seen 
before,  that  certain  districts  abound  in  centipedes.  Here  they 
have  light  reddish  bodies  and  blue  legs ; great  myriapedes  are  seen 
crawling  every  where.  Although  they  do  no  harm,  they  excite  in 
man  a feeling  of  loathing.  Perhaps  our  appearance  produces  a 
similar  feeling  in  the  elephant  and  other  large  animals.  Where 
they  have  been  much  disturbed,  they  certainly  look  upon  us  with 
great  distrust,  as  the  horrid  biped  that  ruins  their  peace.  In 
the  quietest  parts  of  the  forest  there  is  heard  a faint  but  dis- 
tinct hum,  which  tells  of  insect  joy.  One  may  see  many  whisk- 
ing about  in  the  clear  sunshine  in  patches  among  the  green 
glancing  leaves ; but  there  are  invisible  myriads  working  with 
never-tiring  mandibles  on  leaves,  and  stalks,  and  beneath  the  soil. 
They  are  all  brimful  of  enjoyment.  Indeed,  the  universality  of 
organic  life  may  be  called  a mantle  of  happy  existence  encircling 
the  world,  and  imparts  the  idea  of  its  being  caused  by  the  con- 
sciousness of  our  benignant  Father’s  smile  on  all  the  works  of  His 
hands. 

The  birds  of  the  tropics  have  been  described  as  generally  want- 
ing in  power  of  song.  I was  decidedly  of  opinion  that  this  was 
not  applicable  to  many  parts  in  Londa,  though  birds  there  are 
remarkably  scarce.  Here  the  chorus,  or  body  of  song,  was  not 
much  smaller  in  volume  than  it  is  in  England.  It  was  not  so 
harmonious,  and  sounded  always  as  if  the  birds  were  singing  in 
a foreign  tongue.  Some  resemble  the  lark,  and,  indeed,  there 
are  several  of  that  family ; two  have  notes  not  unlike  those  of 
the  thrush.  One  brought  the  chaffinch  to  my  mind,  and  another 


BIRDS.— CATERPILLARS. 


653 


the  robin ; but  their  songs  are  intermixed  with  several  curious 
abrupt  notes  unlike  any  thing  English.  One  utters  deliberately 
“ peek,  pak,  pok another  has  a single  note  like  a stroke  on  a 
violin-string.  The  mokwa  reza  gives  forth  a screaming  set  of 
notes  like  our  blackbird  when  disturbed,  then  concludes  with  what 
the  natives  say  is  “pula,  pula”  (rain,  rain),  but  more  like  “weep, 
weep,  weep.”  Then  we  have  the  loud  cry  of  francolins,  the 
“pumpuru,  pumpuru”  of  turtle-doves,  and  the  “ chiken,  chiken, 
chik,  churr,  churr”  of  the  lioney-guide.  Occasionally,  near  vil- 
lages, we  have  a kind  of  mocking-bird,  imitating  the  calls  of 
domestic  fowls.  These  African  birds  have  not  been  wanting  in 
song ; they  have  only  lacked  poets  to  sing  their  praises,  which 
ours  have  had  from  the  time  of  Aristophanes  downward.  Ours 
have  both  a classic  and  a modern  interest  to  enhance  their  fame. 
In  hot,  dry  weather,  or  at  midday  when  the  sun  is  fierce,  all  are 
still : let,  however,  a good  shower  fall,  and  all  burst  forth  at  once 
into  merry  lays  and  loving  courtship.  The  early  mornings  and 
the  cool  evenings  are  their  favorite  times  for  singing.  There  are 
comparatively  few  with  gaudy  plumage,  being  totally  unlike,  in 
this  respect,  the  birds  of  the  Brazils.  The  majority  have  de- 
cidedly a sober  dress,  though  collectors,  having  generally  select- 
ed the  gaudiest  as  the  most  valuable,  have  conveyed  the  idea 
that  the  birds  of  the  tropics  for  the  most  part  possess  gorgeous 
plumage. 

16th.  Several  of  my  men  have  been  bitten  by  spiders  and  other 
insects,  but  no  effect  except  pain  has  followed.  A large  cater- 
pillar is  frequently  seen,  called  lezuntabuea.  It  is  covered  with 
long  gray  hairs,  and,  the  body  being  dark,  it  resembles  a porcu- 
pine in  miniature.  If  one  touches  it,  the  hairs  run  into  the  pores 
of  the  skin,  and  remain  there,  giving  sharp  pricks.  There  are 
others  which  have  a similar  means  of  defense ; and  when  the  hand 
is  drawn  across  them,  as  in  passing  a bush  on  which  they  happen 
to  be,  the  contact  resembles  the  stinging  of  nettles.  From  the 
great  number  of  caterpillars  seen,  we  have  a considerable  variety 
of  butterflies.  One  particular  kind  flies  more  like  a swallow  than 
a butterfly.  They  are  not  remarkable  for  the  gaudiness  of  their 
colors. 

In  passing  along  we  crossed  the  hills  Yungue  or  Mvungwe, 
which  we  found  to  be  composed  of  various  eruptive  rocks.  At 


654 


THE  RHINOCEROS. 


one  part  we  have  breccia  of  altered  marl  or  slate  in  quartz,  and 
various  amygdaloids.  It  is  curious  to  observe  the  different  forms 
which  silica  assumes.  We  have  it  in  clay  stone  porphyry  here, 
in  minute  round  globules,  no  larger  than  turnip-seed,  dotted 
thickly  over  the  matrix ; or  crystallized  round  the  Avails  of  cavi- 
ties, once  filled  Avith  air  or  other  elastic  fluid ; or  it  may  appear  in 
similar  cavities  as  tufts  of  yellow  asbestos,  or  as  red,  yellow,  or 
green  crystals,  or  in  laminae  so  arranged  as  to  appear  like  fossil 
Avood.  Vungue  forms  the  Avatershed  between  those  sand  rivulets 
which  run  to  the  N.E.,  and  others  which  flow  southward,  as  the 
Kapopo,  Ue,  and  Due,  Arhich  run  into  the  Luia. 

We  found  that  many  elephants  had  been  feeding  on  the  fruit 
called  Mokoronga.  This  is  a black-colored  plum,  having  purple 
juice.  We  all  ate  it  in  large  quantities,  as  we  found  it  delicious. 
The  only  defect  it  has  is  the  great  size  of  the  seed  in  comparison 
with  the  pulp.  This  is  the  chief  fault  of  all  uncultivated  wild 
fruits.  The  Mokoronga  exists  throughout  this  part  of  the  country 
most  abundantly,  and  the  natives  eagerly  devour  it,  as  it  is  said 
to  be  perfectly  wholesome,  or,  as  they  express  it,  “ It  is  pure  fat,” 
and  fat  is  by  them  considered  the  best  of  food.  Though  only  a 
little  larger  than  a cherry,  we  found  that  the  elephants  had  stood 
picking  them  off  patiently  by  the  hour.  We  observed  the  foot- 
prints of  a black  rhinoceros  ( Rhinoceros  bicornis,  Linn.)  and  her 
calf.  We  saw  other  footprints  among  the  hills  of  Semalembue,  but 
the  black  rhinoceros  is  remarkably  scarce  in  all  the  country  north 
of  the  Zambesi.  The  Avhite  rhinoceros  ( Rhinoceros  simus  of  Bur- 
chell),  or  Mohohu  of  the  Bechuanas,  is  quite  extinct  here,  and 
will  soon  become  unknown  in  the  country  to  the  south.  It  feeds 
almost  entirely  on  grasses,  and  is  of  a timid,  unsuspecting  dispo- 
sition : this  renders  it  an  easy  prey,  and  they  are  slaughtered 
without  mercy  on  the  introduction  of  fire-arms.  The  black  pos- 
sesses a more  savage  nature,  and,  like  the  ill-natured  in  general,  is 
never  found  with  an  ounce  of  fat  in  its  body.  From  its  greater 
fierceness  and  wariness,  it  holds  its  place  in  a district  much  longer 
than  its  more  timid  and  better-conditioned  neighbor.  Mr.  Oswell 
was  once  stalking  two  of  these  beasts,  and,  as  they  came  slowly  to 
him,  he,  knowing  that  there  is  but  little  chance  of  hitting  the 
small  brain  of  this  animal  by  a shot  in  the  head,  lay  expecting 
one  of  them  to  give  his  shoulder  till  he  was  within  a few  yards. 


THE  RHINOCEROS. 


655 


The  hunter  then  thought  that  by  making  a rush  to  his  side  he 
might  succeed  in  escaping,  but  the  rhinoceros,  too  quick  for  that, 
turned  upon  him,  and,  though  he  discharged  his  gun  close  to  the 
animal’s  head,  he  was  tossed  in  the  air.  My  friend  was  insensi- 
ble for  some  time,  and,  on  recovering,  found  large  wounds  on  the 
thigh  and  body : I saw  that  on  the  former  part  still  open,  and 
five  inches  long.  The  white,  however,  is  not  always  quite  safe, 
for  one,  even  after  it  was  mortally  wounded,  attacked  Mr.  Os- 
well’s  horse,  and  thrust  the  horn  through  to  the  saddle,  tossing 
at  the  time  both  horse  and  rider.  I once  saw  a white  rhinoceros 
give  a buffalo,  which  was  gazing  intently  at  myself,  a poke  in  the 
chest,  but  it  did  not  wound  it,  and  seemed  only  a hint  to  get 
out  of  the  way.  Four  varieties  of  the  rhinoceros  are  enumerated 
by  naturalists,  but  my  observation  led  me  to  conclude  that 
there  are  but  two,  and  that  the  extra  species  have  been  formed 
from  differences  in  their  sizes,  ages,  and  the  direction  of  the  horns, 
as  if  we  should  reckon  the  sliort-horned  cattle  a different  species 
from  the  Alderneys  or  the  Highland  breed.  I was  led  to  this 
from  having  once  seen  a black  rhinoceros  with  a horn  bent  down- 
ward like  that  of  the  kuabaoba,  and  also  because  the  animals 
of  the  two  great  varieties  differ  very  much  in  appearance  at  dif- 
ferent stages  of  their  growth.  I find,  however,  that  Dr.  Smith, 
the  best  judge  in  these  matters,  is  quite  decided  as  to  the  propri- 
ety of  the  subdivision  into  three  or  four  species.  For  common 
readers,  it  is  sufficient  to  remember  that  there  are  two  well-de- 
fined species,  that  differ  entirely  in  appearance  and  food.  The 
absence  of  both  these  rhinoceroses  among  the  reticulated  rivers 
in  the  central  valley  may  easily  be  accounted  for,  they  would  be 
such  an  easy  prey  to  the  natives  in  their  canoes  at  the  periods  of 
inundation ; but  one  can  not  so  readily  account  for  the  total  absence 
of  the  giraffe  and  ostrich  on  the  high  open  lands  of  the  Batoka, 
north  of  the  Zambesi,  unless  we  give  credence  to  the  native  report 
which  bounds  the  country  still  farther  north  by  another  network 
of  waters  near  Lake  Shuia,  and  suppose  that  it  also  prevented  their 
progress  southward.  The  Batoka  have  no  name  for  the  giraffe 
or  the  ostrich  in  their  language ; yet,  as  the  former  exists  in  con- 
siderable numbers  in  the  angle  formed  by  the  Leeambye  and 
Chobe,  they  may  have  come  from  the  north  along  the  western 
ridge.  The  Chobe  would  seem  to  have  been  too  narrow  to  act  as 


656 


CONFINEMENT  OF  THE  KORWE. 


an  obstacle  to  the  giraffe,  supposing  it  to  have  come  into  that  dis- 
trict from  the  south ; but  the  broad  river  into  which  that  stream 
flows  seems  always  to  have  presented  an  impassable  barrier  to 
both  the  giraffe  and  the  ostrich,  though  they  abound  on  its 
southern  border,  both  in  the  Kalahari  Desert  and  the  country  of 
Mashona. 

We  passed  through  large  tracts  of  Mopane  country,  and  my 
men  caught  a great  many  of  the  birds  called  Korwe  ( TocJcus  ery- 
throrhync/ius)  in  their  breeding -places,  which  were  in  holes  in 
the  mopane-trees.  On  the  19th  we  passed  the  nest  of  a korwe 
just  ready  for  the  female  to  enter ; the  orifice  was  plastered  on 
both  sides,  but  a space  was  left  of  a heart  shape,  and  exactly  the 
size  of  the  bird’s  body.  The  hole  in  the  tree  was  in  every  case 
found  to  be  prolonged  some  distance  upward  above  the  opening, 
and  thither  the  korwe  always  fled  to  escape  being  caught.  In 
another  nest  we  found  that  one  white  egg,  much  like  that  of  a 
pigeon,  was  laid,  and  the  bird  dropped  another  when  captured. 
She  had  four  besides  in  the  ovarium.  The  first  time  that  I saw 
this  bird  was  at  Kolobeng,  where  I had  gone  to  the  forest  for  some 
timber.  Standing  by  a tree,  a native  looked  behind  me  and  ex- 
claimed, “ There  is  the  nest  of  a korwe.”  I saw  a slit  only,  about 
half  an  inch  wide  and  three  or  four  inches  long,  in  a slight  hollow 
of  the  tree.  Thinking  the  word  korwe  denoted  some  small 
animal,  I waited  with  interest  to  see  what  he  would  extract ; he 
broke  the  clay  which  surrounded  the  slit,  put  his  arm  into  the 
hole,  and  brought  out  a TocJcus,  or  red-beaked  hornbill,  which 
he  killed.  He  informed  me  that,  when  the  female  enters  her 
nest,  she  submits  to  a real  confinement.  The  male  plasters  up 
the  entrance,  leaving  only  a narrow  slit  by  which  to  feed  his 
mate,  and  which  exactly  suits  the  form  of  his  beak.  The  fe- 
male makes  a nest  of  her  own  feathers,  lays  her  eggs,  hatches 
them,  and  remains  with  the  young  till  they  are  fully  fledged. 
During  all  this  time,  which  is  stated  to  be  two  or  three  months, 
the  male  continues  to  feed  her  and  the  young  family.  The  pris- 
oner generally  becomes  quite  fat,  and  is  esteemed  a very  dainty 
morsel  by  the  natives,  while  the  poor  slave  of  a husband  gets  so 
lean  that,  on  the  sudden  lowering  of  the  temperature  which  some- 
times happens  after  a fall  of  rain,  he  is  benumbed,  falls  down, 
and  dies.  I never  had  an  opportunity  of  ascertaining  the  actual 


HONEY  AND  WAX. 


657 


length  of  the  confinement,  but  on  passing  the  same  tree  at  Kolo- 
beng  about  eight  days  afterward  the  hole  was  plastered  up  again, 
as  if,  in  the  short  time  that  had  elapsed,  the  disconsolate  hus- 
band had  secured  another  wife.  We  did  not  disturb  her,  and 
my  duties  prevented  me  from  returning  to  the  spot.  This  is 
the  month  in  which  the  female  enters  the  nest.  We  had  seen 
one  of  these,  as  before  mentioned,  with  the  plastering  not  quite 
finished ; we  saw  many  completed ; and  we  received  the  very 
same  account  here  that  we  did  at  Kolobeng,  that  the  bird  comes 
forth  when  the  young  are  fully  fledged,  at  the  period  when  the 
corn  is  ripe ; indeed,  her  appearance  abroad  with  her  young  is 
one  of  the  signs  they  have  for  knowing  when  it  ought  to  be  so. 
As  that  is  about  the  end  of  April,  the  time  is  between  two  and 
three  months.  She  is  said  sometimes  to  hatch  two  eggs,  and, 
when  the  young  of  these  are  full-fledged,  other  two  are  just  out 
of  the  egg-shells : she  then  leaves  the  nest  with  the  two  elder,  the 
orifice  is  again  plastered  up,  and  both  male  and  female  attend  to 
the  wants  of  the  young  which  are  left.  On  several  occasions  I 
observed  a branch  bearing  the  marks  of  the  male  having  often 
sat  upon  it  when  feeding  his  mate,  and  the  excreta  had  been  ex- 
pelled a full  yard  from  the  orifice,  and  often  proved  a means  of 
discovering  the  retreat. 

The  honey-guides  were  very  assiduous  in  their  friendly  offices, 
and  enabled  my  men  to  get  a large  quantity  of  honey.  But, 
though  bees  abound,  the  wax  of  these  parts  forms  no  article  of 
trade.  In  Londa  it  may  be  said  to  be  fully  cared  for,  as  you  find 
hives  placed  upon  trees  in  the  most  lonesome  forests.  We  often 
met  strings  of  carriers  laden  with  large  blocks  of  this  substance, 
each  80  or  100  lbs.  in  weight,  and  pieces  were  offered  to  us  for 
sale  at  every  village ; but  here  we  never  saw  a single  artificial 
hive.  The  bees  were  always  found  in  the  natural  cavities  of  mo- 
pane-trees.  It  is  probable  that  the  good  market  for  wax  afforded 
to  Angola  by  the  churches  of  Brazil  led  to  the  gradual  develop- 
ment of  that  branch  of  commerce  there.  I saw  even  on  the  banks 
of  the  Quango  as  much  as  sixpence  paid  for  a pound.  In  many 
parts  of  the  Batoka  country  bees  exist  in  vast  numbers,  and 
the  tribute  due  to  Sekeletu  is  often  paid  in  large  jars  of  honey ; 
but,  having  no  market  nor  use  for  the  wax,  it  is  thrown  away. 
This  was  the  case  also  with  ivory  at  the  Lake  Ngami,  at  the 

T T 


658 


SLOW  TRAVELING. 


period  of  its  discovery.  The  reports  brought  by  my  other  party 
from  Loanda  of  the  value  of  wax  had  induced  some  of  my  present 
companions  to  bring  small  quantities  of  it  to  Tete,  but,  not  know- 
ing the  proper  mode  of  preparing  it,  it  was  so  dark  colored  that 
no  one  would  purchase  it ; I afterward  saw  a little  at  Kilimane 
which  had  been  procured  from  the  natives  somewhere  in  this  re- 
gion. 

Though  we  are  now  approaching  the  Portuguese  settlement, 
the  country  is  still  full  of  large  game.  My  men  killed  six  buffalo 
calves  out  of  a herd  we  met.  The  abundance  of  these  animals, 
and  also  of  antelopes,  shows  the  insufficiency  of  the  bow  and  arrow 
to  lessen  their  numbers.  There  are  also  a great  many  lions  and 
hyaenas,  and  there  is  no  check  upon  the  increase  of  the  former,  for 
the  people,  believing  that  the  souls  of  their  chiefs  enter  into 
them,  never  attempt  to  kill  them ; they  even  believe  that  a chief 
may  metamorphose  himself  into  a lion,  kill  any  one  he  chooses, 
and  then  return  to  the  human  form  ; therefore,  when  they  see  one, 
they  commence  clapping  their  hands,  which  is  the  usual  mode 
of  salutation  here.  The  consequence  is,  that  lions  and  hyaenas 
are  so  abundant  that  we  see  little  huts  made  in  the  trees,  indicat- 
ing the  places  where  some  of  the  inhabitants  have  slept  when  be- 
nighted in  the  fields.  As  numbers  of  my  men  frequently  left  the 
line  of  march  in  order  to  take  out  the  korwes  from  their  nests,  or 
follow  the  honey-guides,  they  excited  the  astonishment  of  our 
guides,  who  were  constantly  warning  them  of  the  danger  they 
thereby  incurred  from  lions.  I was  often  considerably  ahead  of 
the  main  body  of  my  men  on  this  account,  and  was  obliged  to 
stop  every  hour  or  two ; but,  the  sun  being  excessively  hot  by 
day,  I was  glad  of  the  excuse  for  resting.  We  could  make  no 
such  prodigious  strides  as  officers  in  the  Arctic  regions  are  able  to 
do.  Ten  or  twelve  miles  a day  were  a good  march  for  both  the 
men  and  myself ; and  it  was  not  the  length  of  the  marches,  but 
continuing  day  after  day  to  perform  the  same  distance,  that  was 
so  fatiguing.  It  was  in  this  case  much  longer  than  appears  on  the 
map,  because  we  kept  out  of  the  way  of  villages.  I drank  less 
than  the  natives  when  riding,  but  all  my  clothing  was  now  con- 
stantly damp  from  the  moisture  which  was  imbibed  in  large  quan- 
tities at  every  pond.  One  does  not  stay  on  these  occasions  to 
prepare  water  with  alum  or  any  thing  else,  but  drinks  any  amount 


GRAPES. — THE  UE. 


659 


without  fear.  I never  felt  the  atmosphere  so  steamy  as  on  the 
low-lying  lands  of  the  Zambesi,  and  yet  it  was  becoming  cooler 
than  it  was  on  the  highlands. 

We  crossed  the  rivulets  Kapopo  and  Ue,  now  running,  but  usu- 
ally dry.  There  are  great  numbers  of  wild  grape-vines  growing: 
in  this  quarter ; indeed,  they  abound  every  where  along  the  banks 
of  the  Zambesi.  In  the  Batoka  country  there  is  a variety  which 
yields  a black  grape  of  considerable  sweetness.  The  leaves  are 
very  large  and  harsh,  as  if  capable  of  withstanding  the  rays  of 
this  hot  sun ; but  the  most  common  kinds — one  with  a round 
leaf  and  a greenish  grape,  and  another  with  a leaf  closely  resem- 
bling that  of  the  cultivated  varieties,  and  with  dark  or  purple 
fruit — have  large  seeds,  which  are  strongly  astringent,  and  render 
it  a disagreeable  fruit.  The  natives  eat  all  the  varieties ; and  I 
tasted  vinegar  made  by  a Portuguese  from  these  grapes.  Proba- 
bly a country  which  yields  the  wild  vines  so  very  abundantly 
might  be  a fit  one  for  the  cultivated  species.  At  this  part  of  the 
journey  so  many  of  the  vines  had  run  across  the  little  footpath 
we  followed  that  one  had  to  be  constantly  on  the  watch  to  avoid 
being  tripped.  The  ground  was  covered  with  rounded  shingle, 
which  was  not  easily  seen  among  the  grass.  Pedestrianism  may 
be  all  very  well  for  those  whose  obesity  requires  much  exercise, 
but  for  one  who  was  becoming  as  thin  as  a lath,  through  the  con- 
stant perspiration  caused  by  marching  day  after  day  in  the  hot 
sun,  the  only  good  I saw  in  it  was  that  it  gave  an  honest  sort  of 
man  a vivid  idea  of  the  tread-mill. 

Although  the  rains  were  not  quite  over,  great  numbers  of  pools 
were  drying  up,  and  the  ground  was  in  many  parts  covered  with 
small  green  cryptogamous  plants,  which  gave  it  a mouldy  appear- 
ance and  a strong  smell.  As  we  sometimes  pushed  aside  the 
masses  of  rank  vegetation  which  hung  over  our  path,  we  felt  a sort 
of  hot  blast  on  our  faces.  Every  thing  looked  unwholesome,  but 
we  had  no  fever.  The  Ue  flows  between  high  banks  of  a soft  red 
sandstone  streaked  with  white,  and  pieces  of  tufa.  The  crumbling 
sandstone  is  evidently  alluvial,  and  is  cut  into  12  feet  deep.  In 
this  region,  too,  we  met  with  pot-holes  six  feet  deep  and  three  or 
four  in  diameter.  In  some  cases  they  form  convenient  wells  ; in 
others  they  are  full  of  earth ; and  in  others  still  the  people  have 
made  them  into  graves  for  their  chiefs. 


NATIVE  NAMES. 


660 

On  the  20th  we  came  to  Monina’s  village  (close  to  the  sand- 
river  Tangwe,  latitude  16°  13'  38"  south,  longitude  32°  32'  east). 
This  man  is  very  popular  among  the  tribes  on  account  of  his  lib- 
erality. Boroma,  Nyampungo,  Monina,  Jira,  Katolosa  (Monomo- 
tapa), and  Susa,  all  acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  one  called  Ny- 
atewe,  who  is  reported  to  decide  all  disputes  respecting  land.  This 
confederation  is  exactly  similar  to  what  we  observed  in  Londa 
and  other  parts  of  Africa.  Katolosa  is  “ the  Emperor  Monomo- 
tapa” of  history,  but  he  is  a chief  of  no  great  power,  and  acknowl- 
edges the  supremacy  of  Nyatewe.  The  Portuguese  formerly  hon- 
ored Monomotapa  with  a guard,  to  fire  off  numbers  of  guns  on 
the  occasion  of  any  funeral,  and  he  was  also  partially  subsidized. 
The  only  evidence  of  greatness  possessed  by  his  successor  is  his 
having  about  a hundred  wives.  When  he  dies  a disputed  suc- 
cession and  much  fighting  are  expected.  In  reference  to  the  term 
Monomotapa,  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  Mono,  Moene,  Mona, 
Mana,  or  Morena,  mean  simply  chief,  and  considerable  confusion 
has  arisen  from  naming  different  people  by  making  a plural  of  the 
chief’s  name.  The  names  Monomoizes,  spelled  also  Monemuiges 
and  Monomuizes,  and  Monomotapistas,  when  applied  to  these 
tribes,  are  exactly  the  same  as  if  we  should  call  the  Scotch  the 
Lord  Douglases.  Motape  was  the  chief  of  the  Bambiri,  a tribe 
of  the  Banyai,  and  is  now  represented  in  the  person  of  Katolosa. 
He  was  probably  a man  of  greater  energy  than  his  successor,  yet 
only  an  insignificant  chief.  Monomoizes  was  formed  from  Moiza 
or  Muiza,  the  singular  of  the  word  Babisa.  or  Aiza,  the  proper 
name  of  a large  tribe  to  the  north.  In  the  transformation  of  this 
name  the  same  error  has  been  committed  as  in  the  others ; and 
mistakes  have  occurred  in  many  other  names  by  inattention  to 
the  meaning,  and  predilection  for  the  letter  r.  The  River  Lo- 
angwa,  for  instance,  has  been  termed  Arroangoa,  and  the  Luen- 
ya  the  Ruanha.  The  Bazizulu,  or  Mashona,  are  spoken  of  as  the 
Morururus. 

The  government  of  the  Banyai  is  rather  peculiar,  being  a sort 
of  feudal  republicanism.  The  chief  is  elected,  and  they  choose 
the  son  of  the  deceased  chief’s  sister  in  preference  to  his  own 
offspring.  When  dissatisfied  with  one  candidate,  they  even  go  to 
a distant  tribe  for  a successor,  who  is  usually  of  the  family  of  the 
late  chief,  a brother,  or  a sister’s  son,  but  never  his  own  son  or 


GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  BANYAI. 


661 


daughter.  When  first  spoken  to  on  the  subject,  he  answers  as 
if  he  thought  himself  unequal  to  the  task  and  unworthy  of  the 
honor ; but,  having  accepted  it,  all  the  wives,  goods,  and  children 
of  his  predecessor  belong  to  him,  and  he  takes  care  to  keep 
them  in  a dependent  position.  When  any  one  of  them  becomes 
tired  of  this  state  of  vassalage  and  sets  up  his  own  village,  it  is 
not  unusual  for  the  elected  chief  to  send  a number  of  the  young 
men,  who  congregate  about  himself,  to  visit  him.  If  he  does 
not  receive  them  with  the  usual  amount  of  clapping  of  hands 
and  humility,  they,  in  obedience  to  orders,  at  once  burn  his  vil- 
lage. The  children  of  the  chief  have  fewer  privileges  than  com- 
mon free  men.  They  may  not  be  sold,  but,  rather  than  choose 
any  one  of  them  for  a chief  at  any  future  time,  the  free  men 
would  prefer  to  elect  one  of  themselves,  Avho  bore  only  a very 
distant  relationship  to  the  family.  These  free  men  are  a distinct 
class  who  can  never  be  sold ; and  under  them  there  is  a class  of 
slaves  whose  appearance  as  well  as  position  is  very  degraded. 
Monina  had  a great  number  of  young  men  about  him  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  years  of  age.  These  were  all  sons  of  free  men,  and 
bands  of  young  men  like  them  in  the  different  districts  leave 
their  parents  about  the  age  of  puberty,  and  live  with  such  men 
as  Monina  for  the  sake  of  instruction.  When  I asked  the  nature 
of  the  instruction,  I was  told  “ Bonyai,”  which  I suppose  may  be 
understood  as  indicating  manhood,  for  it  sounds  as  if  we  should 
say,  “to  teach  an  American  Americanism,”  or  “an  Englishman 
to  be  English.”  While  here  they  are  kept  in  subjection  to  rath- 
er stringent  regulations.  They  must  salute  carefully  by  clap- 
ping their  hands  on  approaching  a superior,  and  when  any  cooked 
food  is  brought,  the  young  men  may  not  approach  the  dish,  but 
an  elder  divides  a portion  to  each.  They  remain  unmarried  un- 
til a fresh  set  of  youths  is  ready  to  occupy  their  place  under  the 
same  instruction.  The  parents  send  servants  with  their  sons  to 
cultivate  gardens  to  supply  them  with  food,  and  also  tusks  to 
Monina  to  purchase  clothing  for  them.  When  the  lads  return  to 
the  village  of  their  parents,  a case  is  submitted  to  them  for  adju- 
dication, and  if  they  speak  well  on  the  point,  the  parents  are  high- 
ly gratified. 

When  we  told  Monina  that  we  had  nothing  to  present  but 
some  hoes,  he  replied  that  he  was  not  in  need  of  those  articles, 


662 


INSANITY  AND  DISAPPEARANCE  OF  MONAHIN. 


and  that  he  had  absolute  power  over  the  country  in  front,  and 
if  he  prevented  us  from  proceeding,  no  one  would  say  any  thing 
to  him.  His  little  boy  Boromo  having  come  to  the  encamp- 
ment to  look  at  us,  I gave  him  a knife,  and  he  went  off  and 
brought  a pint  of  honey  for  me.  The  father  came  soon  after- 
ward, and  I offered  him  a shirt.  He  remarked  to  his  council- 
ors, “ It  is  evident  that  this  man  has  nothing,  for,  if  he  had, 
his  people  would  be  buying  provisions,  but  we  don’t  see  them 
going  about  for  that  purpose.”  His  council  did  not  agree  in 
this.  They  evidently  believed  that  we  had  goods,  but  kept  them 
hid,  and  we  felt  it  rather  hard  to  be  suspected  of  falsehood.  It 
was  probably  at  their  suggestion  that  in  the  evening  a war- 
dance  was  got  up  about  a hundred  yards  from  our  encampment, 
as  if  to  put  us  in  fear  and  force  us  to  bring  forth  presents.  Some 
of  Monina’s  young  men  had  guns,  but  most  were  armed  with 
large  bows,  arrows,  and  spears.  They  beat  their  drums  furi- 
ously, and  occasionally  fired  off  a gun.  As  this  sort  of  dance 
is  never  got  up  unless  there  is  an  intention  to  attack,  my  men 
expected  an  assault.  We  sat  and  looked  at  them  for  some  time, 
and  then,  as  it  became  dark,  lay  down,  all  ready  to  give  them  a 
warm  reception.  But  an  hour  or  two  after  dark  the  dance 
ceased,  and,  as  we  then  saw  no  one  approaching  us,  we  went  to 
sleep.  During  the  night,  one  of  my  head  men,  Monahin,  was 
seen  to  get  up,  look  toward  the  village,  and  say  to  one  who  was 
half  awake,  “Don’t  you  hear  what  these  people  are  saying? 
Go  and  listen.”  He  then  walked  off  in  the  opposite  direction, 
and  never  returned.  We  had  no  guard  set,  but  every  one  lay 
with  his  spear  in  his  hand.  The  man  to  whom  he  spoke  appears 
to  have  been  in  a dreamy  condition,  for  it  did  not  strike  him 
that  he  ought  to  give  the  alarm.  Next  morning  I found  to  my 
sorrow  that  Monahin  was  gone,  and  not  a trace  of  him  could  be 
discovered.  He  had  an  attack  of  pleuritis  some  weeks  before, 
and  had  recovered,  but  latterly  complained  a little  of  his  head. 
I observed  him  in  good  spirits  on  the  way  hither,  and  in  cross- 
ing some  of  the  streams,  as  I was  careful  not  to  wet  my  feet,  he 
aided  me,  and  several  times  joked  at  my  becoming  so  light.  In 
the  evening  he  sat  beside  my  tent  until  it  was  dark,  and  did  not 
manifest  any  great  alarm.  It  was  probably  either  a sudden  fit 
of  insanity,  or,  having  gone  a little  way  out  from  the  camp,  he 


PRESENTATION  AT  COURT  (TO  MOBILIKATSE)  OP  TWO  SUCCESSFUL  YOUNG  LION-HUNTERS 


SAND-RIVER  TANGWE. 


665 


may  have  been  carried  off  by  a lion,  as  this  part  of  the  country  is 
full  of  them.  I incline  to  the  former  opinion,  because  sudden  in- 
sanity occurs  when  there  is  any  unusual  strain  upon  their  minds. 
Monahin  was  in  command  of  the  Batoka  of  Mokwine  in  my  par- 
ty, and  he  was  looked  upon  with  great  dislike  by  all  that  chief’s 
subjects.  The  only  difficulties  I had  with  them  arose  in  conse- 
quence of  being  obliged  to  give  orders  through  him.  They  said 
Mokwine  is  reported  to  have  been  killed  by  the  Makololo,  but 
Monahin  is  the  individual  who  put  forth  his  hand  and  slew  him. 
When  one  of  these  people  kills  in  battle,  he  seems  to  have  no 
compunction  afterward;  but  when  he  makes  a foray  on  his  own 
responsibility,  and  kills  a man  of  note,  the  common  people  make 
remarks  to  each  other,  which  are  reported  to  him,  and  bring  the 
affair  perpetually  to  his  remembrance.  This  iteration  on  the 
conscience  causes  insanity,  and  when  one  runs  away  in  a wide 
country  like  this,  the  fugitive  is  never  heard  of.  Monahin  had 
lately  become  afraid  of  his  own  party  from  overhearing  their  re- 
marks, and  said  more  than  once  to  me,  “ They  want  to  kill  me.” 
I believe  if  he  ran  to  any  village  they  would  take  care  of  him.  I 
felt  his  loss  greatly,  and  spent  three  days  in  searching  for  him. 
He  was  a sensible  and  most  obliging  man.  I sent  in  the  morn- 
ing to  inform  Monina  of  this  sad  event,  and  he  at  once  sent  to  all 
the  gardens  around,  desiring  the  people  to  look  for  him,  and, 
should  he  come  near,  to  bring  him  home.  He  evidently  sympa- 
thized with  us  in  our  sorrow,  and,  afraid  lest  we  might  suspect 
him,  added,  “We  never  catch  nor  kidnap  people  here.  It  is  not 
our  custom.  It  is  considered  as  guilt  among  all  the  tribes.”  1 
gave  him  credit  for  truthfulness,  and  he  allowed  us  to  move  on 
without  farther  molestation. 

After  leaving  his  village  we  marched  in  the  bed  of  a sand- 
river  a quarter  of  a mile  broad,  called  Tangwe.  Walking  on  this 
sand  is  as  fatiguing  as  walking  on  snow.  The  country  is  flat, 
and  covered  with  low  trees,  but  we  see  high  hills  in  the  distance. 
A little  to  the  south  we  have  those  of  the  Lobole.  This  region 
is  very  much  infested  by  lions,  and  men  never  go  any  distance 
into  the  woods  alone.  Having  turned  aside  on  one  occasion  at 
midday,  and  gone  a short  distance  among  grass  a little  taller 
than  myself,  an  animal  sprung  away  from  me  which  was  certainly 
not  an  antelope,  but  I could  not  distinguish  whether  it  was  a lion 


666 


THE  ORDEAL  MU  AVI. 


or  a hyaena.  This  abundance  of  carnivora  made  us  lose  all  hope 
of  Monahin.  We  saw  footprints  of  many  black  rhinoceroses,  buf- 
faloes, and  zebras. 

After  a few  hours  we  reached  the  village  of  Nyakoba.  Two 
men,  who  accompanied  us  from  Monina  to  Nyakoba’s,  would  not 
believe  us  when  we  said  that  we  had  no  beads.  It  is  very  try- 
ing to  have  one’s  veracity  doubted,  but,  on  opening  the  boxes, 
and  showing  them  that  all  I had  was  perfectly  useless  to  them, 
they  consented  to  receive  some  beads  off  Sekwebu’s  waist,  and  I 
promised  to  send  four1  yards  of  calico  from  Tete.  As  we  came 
away  from  Monina’s  village,  a witch-doctor,  who  had  been  sent 
for,  arrived,  and  all  Monina’s  wives  went  forth  into  the  fields 
that  morning  fasting.  There  they  would  be  compelled  to  drink 
an  infusion  of  a plant  named  “goho,”  which  is  used  as  an  ordeal. 
This  ceremony  is  called  “ muavi,”  and  is  performed  in  this  way. 
When  a man  suspects  that  any  of  his  wives  has  bewitched  him, 
he  sends  for  the  witch-doctor,  and  all  the  wives  go  forth  into  the 
field,  and  remain  fasting  till  that  person  has  made  an  infusion 
of  the  plant.  They  all  drink  it,  each  one  holding  up  her  hand 
to  heaven  in  attestation  of  her  innocency.  Those  who  vomit  it 
are  considered  innocent,  while  those  whom  it  purges  are  pro- 
nounced guilty,  and  put  to  death  by  burning.  The  innocent 
return  to  their  homes,  and  slaughter  a cock  as  a thank-offering 
to  their  guardian  spirits.  The  practice  of  ordeal  is  common 
among;  all  the  negro  nations  north  of  the  Zambesi.  This  sum- 
mary  procedure  excited  my  surprise,  for  my  intercourse  with  the 
natives  here  had  led  me  to  believe  that  the  women  were  held  in 
so  much  estimation  that  the  men  would  not  dare  to  get  rid  of 
them  thus.  But  the  explanation  I received  was  this.  The 
slightest  imputation  makes  them  eagerly  desire  the  test ; they 
are  conscious  of  being  innocent,  and  have  the  fullest  faith  in  the 
muavi  detecting  the  guilty  alone ; hence  they  go  willingly,  and 
even  eagerly,  to  drink  it.  When  in  Angola,  a half-caste  was 
pointed  out  to  me  who  is  one  of  the  most  successful  merchants 
in  that  country ; and  the  mother  of  this  gentleman,  who  was 
perfectly  free,  went,  of  her  own  accord,  all  the  way  from  Am- 
baca  to  Cassange,  to  be  killed  by  the  ordeal,  her  rich  son 
making  no  objection.  The  same  custom  prevails  among  the 
Barotse,  Bashubia,  and  Batoka,  but  with  slight  variations.  The 


WOMAN’S  RIGHTS. 


667 


Barotse,  for  instance,  pour  the  medicine  down  the  throat  of  a 
cock  or  of  a dog,  and  judge  of  the  innocence  or  guilt  of  the 
person  accused  according  to  the  vomiting  or  purging  of  the  ani- 
mal. I happened  to  mention  to  my  own  men  the  water-test  for 
witches  formerly  in  use  in  Scotland : the  supposed  witch,  being 
bound  hand  and  foot,  was  thrown  into  a pond  ; if  she  floated,  she 
was  considered  guilty,  taken  out,  and  burned ; but  if  she  sank 
and  was  drowned,  she  was  pronounced  innocent.  The  wisdom 
of  my  ancestors  excited  as  much  wonder  in  their  minds  as  their 
custom  did  in  mine. 

The  person  whom  biyakoba  appointed  to  be  our  guide,  having 
informed  us  of  the  decision,  came  and  bargained  that  his  services 
should  be  rewarded  with  a hoe.  I had  no  objection  to  give  it, 
and  showed  him  the  article ; he  was  delighted  with  it,  and  went 
olf  to  show  it  to  his  wife.  He  soon  afterward  returned,  and 
said  that,  though  he  was  perfectly  willing  to  go,  his  wife  would 
not  let  him.  I said,  “ Then  bring  back  the  hoe but  he  re- 
plied, “I  want  it.”  “Well,  go  with  us,  and  you  shall  have  it.” 
“But  my  wife  won’t  let  me.”  I remarked  to  my  men,  “Did 
you  ever  hear  such  a fool?”  They  answered,  “Oh,  that  is  the 
custom  of  these  parts ; the  wives  are  the  masters.”  And  Sek- 
webu  informed  me  that  he  had  gone  to  this  man’s  house,  and 
heard  him  saying  to  his  wife,  “ Do  you  think  that  I would  ever 
leave  you?”  then,  turning  to  Sekwebu,  he  asked,  “Do  you  think 
I would  leave  this  pretty  woman  ? Is  she  not  pretty  ?”  Sek- 
webu had  been  making  inquiries  among  the  people,  and  had 
found  that  the  women  indeed  possessed  a great  deal  of  influ- 
ence. We  questioned  the  guide  whom  we  finally  got  from  Nya- 
koba,  an  intelligent  young  man,  who  had  much  of  the  Arab  fea- 
tures, and  found  the  statements  confirmed.  When  a young  man 
takes  a liking  for  a girl  of  another  village,  and  the  parents  have 
no  objection  to  the  match,  he  is  obliged  to  come  and  live  at  their 
village.  He  has  to  perform  certain  services  for  the  mother-in- 
law,  such  as  keeping  her  well  supplied  with  firewood ; and  when 
he  comes  into  her  presence  he  is  obliged  to  sit  with  his  knees 
in  a bent  position,  as  putting  out  his  feet  toward  the  old  lady 
would  give  her  great  offense.  If  he  becomes  tired  of  living  in 
this  state  of  vassalage,  and  wishes  to  return  to  his  own  family,  he 
is  obliged  to  leave  all  his  children  behind — they  belong  to  the 


668 


WOMAN’S  RIGHTS. 


wife.  This  is  only  a more  stringent  enforcement  of  the  law 
from  which  emanates  the  practice  which  prevails  so  very  exten- 
sively in  Africa,  known  to  Europeans  as  “buying  wives.”  Such 
virtually  it  is,  but  it  does  not  appear  quite  in  that  light  to  the 
actors.  So  many  head  of  cattle  or  goats  are  given  to  the  parents 
of  the  girl  “to  give  her  up,”  as  it  is  termed,  i.  e.,  to  forego  all 
claim  on  her  offspring,  and  allow  an  entire  transference  of  her 
and  her  seed  into  another  family.  If  nothing  is  given,  the  family 
from  which  she  has  come  can  claim  the  children  as  part  of 
itself:  the  payment  is  made  to  sever  this  bond.  In  the  case 
supposed,  the  young  man  has  not  been  able  to  advance  any  thing 
for  that  purpose ; and,  from  the  temptations  placed  here  before 
my  men,  I have  no  doubt  that  some  prefer  to  have  their  daugh- 
ters married  in  that  way,  as  it  leads  to  the  increase  of  their 
own  village.  My  men  excited  the  admiration  of  the  Bam- 
biri,  who  took  them  for  a superior  breed  on  account  of  their 
bravery  in  elephant-hunting,  and  wished  to  get  them  as  sons- 
in-law  on  the  conditions  named,  but  none  yielded  to  the  tempt- 
ation. 

We  were  informed  that  there  is  a child  belonging  to  a half- 
caste  Portuguese  in  one  of  these  tribes,  and  the  father  had 
tried  in  vain  to  get  him  from  the  mother’s  parents.  We  saw 
several  things  to  confirm  the  impression  of  the  higher  position 
which  women  hold  here ; and,  being  anxious  to  discover  if  I 
were  not  mistaken,  when  we  came  among  the  Portuguese  I 
inquired  of  them,  and  was  told  that  they  had  ascertained  the 
same  thing ; and  that,  if  they  wished  a man  to  perform  any 
service  for  them,  he  would  reply,  “Well,  I shall  go  and  ask 
my  wife.”  If  she  consented,  he  would  go,  and  perform  his 
duty  faithfully ; but  no  amount  of  coaxing  or  bribery  would 
induce  him  to  do  it  if  she  refused.  The  Portuguese  praised 
the  appearance  of  the  Banyai,  and  they  certainly  are  a fine 
race. 

We  got  on  better  with  Nyakoba  than  we  expected.  He  has 
been  so  much  affected  by  the  sesenda  that  he  is  quite  decrepit, 
and  requires  to  be  fed.  I at  once  showed  his  messenger  that 
we  had  nothing  whatever  to  give.  Nyakoba  was  offended  with 
him  for  not  believing  me,  and  he  immediately  sent  a basket  ol 
maize  and  another  of  corn,  saying  that  he  believed  my  state- 


THE  BANYAI.  669 

meat,  and  would  send  men  with  me  to  Tete  who  would  not  lead 
me  to  any  other  village. 

The  birds  here  sing  very  sweetly,  and  I thought  I heard  the 
canary,  as  in  Londa.  We  had  a heavy  shower  of  rain,  and  I 
observed  that  the  thermometer  sank  14°  in  one  hour  afterward. 
From  the  beginning  of  February  we  experienced  a sensible 
diminution  of  temperature.  In  January  the  lowest  was  75°, 
and  that  at  sunrise ; the  average  at  the  same  hour  (sunrise) 
being  79° ; at  3 P.M.,  90°  ; and  at  sunset,  82°.  In  February 
it  fell  as  low  as  70°  in  the  course  of  the  night,  and  the  average 
height  was  88°.  Only  once  did  it  rise  to  94°,  and  a thunder- 
storm followed  this ; yet  the  sensation  of  heat  was  greater  now 
than  it  had  been  at  much  higher  temperatures  on  more  elevated 
lands. 

We  passed  several  villages  by  going  roundabout  ways  through 
the  forest.  We  saw  the  remains  of  a lion  that  had  been  killed  by 
a buffalo,  and  the  horns  of  a putokwane  (black  antelope),  the  finest 
I had  ever  seen,  which  had  met  its  death  by  a lion.  The  drums, 
beating  all  night  in  one  village  near  which  we  slept,  showed  that 
some  person  in  it  had  finished  his  course.  On  the  occasion  of 
the  death  of  a chief,  a trader  is  liable  to  be  robbed,  for  the 
people  consider  themselves  not  amenable  to  law  until  a new 
one  is  elected.  We  continued  a very  winding  course,  in  order 
to  avoid  the  chief  Katolosa,  who  is  said  to  levy  large  sums 
upon  those  who  fall  into  his  hands.  One  of  our  guides  was  a 
fine,  tall  young  man,  the  very  image  of  Ben  Habib  the  Arab. 
They  were  carrying  dried  buffalo’s  meat  to  the  market  at  Tete 
as  a private  speculation. 

A great  many  of  the  Banyai  are  of  a light  coffee-and-milk  col- 
or, and,  indeed,  this  color  is  considered  handsome  throughout  the 
whole  country,  a fair  complexion  being  as  much  a test  of  beauty 
with  them  as  with  us.  As  they  draw  out  their  hair  into  small 
cords  a foot  in  length,  and  entwine  the  inner  bark  of  a certain 
tree  round  each  separate  cord,  and  dye  this  substance  of  a red- 
dish color,  many  of  them  put  me  in  mind  of  the  ancient  Egyp- 
tians. The  great  mass  of  dressed  hair  which  they  possess  reach- 
es to  the  shoulders,  but  when  they  intend  to  travel  they  draw  it 
up  to  a bunch,  and  tie  it  on  the  top  of  the  head.  They  are  clean- 
ly in  their  habits. 


670 


FACE  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


As  we  did  not  come  near  human  habitations,  and  could  only 
take  short  stages  on  account  of  the  illness  of  one  of  my  men,  1 
had  an  opportunity  of  observing  the  expedients  my  party  resorted 
to  in  order  to  supply  their  wants.  Large  white  edible  mushrooms 
are  found  on  the  ant-hills,  and  are  very  good.  The  mokuri,  a 
tuber  which  abounds  in  the  Mopane  country,  they  discovered  by 
percussing  the  ground  with  stones ; and  another  tuber,  about  the 
size  of  a turnip,  called  “bonga,”  is  found  in  the  same  situations. 
It  does  not  determine  to  the  joints  like  the  mokuri,  and  in  winter 
has  a sensible  amount  of  salt  in  it.  A fruit  called  “ ndongo,? 
by  the  Makololo,  “dongolo”  by  the  Bambiri,  resembles  in  ap- 
pearance a small  plum,  which  becomes  black  when  ripe,  and  is 
good  food,  as  the  seeds  are  small.  Many  trees  are  known  by 
tradition,  and  one  receives  curious  bits  of  information  in  asking 
about  different  fruits  that  are  met  with.  A tree  named  “ sheka- 
bakadzi”  is  superior  to  all  others  for  making  fire  by  friction.  As 
its  name  implies,  women  may  even  readily  make  fire  by  it  when 
benighted. 

The  country  here  is  covered  over  with  well-rounded  shingle 
and  gravel  of  granite,  gneiss  with  much  talc  in  it,  mica  schist, 
and  other  rocks  which  we  saw  in  situ  between  the  Kafue  and 
Loangwa.  There  are  great  mounds  of  soft  red  sand  slightly 
coherent,  which  crumble  in  the  hand  with  ease.  The  gravel  and 
the  sand  drain  away  the  water  so  effectually  that  the  trees  are 
exposed  to  the  heat  during  a portion  of  the  year  without  any 
moisture ; hence  they  are  not  large,  like  those  on  the  Zambesi, 
and  are  often  scrubby.  The  rivers  are  all  of  the  sandy  kind, 
and  we  pass  over  large  patches  between  this  and  Tete  in  which, 
in  the  dry  season,  no  water  is  to  be  found.  Close  on  our  south, 
the  hills  of  Lokole  rise  to  a considerable  height,  and  beyond  them 
flows  the  Mazoe  with  its  golden  sands.  The  great  numbers  of 
pot-holes  on  the  sides  of  sandstone  ridges,  when  viewed  in  con- 
nection with  the  large  banks  of  rolled  shingle  and  washed  sand 
which  are  met  with  on  this  side  of  the  eastern  ridge,  may  indicate 
that  the  sea  in  former  times  rolled  its  waves  along  its  flanks. 
Many  of  the  hills  between  the  Kafue  and  Loangwa  have  their 
sides  of  the  form  seen  in  mud  banks  left  by  the  tide.  The  pot- 
holes appear  most  abundant  on  low  gray  sandstone  ridges  here: 
and  as  the  shingle  is  composed  of  the  same  rocks  as  the  hills  west 


PURSUED  BY  NATIVES. 


67  1 


of  Zumbo,  it  looks  as  if  a current  had  dashed  along  from  the  south- 
east in  the  line  in  which  the  pot-holes  now  appear ; and  if  the  cur- 
rent was  deflected  by  those  hills  toward  the  Maravi  country,  north 
of  Tete,  it  may  have  hollowed  the  rounded,  water-worn  caverns 
in  which  these  people  store  their  corn,  and  also  hide  themselves 
from  their  enemies.  I could  detect  no  terraces  on  the  land,  but, 
if  I am  right  in  my  supposition,  the  form  of  this  part  of  the  con- 
tinent must  once  have  resembled  the  curves  or  indentations  seen 
on  the  southern  extremity  of  the  American  continent.  In  the 
indentation  to  the  S.E.,  S.,  S.W.,  and  W.  of  this,  lie  the  principal 
gold-washings ; and  the  line  of  the  current,  supposing  it  to  have 
struck  against  the  hills  of  Mburuma,  shows  the  washings  in  the 
N.  and  N.E.  of  Tete. 

We  were  tolerably  successful  in  avoiding  the  villages,  and  slept 
one  night  on  the  flanks  of  the  hill  Zimika,  where  a great  number 
of  deep  pot-holes  afforded  an  abundant  supply  of  good  rain-water. 
Here,  for  the  first  time,  we  saw  hills  with  bare,  smooth,  rocky  tops, 
and  we  crossed  over  broad  dikes  of  gneiss  and  syenitic  porphyry : 
the  directions  in  which  they  lay  were  N.  and  S.  As  we  were  now 
near  to  Tete,  we  were  congratulating  ourselves  on  having  avoided 
those  who  would  only  have  plagued  us ; but  next  morning  some 
men  saw  us,  and  ran  off  to  inform  the  neighboring  villages  of  our 
passing.  A party  immediately  pursued  us,  and,  as  they  knew 
we  were  within  call  of  Katolosa  (Monomotapa),  they  threatened 
to  send  information  to  that  chief  of  our  offense,  in  passing 
through  the  country  without  leave.  We  were  obliged  to  give 
them  two  small  tusks  ; for,  had  they  told  Katolosa  of  our  supposed 
offense,  we  should,  in  all  probability,  have  lost  the  whole.  We 
then  went  through  a very  rough,  stony  country  without  any  path. 
Being  pretty  well  tired  out  in  the  evening  of  the  2d  of  March, 
I remained  at  about  eight  miles  distance  from  Tete,  Tette,  or 
Nyungwe.  My  men  asked  me  to  go  on ; I felt  too  fatigued  to 
proceed,  but  sent  forward  to  the  commandant  the  letters  of 
recommendation  with  which  I had  been  favored  in  Angola  by 
the  bishop  and  others,  and  lay  down  to  rest.  Our  food  having 
been  exhausted,  my  men  had  been  subsisting  for  some  time  on 
roots  and  honey.  About  two  o’clock  in  the  morning  of  the  3d 
we  were  aroused  by  two  officers  and  a company  of  soldiers,  who 
had  been  sent  with  the  materials  for  a civilized  breakfast  and  a 


672 


ARRIVAL  AT  TETE. 


“ masheela”  to  bring  me  to  Tete.  (Commandant’s  house : lat. 
16°  9'  3"  S.,  long.  33°  28'  E.)  My  companions  thought  that 
we  were  captured  by  the  armed  men,  and  called  me  in  alarm. 
When  I understood  the  errand  on  which  they  had  come,  and 
had  partaken  of  a good  breakfast,  though  I had  just  before  been 
too  tired  to  sleep,  all  my  fatigue  vanished.  It  was  the  most  re- 
freshing breakfast  I ever  partook  of,  and  I walked  the  last  eight 
miles  without  the  least  feeling  of  weariness,  although  the  path 
was  so  rough  that  one  of  the  officers  remarked  to  me,  “ This  is 
enough  to  tear  a man’s  life  out  of  him.”  The  pleasure  experi- 
enced in  partaking  of  that  breakfast  was  only  equaled  by  the  en- 
joyment of  Mr.  Gabriel’s  bed  on  my  arrival  at  Loanda.  It  was 
also  enhanced  by  the  news  that  Sebastopol  had  fallen  and  the 
war  was  finished. 

Note. — Having  neglected,  in  referring  to  the  footprints  of  the  rhinoceros,  to 
mention  what  may  be  interesting  to  naturalists,  I add  it  here  in  a note ; that 
wherever  the  footprints  are  seen,  there  are  also  marks  of  the  animal  having  plowed 
up  the  ground  and  bushes  with  his  horn.  This  has  been  supposed  to  indicate 
that  he  is  subject  to  “fits  of  ungovernable  rage;”  but,  when  seen,  he  appears 
rather  to  be  rejoicing  in  his  strength.  He  acts  as  a bull  sometimes  does  when  he 
gores  the  earth  with  his  horns.  The  rhinoceros,  in  addition  to  this,  stands  on  a 
clump  of  bushes,  bends  his  back  down,  and  scrapes  the  ground  with  his  feet, 
throwing  it  out  backward,  as  if  to  stretch  and  clean  his  toes,  in  the  same  way  that 
a dog  may  be  seen  to  do  on  a little  grass : this  is  certainly  not  rage. 


GENEROSITY  OF  THE  COMMANDANT. 


673 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Kind  Reception  from  the  Commandant. — His  Generosity  to  my  Men. — The  Vil- 
lage of  Tete. — The  Population. — Distilled  Spirits. — The  Fort. — Cause  of  the  De- 
cadence of  Portuguese  Power. — Former  Trade. — Slaves  employed  in  Gold-wash- 
ing.— Slave-trade  drained  the  Country  of  Laborers. — The  Rebel  Nyaude’s  Stock- 
ade.— He  burns  Tete. — Kisaka’s  Revolt  and  Ravages. — Extensive  Field  of  Sugar- 
cane.— The  Commandant’s  good  Reputation  among  the  Natives. — Providential 
Guidance. — Seams  of  Coal. — A hot  Spring. — Picturesque  Country. — Water-car- 
riage to  the  Coal-fields. — Workmen’s  Wages. — Exports. — Price  of  Provisions. — 
Visit  Gold-washings. — The  Process  of  obtaining  the  precious  Metal. — Coal  within 
a Gold-field. — Present  from  Major  Sicard. — Natives  raise  Wheat,  etc. — Liberal- 
ity of  the  Commandant. — Geographical  Information  from  Senhor  Candido. — 
Earthquakes. — Native  Ideas  of  a Supreme  Being. — Also  of  the  Immortality  nnd 
Transmigration  of  Souls. — Fondness  for  Display  at  Funerals. — Trade  Restric- 
tions.— Former  Jesuit  Establishment. — State  of  Religion  and  Education  at  Tete. 
— Inundation  of  the  Zambesi. — Cotton  cultivated. — The  fibrous  Plants  Conge 
and  Buaze. — Detained  by  Fever. — The  Kumbanzo  Bark. — Native  Medicines. — 
Iron,  its  Quality. — Hear  of  Famine  at  Kilimane. — Death  of  a Portuguese  Lady. 
— The  Funeral. — Disinterested  Kindness  of  the  Portuguese. 

I WAS  most  kindly  received  by  the  commandant  Tito  Augusto 
d’Araujo  Sicard,  who  did  every  thing  in  his  power  to  restore  me 
from  my  emaciated  condition  ; and,  as  this  was  still  the  unhealthy 
period  at  Kilimane,  he  advised  me  to  remain  with  him  until  the 
following  month.  He  also  generously  presented  my  men  with 
abundant  provisions  of  millet ; and,  by  giving  them  lodgings  in  a 
house  of  his  own  until  they  could  erect  their  own  huts,  he  pre- 
served them  from  the  bite  of  the  tampans,  here  named  Carapatos.* 
Wc  had  heard  frightful  accounts  of  this  insect  while  among  the 

* Another  insect,  resembling  a maggot,  burrows  into  the  feet  of  the  natives 
and  sucks  their  blood.  Mr.  Westwood  says,  “The  tampan  is  a large  species  of 
mite,  closely  allied  to  the  poisonous  bug  (as  it  is  called)  of  Persia,  Argos  rrflczus, 
respecting  which  such  marvelous  accounts  have  been  recorded,  and  which  the 
statement  respecting  the  carapato  or  tampan  would  partially  confirm.”  Mr.  W. 
also  thinks  that  the  poison-yielding  larva  called  N’gwa  is  a “species  of  chryso- 
melidae.  The  larvae  of  the  British  species  of  that  family  exude  a fetid  yellow 
thickish  fluid  when  alarmed,  but  he  has  not  heard  that  any  of  them  are  at  all 
poisonous.” 

U u 


674 


TETE : ITS  POPULATION. 


Banyai,  and  Major  Sicard  assured  me  that  to  strangers  its  bite  is 
more  especially  dangerous,  as  it  sometimes  causes  fatal  fever.  It 
may  please  our  homoeopathic  friends  to  hear  that,  in  curing  the  bite 
of  the  tampan,  the  natives  administer  one  of  the  insects  bruised  in 
the  medicine  employed. 

The  village  of  Tete  is  built  on  a long  slope  down  to  the  river, 
the  fort  being  close  to  the  water.  The  rock  beneath  is  gray  sand- 
stone, and  has  the  appearance  of  being  crushed  away  from  the 
river:  the  strata  have  thus  a crumpled  form.  The  hollow  between 
each  crease  is  a street,  the  houses  being  built  upon  the  projecting 
fold.  The  rocks  at  the  top  of  the  slope  are  much  higher  than  the 
fort,  and  of  course  completely  command  it.  There  is  then  a large 
valley,  and  beyond  that  an  oblong  hill  called  Karueira.  The 
whole  of  the  adjacent  country  is  rocky  and  broken,  but  every 
available  spot  is  under  cultivation.  The  stone  houses  in  Tete 
are  cemented  with  mud  instead  of  lime,  and  thatched  with  reeds 
and  grass.  The  rains,  having  washed  out  the  mud  between  the 
stones,  give  all  the  houses  a rough,  untidy  appearance.  No  lime 
was  kno^tn  to  be  found  nearer  than  Mozambique ; some  used  in 
making  seats  in  the  verandas  had  actually  been  brought  all  that 
distance.  The  Portuguese  evidently  knew  nothing  of  the  pink 
and  white  marbles  which  I found  at  the  Mbai,  and  another  rivu- 
let, named  the  Unguesi,  near  it,  and  of  which  I brought  home 
specimens,  nor  yet  of  the  dolomite  which  lies  so  near  to  Zumbo : 
they  might  have  burned  the  marble  into  lime  without  going  so  far 
as  Mozambique.  There  are  about  thirty  European  houses ; the 
rest  are  native,  and  of  wattle  and  daub.  A wall  about  ten  feet 
high  is  intended  to  inclose  the  village,  but  most  of  the  native  in- 
habitants prefer  to  live  on  different  spots  outside.  There  are 
about  twelve  hundred  huts  in  all,  which  with  European  households 
would  give  a population  of  about  four  thousand  five  hundred 
souls.  Only  a small  proportion  of  these,  however,  live  on  the 
spot ; the  majority  are  engaged  in  agricultural  operations  in  the 
adjacent  country.  Generally  there  are  not  more  than  two  thou- 
sand people  resident,  for,  compared  with  what  it  was,  Tete  is  now 
a ruin.  The  number  of  Portuguese  is  very  small ; if  we  exclude 
the  military,  it  is  under  twenty.  Lately,  however,  one  hundred 
and  five  soldiers  were  sent  from  Portugal  to  Senna,  where  in  one 
year  twenty-five  were  cut  off  by  fever.  They  were  then  removed 


DECADENCE  OE  PORTUGUESE  POWER. 


675 


to  Tete,  and  here  they  enjoy  much  better  health,  though,  from  the 
abundance  of  spirits  distilled  from  various  plants,  wild  fruits,  and 
grain,  in  which  pernicious  beverage  they  largely  indulge,  besides 
partaking  chiefly  of  unwholesome  native  food,  better  health  could 
scarcely  have  been  expected.  The  natives  here  understand  the 
method  of  distillation  by  means  of  gun-barrels,  and  a succession 
of  earthen  pots  filled  with  water  to  keep  them  cool.  The  general 
report  of  the  fever  here  is  that,  while  at  Kilimane  the  fever  is  con- 
tinuous, at  Tete  a man  recovers  in  about  three  days.  The  mild- 
est remedies  only  are  used  at  first,  and,  if  that  period  be  passed, 
then  the  more  severe. 

The  fort  of  Tete  has  been  the  salvation  of  the  Portuguese 
power  in  this  quarter.  It  is  a small  square  building,  with  a 
thatched  apartment  for  the  residence  of  the  troops ; and,  though 
there  are  but  few  guns,  they  are  in  a much  better  state  than  those 
of  any  fort  in  the  interior  of  Angola.  The  cause  of  the  decadence 
of  the  Portuguese  power  in  this  region  is  simply  this : In  former 
times,  considerable  quantities  of  grain,  as  wheat,  millet,  and 
maize,  were  exported ; also  coffee,  sugar,  oil,  and  indigo,  besides 
gold-dust  and  ivory.  The  cultivation  of  grain  was  carried  on 
by  means  of  slaves,  of  whom  the  Portuguese  possessed  a large 
number.  The  gold-dust  was  procured  by  washing  at  various 
points  on  the  north,  south,  and  west  of  Tete.  A merchant  took 
all  his  slaves  with  him  to  the  washings,  carrying  as  much  calico 
and  other  goods  as  he  could  muster.  On  arriving  at  the  wash- 
ing-place, he  made  a present  to  the  chief  of  the  value  of  about  a 
pound  sterling.  The  slaves  were  then  divided  into  parties,  each 
headed  by  a confidential  servant,  who  not  only  had  the  super- 
vision of  his  squad  while  the  washing  went  on,  but  bought  dust 
from  the  inhabitants,  and  made  a weekly  return  to  his  master. 
When  several  masters  united  at  one  spot,  it  was  called  a “Bara,” 
and  they  then  erected  a temporary  church,  in  which  a priest  from 
one  of  the  missions  performed  mass.  Both  chiefs  and  people 
were  favorable  to  these  visits,  because  the  traders  purchased 
grain  for  the  sustenance  of  the  slaves  with  the  goods  they  had 
brought.  They  continued  at  this  labor  until  the  whole  of  the 
goods  were  expended,  and  by  this  means  about  130  lbs.  of  gold 
were  annually  produced.  Probably  more  than  this  was  actually 
obtained,  but,  as  it  was  an  article  easily  secreted,  this  alone  was 


676 


TETE  PLUNDERED  AND  BURNED. 


submitted  to  the  authorities  for  taxation.  At  present  the  whole 
amount  of  gold  obtained  annually  by  the  Portuguese  is  from  8 
to  10  lbs.  only.  When  the  slave-trade  began,  it  seemed  to  many 
of  the  merchants  a more  speedy  mode  of  becoming  rich  to  sell  off 
the  slaves  than  to  pursue  the  slow  mode  of  gold-washing  and 
agriculture,  and  they  continued  to  export  them  until  they  had 
neither  hands  to  labor  nor  to  fight  for  them.  It  was  just  the 
story  of  the  goose  and  the  golden  egg.  The  coffee  and  sugar 
plantations  and  gold-washings  were  abandoned,  because  the  labor 
had  been  exported  to  the  Brazils.  Many  of  the  Portuguese  then 
followed  their  slaves,  and  the  government  was  obliged  to  pass  a 
law  to  prevent  further  emigration,  which,  had  it  gone  on,  would 
have  depopulated  the  Portuguese  possessions  altogether.  A clev- 
er man  of  Asiatic  (Goa)  and  Portuguese  extraction,  called  Ny- 
aude,  now  built  a stockade  at  the  confluence  of  the  Luenya  and 
Zambesi ; and  when  the  commandant  of  Tete  sent  an  officer  with 
his  company  to  summon  him  to  his  presence,  Nyaude  asked  per- 
mission of  the  officer  to  dress  himself,  which  being  granted,  he 
went  into  an  inner  apartment,  and  the  officer  ordered  his  men  to 
pile  their  arms.  A drum  of  war  began  to  beat  a note  which  is 
well  known  to  the  inhabitants.  Some  of  the  soldiers  took  the 
alarm  on  hearing  this  note,  but  the  officer,  disregarding  their  warn- 
ing, was,  with  his  whole  party,  in  a few  minutes  disarmed  and 
bound  hand  and  foot.  The  commandant  of  Tete  then  armed  the 
whole  body  of  slaves  and  marched  against  the  stockade  of  Nyaude, 
but  when  they  came  near  to  it  there  was  the  Luenya  still  to  cross. 
As  they  did  not  effect  this  speedily,  Nyaude  dispatched  a strong 
party  under  his  son  Bonga  across  the  river  below  the  stockade, 
and  up  the  left  bank  of  the  Zambesi  until  they  came  near  to  Tete. 
They  then  attacked  Tete,  which  was  wholly  undefended  save  by 
a few  soldiers  in  the  fort,  plundered  and  burned  the  whole  town 
except  the  house  of  the  commandant  and  a few  others,  with  the 
church  and  fort.  The  women  and  children  fled  into  the  church; 
and  it  is  a remarkable  fact  that  none  of  the  natives  of  this  region 
will  ever  attack  a church.  Having  rendered  Tete  a ruin,  Bonga 
carried  off  all  the  cattle  and  plunder  to  his  father.  News  of  this 
having  been  brought  to  the  army  before  the  stockade,  a sudden 
panic  dispersed  the  whole ; and  as  the  fugitives  took  roundabout 
ways  in  their  flight,  Katolosa,  who  had  hitherto  pretended  to  be 


NYAUDE  AND  KISAKA. 


677 


friendly  with  the  Portuguese,  sent  out  Iris  men  to  capture  as  many 
of  them  as  they  could.  They  killed  many  for  the  sake  of  their 
arms.  This  is  the  account  which  both  natives  and  Portuguese 
give  of  the  affair. 

Another  half-caste  from  Macao,  called  Kisaka  or  Choutama,  on 
the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  likewise  rebelled.  His  father  hav- 
ing died,  he  imagined  that  he  had  been  bewitched  by  the  Portu- 
guese, and  he  therefore  plundered  and  burned  all  the  plantations 
of  the  rich  merchants  of  Tete  on  the  north  bank.  As  I have  be- 
fore remarked,  that  bank  is  the  most  fertile,  and  there  the  Portu- 
guese had  their  villas  and  plantations  to  which  they  daily  retired 
from  Tete.  "When  these  were  destroyed  the  Tete  people  were 
completely  impoverished.  An  attempt  was  made  to  punish  this 
rebel,  but  it  was  also  unsuccessful,  and  he  has  lately  been  par- 
doned by  the  home  government.  One  point  in  the  narrative  of 
this  expedition  is  interesting.  They  came  to  a field  of  sugar-cane 
so  large  that  4000  men  eating  it  during  two  days  did  not  finish 
the  whole.  The  Portuguese  were  thus  placed  between  two  ene- 
mies, Nyaude  on  the  right  bank  and  Kisaka  on  the  left,  and  not 
only  so,  but  Nyaude,  having  placed  his  stockade  on  the  point  of 
land  on  the  right  banks  of  both  the  Luenya  and  Zambesi,  and 
washed  by  both  these  rivers,  could  prevent  intercourse  with  the 
sea.  The  Luenya  rushes  into  the  Zambesi  with  great  force  when 
the  latter  is  low,  and,  in  coming  up  the  Zambesi,  boats  must  cross 
it  and  the  Luenya  separately,  even  going  a little  way  up  that  river, 
so  as  not  to  be  driven  away  by  its  current  in  the  bed  of  the  Zam- 
besi, and  dashed  on  the  rock  which  stands  on  the  opposite  shore. 
In  coming  up  to  the  Luenya  for  this  purpose,  all  boats  and  canoes 
came  close  to  the  stockade  to  be  robbed.  Nyaude  kept  the  Por- 
tuguese shut  up  in  their  fort  at  Tete  during  two  years,  and  they 
could'only  get  goods  sufficient  to  buy  food  by  sending  to  Kilimane 
by  an  overland  route  along  the  north  bank  of  the  Zambesi.  The 
mother  country  did  not  in  these  “ Caffre  wars”  pay  the  bills,  so 
no  one  either  became  rich  or  blamed  the  missionaries. 

The  merchants  were  unable  to  engage  in  trade,  and  commerce, 
which  the  slave-trade  had  rendered  stagnant,  was  now  completely 
obstructed.  The  present  commandant  of  Tete,  Major  Sicard,  hav- 
ing great  influence  among  the  natives,  from  his  good  character, 
put  a stop  to  the  war  more  than  once  by  his  mere  presence  on 


678 


SEAMS  OF  COAL. 


the  spot.  We  heard  of  him  among  the  Banyai  as  a man  with 
whom  they  would  never  fight,  because  “ he  had  a good  heart.” 
Had  I come  down  to  this  coast  instead  of  going  to  Loanda  in 
1853,  I should  have  come  among  the  belligerents  while  the  war 
was  still  raging,  and  should  probably  have  been  cut  off.  My 
present  approach  was  just  at  the  conclusion  of  the  peace;  and 
when  the  Portuguese  authorities  here  were  informed,  through  the 
kind  offices  of  Lord  Clarendon  and  Count  de  Lavradio,  that  I was 
expected  to  come  this  way,  they  all  declared  that  such  was  the 
existing  state  of  affairs  that  no  European  could  possibly  pass 
through  the  tribes.  Some  natives  at  last  came  down  the  river  to 
Tete  and  said,  alluding  to  the  sextant  and  artificial  horizon,  that 
“the  Son  of  God  had  come,”  and  that  he  was  “able  to  take  the 
sun  down  from  the  heavens  and  place  it  under  his  arm!”  Major 
Sicard  then  felt  sure  that  this  was  the  man  mentioned  in  Lord 
Clarendon’s  dispatch. 

On  mentioning  to  the  commandant  that  I had  discovered  a 
small  seam  of  coal,  he  stated  that  the  Portuguese  were  already 
aware  of  nine  such  seams,  and  that  five  of  them  were  on  the  op- 
posite bank  of  the  river.  As  soon  as  I had  recovered  from  my 
fatigue  I went  to  examine  them.  We  proceeded  in  a boat  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Lofubu  or  Revubu,  which  is  about  two  miles  be- 
low Tete,  and  on  the  opposite  or  northern  bank.  Ascending  this 
about  four  miles  against  a strong  current  of  beautifully  clear  wa- 
ter, we  landed  near  a small  cataract,  and  walked  about  two  miles 
through  very  fertile  gardens  to  the  seam,  which  we  found  to  be 
in  one  of  the  feeders  of  the  Lofubu,  called  Muatize  or  Motize. 
The  seam  is  in  the  perpendicular  bank,  and  dips  into  the  riv- 
ulet, or  in  a northerly  direction.  There  is,  first  of  all,  a seam 
10  inches  in  diameter,  then  some  shale,  below  which  there  is  an- 
other seam,  58  inches  of  which  are  seen,  and,  as  the  bottom 
touches  the  water  of  the  Muatize,  it  may  be  more.  This  part  of 
the  seam  is  about  30  yards  long.  There  is  then  a fault.  About 
100  yards  higher  up  the  stream  black  vesicular  trap  is  seen,  pen- 
etrating in  thin  veins  the  clay  shale  of  the  country,  converting  it 
into  porcellanite,  and  partially  crystallizing  the  coal  with  which  it 
came  into  contact.  On  the  right  bank  of  the  Lofubu  there  is  an- 
other feeder  entering  that  river  near  its  confluence  with  the  Mua- 

O 

tize,  which  is  called  the  Morongozi,  in  which  there  is  another  and 


HOT  SPRINGS. 


679 


still  larger  bed  of  coal  exposed.  Farther  up  the  Lofubu  there 
are  other  seams  in  the  rivulets  Inyavu  and  Makare ; also  several 
spots  in  the  Maravi  country  have  the  coal  cropping  out.  This 
has  evidently  been  brought  to  the  surface  by  volcanic  action  at  a 
later  period  than  the  coal  formation. 

I also  went  up  the  Zambesi,  and  visited  a hot  spring  called 
Nyamboronda,  situated  in  the  bed  of  a small  rivulet  named 
Nyaondo,  which  shows  that  igneous  action  is  not  yet  extinct. 
We  landed  at  a small  rivulet  called  Mokorozi,  then  went  a mile 
or  two  to  the  eastward,  where  we  found  a hot  fountain  at  the 
bottom  of  a high  hill.  A little  spring  bubbles  up  on  one  side  of 
the  rivulet  Nyaondo,  and  a great  quantity  of  acrid  steam  rises  up 
from  the  ground  adjacent,  about  12  feet  square  of  which  is  so 
hot  that  my  companions  could  not  stand  on  it  with  their  bare 
feet.  There  are  several  little  holes  from  which  the  water  trickles, 
but  the  principal  spring  is  in  a hole  a foot  in  diameter,  and  about 
the  same  in  depth.  Numbers  of  bubbles  are  constantly  rising. 
The  steam  feels  acrid  in  the  throat,  but  is  not  inflammable,  as  it 
did  not  burn  when  I held  a bunch  of  lighted  grass  over  the  bub- 
bles. The  mercury  rises  to  158°  when  the  thermometer  is  put 
into  the  water  in  the  hole,  but  after  a few  seconds  it  stands  stead- 
ily at  160°.  Even  when  flowing  over  the  stones  the  water  is  too 
hot  for  the  hand.  Little  fish  frequently  leap  out  of  the  stream  in 
the  bed  of  which  the  fountain  rises,  into  the  hot  water,  and  get 
scalded  to  death.  We  saw  a frog  which  had  performed  the  ex- 
periment, and  was  now  cooked.  The  stones  over  which  the  wa- 
ter flows  are  incrusted  with  a white  salt,  and  the  water  has  a sa- 
line taste.  The  ground  has  been  dug  out  near  the  fountain  by 
the  natives,  in  order  to  extract  the  salt  it  contains.  It  is  situated 
among  rocks  of  syenitic  porphyry  in  broad  dikes,  and  gneiss  tilted 
on  edge,  and  having  a strike  to  the  N.E.  There  are  many  spec- 
imens of  half-formed  pumice,  with  greenstone  and  lava.  Some 
of  the  sandstone  strata  are  dislocated  by  a hornblende  rock  and 
by  basalt,  the  sandstone  nearest  to  the  basalt  being  converted  into 
quartz. 

The  country  around,  as  indeed  all  the  district  tying  N.  and 
N.W.  of  Tete,  is  hilly,  and,  the  hills  being  covered  with  trees,  the 
scenery  is  very  picturesque.  The  soil  of  the  valleys  is  very  fruit- 
ful and  well  cultivated.  There  would  not  be  much  difficulty  in 


680 


WORKMEN’S  WAGES. 


working  the  coal.  The  Lofubu  is  about  60  yards  broad  ; it  flows 
perennially,  and  at  its  very  lowest  period,  which  is  after  Septem- 
ber, there  is  water  about  18  inches  deep,  which  could  be  navi- 
gated in  flat-bottomed  boats.  At  the  time  of  my  visit  it  was  full, 
and  the  current  was  very  strong.  If  the  small  cataract  referred 
to  were  to  be  avoided,  the  land-carriage  beyond  would  only  be 
about  two  miles.  The  other  seams  farther  up  the  river  may,  aft- 
er passing  the  cataract,  be  approached  more  easily  than  that  in 
the  Muatize ; as  the  seam,  however,  dips  down  into  the  stream, 
no  drainage  of  the  mine  would  be  required,  for  if  water  were  come 
to  it  would  run  into  the  stream.  I did  not  visit  the  others,  but 
I was  informed  that  there  are  seams  in  the  independent  native 
territory  as  well  as  in  that  of  the  Portuguese.  That  in  the  Nake 
is  in  the  Banyai  country,  and,  indeed,  I have  no  doubt  but  that  the 
whole  country  between  Zumbo  and  Lupata  is  a coal-field  of  at 
least  2|°  of  latitude  in  breadth,  having  many  faults,  made  during 
the  time  of  the  igneous  action.  The  gray  sandstone  rock  having 
silicified  trees  lying  on  it  is  of  these  dimensions.  The  planta- 
tion in  which  the  seam  of  coal  exists  would  be  valued  among  the 
Portuguese  at  about  60  dollars  or  £12,  but  much  more  would 
probably  be  asked  if  a wealthy  purchaser  appeared.  They  could 
not,  however,  raise  the  price  very  much  higher,  because  estates 
containing  coal  might  be  had  from  the  native  owners  at  a much 
cheaper  rate.  The  wages  of  free  laborers,  when  employed  in  such 
work  as  gold-washing,  agriculture,  or  digging  coal,  is  2 yards  of 
unbleached  calico  per  day.  They  might  be  got  to  work  cheaper 
if  engaged  by  the  moon,  or  for  about  16  yards  per  month.  For 
masons  and  carpenters  even,  the  ordinary  rate  is  2 yards  per 
day.  This  is  called  1 braca.  Tradesmen  from  Kilimane  demand 
4 bra^as,  or  8 yards,  per  day.  English  or  American  unbleached 
calico  is  the  only  currency  used.  The  carriage  of  goods  up  the 
river  to  Tete  adds  about  10  per  cent,  to  their  cost.  The  usual 
conveyance  is  by  means  of  very  large  canoes  and  launches  built 
at  Senna. 

The  amount  of  merchandise  brought  up  during  the  five  months 
of  peace  previous  to  my  visit  was  of  the  value  of  30,000  dollars, 
or  about  £6000.  The  annual  supply  of  goods  for  trade  is  about 
£15,000,  being  calico,  thick  brass  wire,  beads,  gunpowder,  and 
guns.  The  quantity  of  the  latter  is,  however,  small,  as  the  gov- 


TRADE.— PRICES. 


681 


eminent  of  Mozambique  made  that  article  contraband  after  the 
commencement  of  the  war.  Goods,  when  traded  with  in  the  tribes 
around  the  Portuguese,  produce  a profit  of  only  about  10  per  cent., 
the  articles  traded  in  being  ivory  and  gold-dust.  A little  oil  and 
wheat  are  exported,  but  nothing  else.  Trade  with  the  tribes  be- 
yond the  exclusive  ones  is  much  better.  Thirty  brass  rings  cost 
10s.  at  Senna,  £1  at  Tete,  and  £2  beyond  the  tribes  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Tete;  these  are  a good  price  for  a penful  of  gold-dust  of  the 
value  of  £2.  The  plantations  of  coffee,  lvhich,  previous  to  the 
commencement  of  the  slave-trade,  yielded  one  material  for  ex- 
portation, are  now  deserted,  and  it  is  difficult  to  find  a single  tree. 
The  indigo  ( Indigofera  arcjentea , the  common  wild  indigo  of  Af- 
rica) is  found  growing  every  where,  and  large  quantities  of  the  sen- 
na-plant* grow  in  the  village  of  Tete  and  other  parts,  but  neither 
indigo  nor  senna  is  collected.  Calumba-root,  which  is  found  in 
abundance  in  some  parts  farther  down  the  river,  is  bought  by  the 
Americans,  it  is  said,  to  use  as  a dye-stuff.  A kind  of  sarsaparil- 
la, or  a plant  which  is  believed  by  the  Portuguese  to  be  such,  is 
found  from  Londa  to  Senna,  but  has  never  been  exported. 

The  price  of  provisions  is  low,  but  very  much  higher  than  pre- 
vious to  the  commencement  of  the  war.  Two  yards  of  calico  are 
demanded  for  six  fowls  ; this  is  considered  very  dear,  because,  be- 
fore the  war,  the  same  quantity  of  calico  was  worth  24  fowls.  Grain 
is  sold  in  little  bags  made  from  the  leaves  of  the  palmyra,  like 
those  in  which  we  receive  sugar.  They  are  called  panjas,  and  each 
panja  weighs  between  30  and  40  lbs.  The  panja  of  wheat  at  Tete 
is  worth  a dollar,  or  5s.  ; but  the  native  grain  may  be  obtained 
among  the  islands  below  Lupata  at  the  rate  of  three  panjas  for  two 
yards  of  calico.  The  highest  articles  of  consumption  are  tea  and 
coffee,  the  tea  being  often  as  high  as  15s.  a pound.  Food  is 
cheaper  down  the  river  below  Lupata,  and,  previous  to  the  war, 
the  islands  which  stud  the  Zambesi  were  all  inhabited,  and,  the 
soil  being  exceedingly  fertile,  grain  and  fowls  could  be  got  to  any 
amount.  The  inhabitants  disappeared  before  their  enemies  the 
Landeens,  but  are  beginning  to  return  since  the  peace.  They 
have  no  cattle,  the  only  place  where  we  found  no  tsetse  being 
the  district  of  Tete  itself;  and  the  cattle  in  the  possession  of 

* These  appear  to  belong  to  Cassia  acutifolia,  or  true  senna  of  commerce,  found 
in  various  parts  of  Africa  and  India. — Dr.  Hooker. 


682 


GOLD-WASHING. 


the  Portuguese  are  a mere  remnant  of  wliat  they  formerly 
owned. 

When  visiting  the  hot  fountain,  I examined  what  were  for- 
merly the  gold-washings  in  the  rivulet  Mokoroze,  which  is  nearly 
on  the  16th  parallel  of  latitude.  The  banks  are  covered  with  large 
groves  of  fine  mango-trees,  among  which  the  Portuguese  lived  while 
superintending  the  washing  for  the  precious  metal.  The  process 
of  washing  is  very  laborious  and  tedious.  A quantity  of  sand  is 
put  into  a wooden  bowl  with  water;  a half  rotatory  motion  is  given 
to  the  dish,  which  causes  the  coarser  particles  of  sand  to  collect 
on  one  side  of  the  bottom.  These  are  carefully  removed  with  the 
hand,  and  the  process  of  rotation  renewed  until  the  whole  of  the 
sand  is  taken  away,  and  the  gold  alone  remains.  It  is  found  in 
very  minute  scales,  and,  unless  I had  been  assured  to  the  contrary, 
I should  have  taken  it  to  be  mica,  for,  knowing  the  gold  to  be  of 
greater  specific  gravity  than  the  sand,  I imagined  that  a stream 
of  water  would  remove  the  latter  and  leave  the  former ; but  here 
the  practice  is  to  remove  the  whole  of  the  sand  by  the  hand. 
This  process  was,  no  doubt,  a profitable  one  to  the  Portuguese,  and 
it  is  probable  that,  with  the  improved  plan  by  means  of  mercury, 
the  sands  would  be  lucrative.  I had  an  opportunity  of  examining 
the  gold-dust  from  different  parts  to  the  east  and  northeast  of  Tete. 
There  are  six  well-known  washing-places.  These  are  called  Ma- 
shinga,  Shindundo,  Missala,  Kapata,  Mano,  and  Jawa.  From  the 
description  of  the  rock  I received,  I suppose  gold  is  found  both  in 
clay  shale  and  quartz.  At  the  range  Mushinga  to  the  N.N.W. 
the  rock  is  said  to  be  so  soft  that  the  women  pound  it  into  powder 
in  wooden  mortars  previous  to  washing. 

Round  toward  the  westward,  the  old  Portuguese  indicate  a sta- 
tion which  was  near  to  Zumbo  on  the  River  Panyame,  and  called 
Dambarari,  near  which  much  gold  was  found.  Farther  west  lay 
the  now  unknown  kingdom  of  Abutua,  which  was  formerly  famous 
for  the  metal ; and  then,  coming  round  toward  the  east,  we  have 
the  gold-washings  of  the  Mashona,  or  Bazizulu,  and,  farther  east, 
that  of  Manlca,  where  gold  is  found  much  more  abundantly  than 
in  any  other  part,  and  which  has  been  supposed  by  some  to  be 
the  Ophir  of  King  Solomon.  I saw  the  gold  from  this  quarter  as 
large  as  grains  of  wheat,  that  found  in  the  rivers  which  run  into 
the  coal-field  being  in  very  minute  scales.  If  we  place  one  leg 


PRACTICE  WITH  FLAKE-GOLD. 


683 


of  the  compasses  at  Tete,  and  extend  the  other  three  and  a half 
degrees,  bringing  it  round  from  the  northeast  of  Tete  by  west, 
and  then  to  the  southeast,  we  nearly  touch  or  include  all  the 
known  gold-producing  country.  As  the  gold  on  this  circumference 
is  found  in  coarser  grains  than  in  the  streams  running  toward  the 
centre,  or  Tete,  I imagine  that  the  real  gold-field  lies  round  about 
the  coal-field ; and,  if  I am  right  in  the  conjecture,  then  we  have 
coal  encircled  by  a gold-field,  and  abundance  of  wood,  water,  and 
provisions — a combination  not  often  met  with  in  the  world.  The 
inhabitants  are  not  unfavorable  to  washings,  conducted  on  the 
principle  formerly  mentioned.  At  present  they  wash  only  when 
in  want  of  a little  calico.  They  know  the  value  of  gold  perfectly 
well,  for  they  bring  it  for  sale  in  goose-quills,  and  demand  24 
yards  of  calico  for  one  penful.  When  the  rivers  in  the  district 
of  Manica  and  other  gold-washing  places  have  been  flooded,  they 
leave  a coating  of  mud  on  the  banks.  The  natives  observe  the 
spots  which  dry  soonest,  and  commence  digging  there,  in  firm 
belief  that  gold  lies  beneath.  They  are  said  not  to  dig  deeper 
than  their  chins,  believing  that  if  they  did  so  the  ground  would 
fall  in  and  kill  them.  When  they  find  a piece  or  flake  of  gold, 
they  bury  it  again,  from  the  superstitious  idea  that  this  is  the  seed 
of  the  gold,  and,  though  they  know  the  value  of  it  well,  they  prefer 
losing  it  rather  than  the  whole  future  crop.  This  conduct  seemed 
to  me  so  very  unlikely  in  men  who  bring  the  dust  in  quills,  and 
even  put  in  a few  seeds  of  a certain  plant  as  a charm  to  prevent 
their  losing  any  of  it  on  the  way,  that  I doubted  the  authority  of 
my  informant ; but  I found  the  report  verified  by  all  the  Portu- 
guese who  knew  the  native  language  and  mode  of  thinking,  and 
give  the  statement  for  what  it  is  worth.  If  it  is  really  practiced, 
the  custom  may  have  been  introduced  by  some  knowing  one  who 
wished  to  defraud  the  chiefs  of  their  due ; for  we  are  informed  in 
Portuguese  history  that  in  former  times  these  pieces  or  flakes  of 
gold  were  considered  the  perquisites  of  the  chiefs. 

Major  Sicard,  the  commandant,  whose  kindness  to  me  and  my 
people  was  unbounded,  presented  a rosary  made  of  the  gold  of 
the  country,  the  workmanship  of  a native  of  Tete,  to  my  little 
daughter ; also  specimens  of  the  gold-dust  of  three  different  places, 
which,  with  the  coal  of  Muatize  and  Morongoze,  are  deposited 
in  the  Museum  of  Practical  Geology,  Jermyn  Street,  London. 


684 


LIBERALITY  OF  COMMANDANT. 


All  the  cultivation  is  carried  on  with  hoes  in  the  native  manner, 
and  considerable  quantities  of  Ilolcus  sorghum,  maize,  Pennisetum 
typholdeum , or  lotsa  of  the  Balonda,  millet,  rice,  and  wheat  are 
raised,  as  also  several  kinds  of  beans — one  of  which,  called  “litloo” 
by  the  Bechuanas,  yields  under  ground,  as  well  as  the  Arachis 
hypogcea,  or  ground-nut ; with  cucumbers,  pumpkins,  and  melons. 
The  wheat  is  sown  in  low-lying  places  which  are  annually  flooded 
by  the  Zambesi.  When  the  waters  retire,  the  women  drop  a few 
grains  in  a hole  made  with  a hoe,  then  push  back  the  soil  with  the 
foot.  One  weeding  alone  is  required  before  the  grain  comes  to  ma- 
turity. This  simple  process  represents  all  our  subsoil  plowing,  lim- 
ing, manuring,  and  harrowing,  for  in  four  months  after  planting  a 
good  crop  is  ready  for  the  sickle,  and  has  been  known  to  yield  a 
hundred-fold.  It  flourished  still  more  at  Zumbo.  No  irrigation 
is  required,  because  here  there  are  gentle  rains,  almost  like  mist, 
in  winter,  which  go  by  the  name  of  “ wheat-showers,”  and  are  un- 
known in  the  interior,  where  no  winter  rain  ever  falls.  The  rains 
at  Tete  come  from  the  east,  though  the  prevailing  winds  come 
from  the  S.S.E.  The  finest  portion  of  the  flour  does  not  make 
bread  nearly  so  white  as  the  seconds,  and  here  the  boyaloa  (pom be), 
or  native  beer,  is  employed  to  mix  with  the  flour  instead  of  yeast. 
It  makes  excellent  bread.  At  Kilimane,  where  the  cocoanut  palm 
abounds,  the  toddy  from  it,  called  “ sura,”  is  used  for  the  same 
purpose,  and  makes  the  bread  still  lighter. 

As  it  was  necessary  to  leave  most  of  my  men  at  this  place, 
Major  Sicard  gave  them  a portion  of  land  on  which  to  cultivate 
their  own  food,  generously  supplying  them  with  corn  in  the  mean 
time.  He  also  said  that  my  young  men  might  go  and  hunt 
elephants  in  company  with  his  servants,  and  purchase  goods  with 
both  the  ivory  and  dried  meat,  in  order  that  they  might  have 
something  to  take  with  them  on  their  return  to  Sekeletu.  The 
men  were  delighted  with  his  liberality,  and  soon  sixty  or  seventy 
of  them  set  off  to  engage  in  this  enterprise.  There  was  no 
calico  to  be  had  at  this  time  in  Tete,  but  the  commandant  hand- 
somely furnished  my  men  with  clothing.  I was  in  a state  of 
want  myself,  and,  though  I jnessed  him  to  take  payment  in 
ivory  for  both  myself  and  men,  he  refused  all  recompense.  I 
shall  ever  remember  his  kindness  with  deep  gratitude.  He 
has  written  me,  since  my  arrival,  in  England,  that  my  men  had 


GEOGRAPHICAL  INFORMATION.  685 

killed  four  elephants  in  the  course  of  two  months  after  my  de- 
parture. 

On  the  day  of  my  arrival  I was  visited  by  all  the  gentlemen  of 
the  village,  both  white  and  colored,  including  the  padre.  Not 
one  of  them  had  any  idea  as  to  where  the  source  of  the  Zambesi 
lay.  They  sent  for  the  best  traveled  natives,  but  none  of  them 
knew  the  river  even  as  far  as  Kansala.  The  father  of  one  of  the 
rebels  who  had  been  fighting  against  them  had  been  a great 
traveler  to  the  southwest,  and  had  even  heard  of  our  visit  to 
Lake  Ngami ; but  he  was  equally  ignorant  with  all  the  others 
that  the  Zambesi  flowed  in  the  centre  of  the  country.  They  had, 
however,  more  knowledge  of  the  country  to  the  north  of  Tete 
than  I had.  One  man,  who  had  gone  to  Cazcmbe  with  Major 
Monteiro,  stated  that  he  had  seen  the  Luapura  or  Loapula  flowing 
past  the  town  of  that  chieftain  into  the  Luameji  or  Leeambye, 
but  imagined  that  it  found  its  wray,  somehow  or  other,  into  An- 
gola. The  fact  that  sometimes  rivers  were  seen  to  flow  like  this 
toward  the  centre  of  the  country,  led  geographers  to  the  supposi- 
tion that  inner  Africa  was  composed  of  elevated  sandy  plains,  into 
which  rivers  ran  and  were  lost.  One  of  the  gentlemen  present, 
Senhor  Candido,  had  visited  a lake  45  days  to  the  N.N.W.  of 
Tete,  which  is  probably  the  Lake  Maravi  of  geographers,  as  in 
going  thither  they  pass  through  the  people  of  that  name.  The 
inhabitants  of  its  southern  coast  are  named  Shiva ; those  on  the 
north,  Mujao ; and  they  call  the  lake  Nyanja  or  Nyanje,  which 
simply  means  a large  water,  or  bed  of  a large  river.  A high 
mountain  stands  in  the  middle  of  it,  called  Murombo  or  Murom- 
bola,  which  is  inhabited  by  people  who  have  much  cattle.  He 
stated  that  he  crossed  the  Nyanja  at  a narrow  part,  and  was 
36  hours  in  the  passage.  The  canoes  were  punted  the  wdiole 
way,  and,  if  we  take  the  rate  about  two  miles  per  hour,  it  may  be 
sixty  or  seventy  miles  in  breadth.  The  country  all  round  was 
composed  of  level  plains  covered  with  grass,  and,  indeed,  in  going 
thither  they  traveled  seven  or  eight  days  without  wood,  and  cooked 
their  food  with  grass  and  stalks  of  native  corn  alone.  The  people 
sold  their  cattle  at  a very  cheap  rate.  From  the  southern  ex- 
tremity of  the  lake  two  rivers  issue  forth : one,  named  after  itself, 
the  Nyanja,  which  passes  into  the  sea  on  the  east  coast  under 
another  name ; and  the  Shire,  which  flows  into  the  Zambesi  a 


686 


IDEAS  OF  A SUPREME  BEING. 


little  below  Senna.  The  Shire  is  named  Shirwa  at  its  point  of 
departure  from  the  lake,  and  Senlior  Candido  was  informed,  when 
there,  that  the  lake  was  simply  an  expansion  of  the  River  Nyanja, 
which  comes  from  the  north  and  encircles  the  mountain  Murom- 
bo,  the  meaning  of  which  is  junction  or  union,  in  reference  to  the 
water  having  parted  at  its  northern  extremity,  and  united  again  at 
its  southern.  The  Shire  flows  through  a low,  flat,  marshy  coun- 
try, but  abounding  in  population,  and  they  are  said  to  be  brave. 
The  Portuguese  are  unable  to  navigate  the  Shire  up  to  the  Lake 
Nyanja,  because  of  the  great  abundance  of  a water-plant  which  re- 
quires no  soil,  and  which  they  name  “ alfacinya”  ( Pistia  stratiotes), 
from  its  resemblance  to  a lettuce.  This  completely  obstructs  the 
progress  of  canoes.  In  confirmation  of  this  I may  state  that,  when 
I passed  the  mouth  of  the  Shire,  great  quantities  of  this  same 
plant  were  floating  from  it  into  the  Zambesi,  and  many  parts  of 
the  banks  below  were  covered  with  the  dead  plants. 

Senlior  Candido  stated  that  slight  earthquakes  have  happened 
several  times  in  the  country  of  the  Maravi,  and  at  no  great  dis- 
tance from  Tete.  The  motion  seems  to  come  from  the  eastward, 
and  never  to  have  lasted  more  than  a few  seconds.  They  are 
named  in  the  Maravi  tongue  “ shiwo,”  and  in  that  of  the  people 
of  Tete  “shitakoteko,”  or  “ shivering .”  This  agrees  exactly  with 
what  has  taken  place  in  the  coast  of  Mozambique — a few  slight 
shocks  of  short  duration,  and  all  appearing  to  come  from  the  east. 
At  Senna,  too,  a single  shock  has  been  felt  several  times,  which 
shook  the  doors  and  windows,  and  made  the  glasses  jingle.  Both 
Tete  and  Senna  have  hot  springs  in  their  vicinity,  but  the  shocks 
seemed  to  come,  not  from  them,  but  from  the  east,  and  proceed  to 
the  west.  They  are  probably  connected  with  the  active  volcanoes 
in  the  island  of  Bourbon. 

As  Senlior  Candido  holds  the  office  of  judge  in  all  the  disputes 
of  the  natives,  and  knows  their  language  perfectly,  his  statement 
may  be  relied  on  that  all  the  natives  of  this  region  have  a clear 
idea  of  a Supreme  Being,  the  maker  and  governor  of  all  things. 
He  is  named  “Morimo,”  “Molungo,”  “Reza,”  “Mpambe,”in  the 
different  dialects  spoken.  The  Barotse  name  him  “Nyampi,” 
and  the  Balonda  “Zambi.”  All  promptly  acknowledge  him  as 
the  ruler  over  all.  They  also  fully  believe  in  the  soul’s  continued 
existence  apart  from  the  body,  and  visit  the  graves  of  relatives, 


TEADE  KESTKICTIONS. 


687 


making  offerings  of  food,  beer,  etc.  When  undergoing  the  ordeal, 
they  hold  up  their  hands  to  the  Ruler  of  Heaven,  as  if  appealing 
to  him  to  assert  their  innocence.  When  they  escape,  or  recover 
from  sickness,  or  are  delivered  from  any  danger,  they  offer  a sacri- 
fice of  a fowl  or  a sheep,  pouring  out  the  blood  as  a libation  to  the 
soul  of  some  departed  relative.  They  believe  in  the  transmigra- 
tion of  souls,  and  also  that  while  persons  are  still  living  they  may 
enter  into  lions  and  alligators,  and  then  return  again  to  their  own 
bodies. 

While  still  at  Tete  the  son  of  Monomotapa  paid  the  command- 
ant a visit.  He  is  named  Mozungo,  or  “White  Man,”  has  a nar- 
row tapering  head,  and  probably  none  of  the  ability  or  energy  his 
father  possessed.  He  was  the  favorite  of  his  father,  who  hoped 
that  he  would  occupy  his  place.  A strong  party,  however,  in  the 
tribe  placed  Katalosa  in  the  chieftainship,  and  the  son  became,  as 
they  say,  a child  of  this  man.  The  Portuguese  have  repeatedly 
received  offers  of  territory  if  they  would  only  attend  the  inter- 
ment of  the  departed  chief  with  troops,  fire  off  many  rounds  of 
cartridges  over  the  grave,  and  then  give  eclat  to  the  installment 
of  the  new  chief.  Their  presence  would  probably  influence  the 
election,  for  many  would  vote  on  the  side  of  power,  and  a candi- 
date might  feel  it  worth  while  to  grant  a good  piece  of  land,  if 
thereby  he  could  secure  the  chieftainship  to  himself.  When  the 
Portuguese  traders  wish  to  pass  into  the  country  beyond  Katalo- 
sa, they  present  him  with  about  thirty-two  yards  of  calico  and 
some  other  goods,  and  he  then  gives  them  leave  to  pass  in  what- 
ever direction  they  choose  to  go.  They  must,  however,  give  cer- 
tain quantities  of  cloth  to  a number  of  inferior  chiefs  beside,  and 
they  are  subject  to  the  game-laws.  They  have  thus  a body  of  ex- 
clusive tribes  around  them,  preventing  direct  intercourse  between 
them  and  the  population  beyond.  It  is  strange  that,  when  they 
had  the  power,  they  did  not  insist  on  the  free  navigation  of  the 
Zambesi.  I can  only  account  for  this  in  the  same  way  in  which 
I accounted  for  a similar  state  of  things  in  the  west.  All  the 
traders  have  been  in  the  hands  of  slaves,  and  have  wanted  that 
moral  courage  which  a free  man,  with  free  servants  on  whom  he 
can  depend,  usually  possesses.  If  the  English  had  been  here, 
they  would  have  insisted  on  the  free  navigation  of  this  pathway 
as  an  indispensable  condition  of  friendship.  The  present  system 


688 


FORMER  JESUIT  ESTABLISHMENT. 


is  a serious  difficulty  in  the  way  of  developing  the  resources  of 
the  country,  and  might  prove  fatal  to  an  unarmed  expedition. 
If  this  desirable  and  most  fertile  field  of  enterprise  is  ever  to  be 
opened  up,  men  must  proceed  on  a different  plan  from  that  which 
has  been  followed,  and  I do  not  apprehend  there  would  be  much 
difficulty  in  commencing  a new  system,  if  those  who  undertook  it 
insisted  that  it  is  not  our  custom  to  pay  for  a highway  which  has 
not  been  made  by  man.  The  natives  themselves  would  not  deny 
that  the  river  is  free  to  those  who  do  not  trade  in  slaves.  If,  in 
addition  to  an  open,  frank  explanation,  a small  subsidy  were  given 
to  the  paramount  chief,  the  willing  consent  of  all  the  subordinates 
would  soon  be  secured. 

On  the  1st  of  April  I went  to  see  the  site  of  a former  establish- 
ment of  the  Jesuits,  called  Micombo,  about  ten  miles  S.E.  of  Tete. 
Like  all  their  settlements  I have  seen,  both  judgment  and  taste 
had  been  employed  in  the  selection  of  the  site.  A little  stream 
of  mineral  water  had  been  collected  in  a tank  and  conducted  to 
their  house,  before  which  was  a little  garden  for  raising  vege- 
tables at  times  of  the  year  when  no  rain  falls.  It  is  now  buried 
in  a deep  shady  grove  of  mango-trees.  I was  accompanied  by 
Captain  Nunes,  whose  great-grandfather,  also  a captain  in  the 
time  of  the  Marquis  of  Pombal,  received  sealed  orders,  to  be 
opened  only  on  a certain  day.  When  that  day  arrived,  he  found 
the  command  to  go  with  his  company,  seize  all  the  Jesuits  of  this 
establishment,  and  march  them  as  prisoners  to  the  coast.  The 
riches  of  the  fraternity,  which  were  immense,  were  taken  posses- 
sion of  by  the  state.  Large  quantities  of  gold  had  often  been 
sent  to  their  superiors  at  Goa,  inclosed  in  images.  The  Jesuits 
here  do  not  seem  to  have  possessed  the  sympathies  of  the  people 
as  their  brethren  in  Angola  did.  They  were  keen  traders  in 
ivory  and  gold-dust.  All  praise  their  industry.  Whatever  they 
did,  they  did  it  with  all  their  might,  and  probably  their  successful 
labors  in  securing  the  chief  part  of  the  trade  to  themselves  had 
excited  the  envy  of  the  laity.  None  of  the  natives  here  can 
read ; and  though  the  Jesuits  are  said  to  have  translated  some 
of  the  prayers  into  the  language  of  the  country,  I was  unable  to 
obtain  a copy.  The  only  religious  teachers  now  in  this  part  of 
the  country  are  two  gentlemen  of  color,  natives  of  Goa.  The 
one  who  officiates  at  Tete,  named  Pedro  Antonio  d’ Araujo,  is  a 


INUNDATION  OF  THE  ZAMBESI. 


689 


graduate  in  Dogmatic  Theology  and  Moral  Philosophy.  There  is 
but  a single  school  in  Tete,  and  it  is  attended  only  by  the  native 
Portuguese  children,  who  are  taught  to  read  and  write.  The  black 
population  is  totally  uncared  for.  The  soldiers  are  marched  every 
Sunday  to  hear  mass,  and  but  few  others  attend  church.  During 
the  period  of  my  stay,  a kind  of  theatrical  representation  of  our 
Savior’s  passion  and  resurrection  was  performed.  The  images 
and  other  paraphernalia  used  were  of  great  value,  but  the  present 
riches  of  the  Church  are  nothing  to  what  it  once  possessed.  The 
commandant  is  obliged  to  lock  up  all  the  gold  and  silver  in  the 
fort  for  safety,  though  not  from  any  apprehension  of  its  being 
stolen  by  the  people,  for  they  have  a dread  of  sacrilege. 

The  state  of  religion  and  education  is,  I am  sorry  to  say,  as 
low  as  that  of  commerce;  but  the  European  Portuguese  value 
education  highly,  and  send  their  children  to  Goa  and  elsewhere 
for  instruction  in  the  higher  branches.  There  is  not  a single 
bookseller’s  shop,  however,  in  either  eastern  or  western  Africa. 
Even  Loanda,  with  its  12,000  or  14,000  souls,  can  not  boast  of 
one  store  for  the  sale  of  food  for  the  mind. 

On  the  2d  the  Zambesi  suddenly  rose  several  feet  in  height. 
Three  such  floods  are  expected  annually,  but  this  year  there  were 
four.  This  last  was  accompanied  by  discoloration,  and  must  have 
been  caused  by  another  great  fall  of  rain  east  of  the  ridge.  We 
had  observed  a flood  of  discolored  water  when  we  reached  the 
river  at  the  Kafue ; it  then  fell  two  feet,  and  from  subsequent 
rains  again  rose  so  high  that  we  were  obliged  to  leave  it  when 
opposite  the  hill  Pinkwe.  About  the  10th  of  March  the  river 
rose  several  feet  with  comparatively  clear  water,  and  it  continued 
to  rise  until  the  21st,  with  but  very  slight  discoloration.  This 
gradual  rise  was  the  greatest,  and  was  probably  caused  by  the 
water  of  inundation  in  the  interior.  The  sudden  rise  which  hap- 
pened on  the  2d,  being  deeply  discolored,  showed  again  the  effect 
of  rains  at  a comparatively  short  distance.  The  fact  of  the  river 
rising  three  or  four  times  annually,  and  the  one  flood  of  inundation 
being  mixed  with  the  others,  may  account  for  the  Portuguese  not 
recognizing  the  phenomenon  of  the  periodical  inundation,  so  well 
known  in  the  central  country. 

The  independent  natives  cultivate  a little  cotton,  but  it  is  not 
at  all  equal,  either  in  quantity  or  quality,  to  what  we  found  in 

X x 


/ 


690 


CONGE  AND  BUAZE. 


Angola.  The  pile  is  short,  and  it  clings  to  the  seed  so  much  that 
they  use  an  iron  roller  to  detach  it.  The  soil,  however,  is  equal 
to  the  production  of  any  tropical  plant  or  fruit.  The  natives  have 
never  been  encouraged  to  cultivate  cotton  for  sale,  nor  has  any 
new  variety  been  introduced.  We  saw  no  palm-oil-trees,  the  oil 
which  is  occasionally  exported  being  from  the  ground-nut.  One 
of  the  merchants  of  Tete  had  a mill  of  the  rudest  construction  for 
grinding  this  nut,  which  was  driven  by  donkeys.  It  was  the  only 
specimen  of  a machine  I could  exhibit  to  my  men.  A very  supe- 
rior kind  of  salad  oil  is  obtained  from  the  seeds  of  cucumbers,  and 
is  much  used  in  native  cookery. 

An  offer,  said  to  have  been  made  by  the  “ Times,”  having  ex- 
cited attention  even  in  this  distant  part,  I asked  the  commandant 
if  he  knew  of  any  plant  fit  for  the  production  of  paper.  He  pro- 
cured specimens  of  the  fibrous  tissue  of  a species  of  aloe,  named 
Conge,  and  some  also  from  the  root  of  a wild  date,  and,  lastly,  of 
a plant  named  Buaze,  the  fibres  of  which,  though  useless  for  the 
manufacture  of  paper,  are  probably  a suitable  substitute  for  flax. 
I submitted  a small  quantity  of  these  fibres  to  Messrs.  Pye, 
Brothers,  of  London,  who  have  invented  a superior  mode  for  the 
preparation  of  such  tissues  for  the  manufacturer.  They  most 
politely  undertook  the  examination,  and  have  given  a favorable 
opinion  of  the  Buaze,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  note  below.* 

* 80  Lombard  Street,  20 th  March,  185T. 

Dear  Sir, — We  have  the  pleasure  to  return  you  the  specimens  of  fibrous  plants 
from  the  Zambesi  River,  on  which  you  were  desirous  to  see  the  effects  of  our  treat- 
ment ; we  therefore  inclose  to  you, 

No.  1.  Buaze,  in  the  state  received  from  you. 

1 A.  Do.  as  prepared  by  us. 

1 1 B.  The  tow  which  has  come  from  it  in  hackling. 

No.  2.  Conge,  as  received  from  you. 

2 A.  Do.  as  prepared  by  us. 

With  regard  to  both  these  fibres,  we  must  state  that  the  very  minute  quantity  of 
each  specimen  has  prevented  our  subjecting  them  to  any  thing  like  the  full  treat- 
ment of  our  process,  and  we  can  therefore  only  give  you  an  approximate  idea  of 
their  value. 

The  Buaze  evidently  possesses  a very  strong  and  fine  fibre,  assimilating  to  flax  in 
its  character,  but  we  believe,  when  treated  in  quantity  by  our  process,  it  would  show 
both  a stronger  and  finer  fibre  than  flax ; but  being  unable  to  apply  the  rolling  or 
pressing  processes  with  any  efficiency  to  so  very  small  a quantity,  the  gums  are  not 
yet  so  perfectly  extracted  as  they  would  be,  nor  the  fibre  opened  out  to  so  fine  a 
quality  as  it  would  then  exhibit. 


THE  BUAZE. 


691 


A representation  of  the  plant  is  given  in  the  annexed  wood- 

cut,  as  a help  to  its  identifica- 
tion. I was  unable  to  procure 
either  the  flowers  or  fruit ; but, 
as  it  is  not  recognized  at  sight 
by  that  accomplished  botanist 
and  eminent  traveler,  Dr.  J.  D. 
Hooker,  it  may  safely  be  con- 
cluded that  it  is  quite  unknown 
to  botanists.  It  is  stated  by 
the  Portuguese  to  grow  in  large 
quantities  in  the  Maravi  coun- 
try north  of  the  Zambesi,  but  it 
is  not  cultivated,  and  the  only 
known  use  it  has  been  put  to 
is  in  making  threads  on  which 
the  natives  string  their  beads. 
Elsewhere  the  split  tendons  of 
animals  are  employed  for  this 
purpose.  This  seems  to  be  of 
equal  strength,  for  a firm  thread 
of  it  feels  like  catgut  in  the  hand,  and  would  rather  cut  the  fingers 
than  break. 

This  is  even  yet  more  the  case  with  the  Conge,  which,  being  naturally  a harsh 
fibre,  full  of  gums,  wants  exactly  that  powerful  treatment  which  our  process  is 
calculated  to  give  it,  but  which  can  not  be  applied  to  such  miniature  specimens. 
We  do  not  therefore  consider  this  as  more  than  half  treated,  its  fibre  consequently 
remaining  yet  harsh,  and  coarse,  and  stiff,  as  compared  with  what  it  would  be  if 
treated  in  quantity. 

Judging  that  it  would  be  satisfactory  to  you  to  be  in  possession  of  the  best  prac- 
tical opinion  to  be  obtained  on  such  a subject,  we  took  the  liberty  of  forwarding 
your  little  specimens  to  Messrs.  Marshall,  of  Leeds,  who  have  kindly  favored  us 
with  the  following  observations  on  them  : 

“We  have  examined  the  samples  you  sent  us  yesterday,  and  think  the  Conge  or 
aloe  fibre  would  be  of  no  use  to  us,  but  the  Buaze  fibre  appears  to  resemble  flax, 
and  as  prepared  by  you  will  be  equal  to  flax  worth  £50  or  £60  per  ton,  but  we 
could  hardly  speak  positively  to  the  value  unless  we  had  1 cwt.  or  2 cwt.  to  try  on 
our  machinery.  However,  we  think  the  result  is  promising,  and  we  hope  further  in- 
quiry will  be  made  as  to  the  probable  supply  of  the  material.” 

We  are,  dear  sir,  your  very  obedient  servants, 

Pye,  Brothers. 


The  Rev.  Dr.  Livingstone. 


692 


CINCHONA  BARK. 


Having  waited  a month  for  the  commencement  of  the  healthy 
season  at  Kilimane,  I would  have  started  at  the  beginning  of 
April,  but  tarried  a few  days  in  order  that  the  moon  might  make 
her  appearance,  and  enable  me  to  take  lunar  observations  on  my 
way  down  the  river.  A sudden  change  of  temperature  happening 
on  the  4th,  simultaneously  with  the  appearance  of  the  new  moon, 
the  commandant  and  myself,  with  nearly  every  person  in  the 
house,  were  laid  up  with  a severe  attack  of  fever.  I soon  re- 
covered by  the  use  of  my  wonted  remedies,  but  Major  Sicard  and 
his  little  boy  were  confined  much  longer.  There  was  a general 
fall  of  4°  of  temperature  from  the  middle  of  March,  84°  at  9 A.M., 
and  87°  at  9 P.M. ; the  greatest  heat  being  90°  at  midday,  and 
the  lowest  81°  at  sunrise.  It  afforded  me  pleasure  to  attend  the 
invalids  in  their  sickness,  though  I was  unable  to  show  a tithe  of 
the  gratitude  I felt  for  the  commandant’s  increasing  kindness. 
My  quinine  and  other  remedies  were  nearly  all  expended,  and 
no  fresh  supply  was  to  be  found  here,  there  being  no  doctors  at 
Tete,  and  only  one  apothecary  with  the  troops,  whose  stock  of 
medicine  was  also  small.  The  Portuguese,  however,  informed 
me  that  they  had  the  cinchona  bark  growing  in  their  country — 
that  there  was  a little  of  it  to  be  found  at  Tete — whole  forests  of 
it  at  Senna  and  near  the  delta  of  Kilimane.  It  seems  quite  a 
providential  arrangement  that  the  remedy  for  fever  should  be 
found  in  the  greatest  abundance  where  it  is  most  needed.  On 
seeing  the  leaves,  I stated  that  it  was  not  the  Cinchona  longifolia 
from  which  it  is  supposed  the  quinine  of  commerce  is  extracted, 
but  the  name  and  properties  of  this  bark  made  me  imagine  that 
it  was  a einchonaceous  tree.  I could  not  get  the  flower,  but  when 
I went  to  Senna  I tried  to  bring  away  a few  small  living  trees 
with  earth  in  a box.  They,  however,  all  died  when  we  came  to 
Kilimane.  Failing  in  this  mode  of  testing  the  point,  I submitted 
a few  leaves  and  seed-vessels  to  my  friend,  Dr.  Hooker,  who 
kindly  informs  me  that  they  belong  “apparently  to  an  apocy- 
neous  plant,  very  nearly  allied  to  the  Malouetia  Heudlotii  (of 
Decaisne),  a native  of  Senegambia.”  Dr.  H.  adds,  “Various 
plants  of  this  natural  order  are  reputed  powerful  febrifuges,  and 
some  of  them  are  said  to  equal  the  cinchona  in  their  effects.”  It 
is  called  in  the  native  tongue  Kumbanzo. 

The  flowers  are  reported  to  be  white.  The  pods  are  in  pairs,  a 


THE  KUMBAHZO. 


693 


foot  or  fifteen  inches  in  length,  and  contain  a groove  on  their 
inner  sides.  The  thick  soft  hark  of  the  root  is  the  part  used  by 
the  natives  ; the  Portuguese  use  that  of  the  tree  itself.  I imme- 
diately began  to  use  a decoction  of  the  bark  of  the  root,  and  my 
men  found  it  so  efficacious  that  they  collected  small  quantities  of 
it  for  themselves,  and  kept  it  in  little  bags  for  future  use.  Some 
of  them  said  that  they  knew  it  in  their  own  country,  but  I never 
happened  to  observe  it.  The  decoction  is  given  after  the  first 
paroxysm  of  the  complaint  is  over.  The  Portuguese  believe  it  to 
have  the  same  effects  as  the  quinine,  and  it  may  prove  a substi- 
tute for  that  invaluable  medicine. 

There  are  numbers  of  other  medicines  in  use  among  the  na- 
tives, but  I have  always  been  obliged  to  regret  want  of  time  to 
ascertain  which  were  useful  and  which  of  no  value.  We  find  a 
medicine  in  use  by  a tribe  in  one  part  of  the  country,  and  the 


694 


NATIVE  MEDICINES. 


same  plant  employed  by  a tribe  a thousand  miles  distant.  This 
surely  must  arise  from  some  inherent  virtue  in  the  plant.  The 
Boers  under  Potgeiter  visited  Delgoa  Bay  for  the  first  time  about 
ten  years  ago,  in  order  to  secure  a port  on  the  east  coast  for 
their  republic.  They  had  come  from  a part  of  the  interior  where 
the  disease  called  croup  occasionally  prevails.  There  was  no  ap- 
pearance of  the  disease  among  them  at  the  period  of  their  visit, 
but  the  Portuguese  inhabitants  of  that  bay  found  that  they  had 
left  it  among  them,  and  several  adults  were  cut  off  by  a form 
of  the  complaint  called  Laryngismus  stridulus,  the  disease  of 
which  the  great  Washington  died.  Similar  cases  have  occurred 
in  the  South  Sea  Islands.  Ships  have  left  diseases  from  which 
no  one  on  board  was  suffering  at  the  time  of  their  visit.  Many 
of  the  inhabitants  here  were  cut  down,  usually  in  three  days  from 
their  first  attack,  until  a native  doctor  adopted  the  plan  of  scratch- 
ing the  root  of  the  tongue  freely  with  a certain  root,  and  giving 
a piece  of  it  to  be  chewed.  The  cure  may  have  been  effected 
by  the  scarification  only,  but  the  Portuguese  have  the  strongest 
faith  in  the  virtues  of  the  root,  and  always  keep  some  of  it  within 
reach. 

There  are  also  other  plants  which  the  natives  use  in  the  treat- 
ment of  fever,  and  some  of  them  produce  diaphoresis  in  a short 
space  of  time.  It  is  certain  that  we  have  got  the  knowledge  of  the 
most  potent  febrifuge  in  our  pharmacopoeia  from  the  natives  of 
another  country.  We  have  no  cure  for  cholera  and  some  other 
diseases.  It  might  be  worth  the  investigation  of  those  who  visit 
Africa  to  try  and  find  other  remedies  in  a somewhat  similar  way 
to  that  in  which  we  found  the  quinine.* 

* I add  the  native  names  of  a few  of  their  remedies  in  order  to  assist  the  in- 
quirer : Mupanda  panda  : this  is  used  in  fever  for  producing  perspiration  ; the  leaves 
are  named  Chirussa ; the  roots  dye  red,  and  are  very  astringent.  Golio  or  Goo : 
this  is  the  ordeal  medicine ; it  is  both  purgative  and  emetic.  Mutuva  or  Mu- 
tumbue : this  plant  contains  so  much  oil  that  it  serves  as  lights  in  Londa ; it  is 
an  emollient  drink  for  the  cure  of  coughs,  and  the  pounded  leaves  answer  as 
soap  to  wash  the  head.  Nyamucu  ucu  has  a curious  softening  effect  on  old  dry 
grain.  Mussakasi  is  believed  to  remove  the  effects  of  the  Goo.  Mudama  is  a 
stringent  vermifuge.  Mapubuza  dyes  a red  color.  Musikizi  yields  an  oil.  Shin- 
kondo : a virulent  poison ; the  Maravi  use  it  in  their  ordeal,  and  it  is  very  fatal. 
Kanunka  utare  is  said  to  expel  serpents  and  rats  by  its  pungent  smell,  which  is  not 
at  all  disagreeable  to  man ; this  is  probably  a kind  of  Zanthoxylon,  perhaps  the  Z. 


AFRICAN  IRON. 


695 


The  only  other  metal,  besides  gold,  we  have  in  abundance  in 
this  region,  is  iron,  and  that  is  of  excellent  quality.  In  some 
places  it  is  obtained  from  what  is  called  the  specular  iron  ore, 
and  also  from  black  oxide.  The  latter  has  been  well  roasted 
in  the  operations  of  nature,  and  contains  a large  proportion  of 
the  metal.  It  occurs  generally  in  tears  or  rounded  lumps,  and  is 
but  slightly  magnetic.  When  found  in  the  beds  of  rivers,  the 
natives  know  of  its  existence  by  the  quantity  of  oxide  on  the  sur- 
face, and  they  find  no  difficulty  in  digging  it  with  pointed  sticks. 
They  consider  English  iron  as  “rotten;”  and  I have  seen,  when 
a javelin  of  their  own  iron  lighted  on  the  cranium  of  a hippopot- 
amus, it  curled  up  like  the  proboscis  of  a butterfly,  and  the 
owner  would  prepare  it  for  future  use  by  straightening  it  cold 
with  two  stones.  I brought  home  some  of  the  hoes  which  Seke- 
letu  gave  me  to  purchase  a canoe,  also  some  others  obtained  in 
Kilimane,  and  they  have  been  found  of  such  good  quality  that 


melancantha  of  Western  Africa,  as  it  is  used  to  expel  rats  and  serpents  there. 
Mussonzoa  dyes  cloth  black.  Mussio  : the  beans  of  this  also  dye  black.  Kangome, 
with  flowers  and  fruit  like  Mocha  coffee;  the  leaves  are  much  like  those  of  the 
sloe,  and  the  seeds  are  used  as  coffee  or  eaten  as  beans.  Kanembe-cmbe : the 
pounded  leaves  used  as  an  extemporaneous  glue  for  mending  broken  vessels.  Ka- 
tunguru  is  used  for  killing  fish.  Mutavea  Nyererc : an  active  caustic.  Mudiacoro  : 
also  an  external  caustic,  and  used  internally.  Kapande  : another  ordeal  plant,  but 
used  to  produce  diaphoresis.  Karumgasura : also  diaphoretic.  Munyazi  yields  an 
oil,  and  is  one  of  the  ingredients  for  curing  the  wounds  of  poisoned  arrows.  Uom- 
bue : a large  root  employed  in  killing  fish.  Kakumate  : used  in  intermittents. 
Musheteko : applied  to  ulcers,  and  the  infusion  also  internally  in  amenorrhoea. 
Inyakanyanya : this  is  seen  in  small,  dark-colored,  crooked  roots  of  pleasant  aro- 
matic smell  and  slightly  bitter  taste,  and  is  highly  extolled  in  the  treatment  of 
fever;  it  is  found  in  Mam'ca.  Eskinencia : used  in  croup  and  sore-throat.  Itaca 
or  Itaka:  for  diaphoresis  in  fever;  this  root  is  brought  as  an  article  of  barter  by 
the  Arabs  to  Kilimane  ; the  natives  purchase  it  eagerly.  Mukundukundu  : a de- 
coction used  as  a febrifuge  in  the  same  way  as  quinine;  it  grows  plentifully  at 
Shupanga,  and  the  wood  is  used  as  masts  for  launches.  I may  here  add  the  re- 
cipe of  Brother  Pedro  of  Zumbo  for  the  cure  of  poisoned  wounds,  in  order  to  show 
the  similarity  of  practice  among  the  natives  of  the  Zambesi,  from  whom,  in  all 
probability,  he  acquired  his  knowledge,  and  the  Bushmen  of  the  Kalahari.  It  con- 
sists of  equal  parts  of  the  roots  of  the  Calumba,  Musheteko,  Abutua,  Batatinya,  Pa- 
regekanto,  Itaka,  or  Kapande,  put  into  a bottle  and  covered  with  common  castor- 
oil.  As  I have  before  observed,  I believe  the  oily  ingredient  is  the  effectual  one, 
and  ought  to  be  tried  by  any  one  who  has  the  misfortune  to  get  wounded  by  a 
Bushman’s  or  Banyai  arrow. 


696 


AFRICAN  IRON. 


a friend  of  mine  in  Birmingham  lias  made  an  Enfield  rifle  of 
them.* 

The  iron  ore  exists  in  great  abundance,  but  I did  not  find  any 
limestone  in  its  immediate  vicinity.  So  far  as  I could  learn,  there 
is  neither  copper  nor  silver.  Malachite  is  worked  by  the  people 
of  Cazembe,  but,  as  I did  not  see  it,  nor  any  other  metal,  I can  say 
nothing  about  it.  A few  precious  stones  are  met  with,  and  some 
parts  are  quite  covered  with  agates.  The  mineralogy  of  the  dis- 
trict, however,  has  not  been  explored  by  any  one  competent  to  the 
task. 

When  my  friend  the  commandant  was  fairly  recovered,  and  I 
myself  felt  strong  again,  I prepared  to  descend  the  Zambesi.  A 
number  of  my  men  were  out  elephant-hunting,  and  others  had 
established  a brisk  trade  in  firewood,  as  their  countrymen  did  at 
Loanda.  I chose  sixteen  of  those  who  could  manage  canoes  to 

* The  following  remarks  are  by  a practical  blacksmith,  one  of  the  most  experi- 
enced men  in  the  gun-trade.  In  this  trade  various  qualities  of  iron  are  used, 
and  close  attention  is  required  to  secure  for  each  purpose  the  quality  of  iron  pecu- 
liarly adapted  to  it : 

The  iron  in  the  two  spades  strongly  resembles  Swedish  or  Russian  ; it  is  highly 
carbonized. 

The  same  qualities  are  found  in  both  spades. 

When  chilled  in  water  it  has  all  the  properties  of  steel : see  the  piece  marked  I, 
chilled  at  one  end,  and  left  soft  at  the  other. 

When  worked  hot,  it  is  very  malleable  : but  cold,  it  breaks  quite  short  and 
brittle. 

The  great  irregularity  found  in  the  working  of  the  iron  affords  evidence  that  it 
has  been  prepared  by  inexperienced  hands. 

This  is  shown  in  the  bending  of  the  small  spade  ; the  thick  portion  retains  its 
crystallized  nature,  while  the  thin  part  has  been  changed  by  the  hammering  it  has 
undergone. 

The  large  spade  shows  a very  brittle  fracture. 

The  iron  is  too  brittle  for  gun-work ; it  would  be  liable  to  break. 

This  iron,  if  repeatedly  heated  and  hammered,  would  become  decarbonized,  and 
would  then  possess  the  qualities  found  in  the  spear-head,  which,  after  being  curled 
up  by  being  struck  against  a hard  substance,  was  restored,  by  hammering,  to  its 
original  form  without  injury. 

The  piece  of  iron  marked  II  is  a piece  of  gun-iron  of  fibrous  quality,  such  as  will 
bend  without  breaking. 

The  piece  marked  III  is  of  crystalline  quality ; it  has  been  submitted  to  a proc- 
ess which  has  changed  it  to  IIII ; III  and  IIII  are  cut  from  the  same  bar.  The 
spade-iron  has  been  submitted  to  the  same  process,  but  no  corresponding  effect  can 
be  produced. 


DEATH  AND  FUNERAL  OF  A LADY. 


697 


convey  me  down  the  river.  Many  more  would  have  come,  but 
we  were  informed  that  there  had  been  a failure  of  the  crops  at 
Ivilimane  from  the  rains  not  coming  at  the  proper  time,  and 
thousands  had  died  of  hunger.  I did  not  hear  of  a single  effort 
having  been  made  to  relieve  the  famishing  by  sending  them  food 
down  the  river.  Those  who  perished  were  mostly  slaves,  and 
others  seemed  to  think  that  their  masters  ought  to  pay  for  their 
relief.  The  sufferers  were  chiefly  among  those  natives  who  in- 
habit the  delta,  and  who  are  subject  to  the  Portuguese.  They 
are  in  a state  of  slavery,  but  are  kept  on  farms  and  mildly 
treated.  Many  yield  a certain  rental  of  grain  only  to  their  own- 
ers, and  are  otherwise  free.  Eight  thousand  are  said  to  have 
perished.  Major  Sicard  lent  me  a boat  which  had  been  built  on 
the  river,  and  sent  also  Lieutenant  Miranda  to  conduct  me  to  the 
coast. 

A Portuguese  lady  who  had  come  with  her  brother  from  Lis- 
bon, having  been  suffering  for  some  days  from  a severe  attack 
of  fever,  died  about  three  o’clock  in  the  morning  of  the  20th  of 
April.  The  heat  of  the  body  having  continued  unabated  till 
six  o’clock,  I was  called  in,  and  found  her  bosom  quite  as  warm 
as  I ever  did  in  a living  case  of  fever.  This  continued  for  three 
hours  more.  As  I had  never  seen  a case  in  which  fever-heat 
continued  so  long  after  death,  I delayed  the  funeral  until  un- 
mistakable symptoms  of  dissolution  occurred.  She  was  a wid- 
ow, only  twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  had  been  ten  years  in  Af- 
rica. I attended  the  funeral  in  the  evening,  and  was  struck  by 
the  custom  of  the  country.  A number  of'  slaves  preceded  us, 
and  fired  off  many  rounds  of  gunpowder  in  front  of  the  body. 
When  a person  of  much  popularity  is  buried,  all  the  surround- 
ing chiefs  send  deputations  to  fire  over  the  grave.  On  one  occa- 
sion at  Tete,  more  than  thirty  barrels  of  gunpowder  were  expend- 
ed. Early  in  the  morning  of  the  21st  the  slaves  of  the  deceased 
lady’s  brother  went  round  the  village  making  a lamentation,  and 
drums  were  beaten  all  day,  as  they  are  at  such  times  among  the 
heathen. 

The  commandant  provided  for  the  journey  most  abundantly, 
and  gave  orders  to  Lieutenant  Miranda  that  I should  not  be  al- 
lowed to  pay  for  any  thing  all  the  way  to  the  coast,  and  sent 
messages  to  his  friends  Senhors  Ferrao,  Isidore,  Asevedo,  and 


698 


KINDNESS  OF  POKTUGUESE. 


Nunes,  to  treat  me  as  they  would  himself.  From  every  one  of 
these  gentlemen  I am  happy  to  acknowledge  that  I received  most 
disinterested  kindness,  and  I ought  to  speak  well  forever  of  Portu- 
guese hospitality.  I have  noted  each  little  act  of  civility  received, 
because  somehow  or  other  we  have  come  to  hold  the  Portuguese 
character  in  rather  a low  estimation.  This  may  have  arisen 
partly  from  the  pertinacity  with  which  some  of  them  have  pursued 
the  slave-trade,  and  partly  from  the  contrast  which  they  now  offer 
to  their  illustrious  ancestors — the  foremost  navigators  of  the  world. 
If  my  specification  of  their  kindnesses  will  tend  to  engender  a 
more  respectful  feeling  to  the  nation,  I shall  consider  myself  well 
rewarded.  We  had  three  large  canoes  in  the  company  which  had 
lately  come  up  with  goods  from  Senna.  They  are  made  very 
large  and  strong,  much  larger  than  any  we  ever  saw  in  the  inte- 
rior, and  might  strike  with  great  force  against  a rock  and  not  he 
broken.  The  men  sit  at  the  stern  when  paddling,  and  there  is 
usually  a little  shed  made  over  a part  of  the  canoe  to  shade  the 
passengers  from  the  sun.  The  boat  in  which  I went  was  fur- 
nished with  such  a covering,  so  I sat  quite  comfortably. 


THE  REBEL  BONGA. 


699 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Leave  Tete  and  proceed  down  the  River. — Pass  the  Stockade  of  Bonga. — Gorge 
of  Lupata. — “ Spine  of  the  World.” — Width  of  River. — Islands. — War  Brum  at 
Shiramba. — Canoe  Navigation. — Reach  Senna. — Its  ruinous  State. — Landeens 
levy  Fines  upon  the  Inhabitants. — Cowardice  of  native  Militia. — State  of  the 
Revenue. — No  direct  Trade  with  Portugal. — Attempts  to  revive  the  Trade  of 
Eastern  Africa. — Country  round  Senna. — Gorongozo,  a Jesuit  Station. — Manica, 
the  best  Gold  Region  in  Eastern  Africa. — Boat-building  at  Senna. — Our  Depart- 
ure.— Capture  of  a Rebel  Stockade. — Plants  Alfacinya  and  Njefu  at  the  Conflu- 
ence of  the  Shire. — Landeen  Opinion  of  the  Whites. — Mazaro,  the  point  reached 
by  Captain  Parker. — His  Opinion  respecting  the  Navigation  of  the  River  from 
this  to  the  Ocean. — Lieutenant  Hoskins’  Remarks  on  the  same  subject. — Fever, 
its  Effects. — Kindly  received  into  the  House  of  Colonel  Nunes  at  Kilimane. — 
Forethought  of  Captain  Nolloth  and  Dr.  Walsh. — Joy  imbittered. — Deep  Obli- 
gations to  the  Earl  of  Clarendon,  etc. — On  developing  Resources  of  the  Interior. 
— Desirableness  of  Missionary  Societies  selecting  healthy  Stations. — Arrange- 
ments on  leaving  my  Men. — Retrospect. — Probable  Influence  of  the  Discoveries 
on  Slavery. — Supply  of  Cotton,  Sugar,  etc.,  by  Free  Labor. — Commercial  Sta- 
tions.— Development  of  the  Resources  of  Africa  a Work  of  Time. — Site  of  Kili- 
mane.— Unhealthiness. — Death  of  a shipwrecked  Crew  from  Fever. — The  Cap- 
tain saved  by  Quinine. — Arrival  of  H.  M.  Brig  “ Frolic.” — Anxiety  of  one  of  my 
Men  to  go  to  England. — Rough  Passage  in  the  Boats  to  the  Ship. — Sekwebu’s 
Alarm. — Sail  for  Mauritius. — Sekwebu  on  board ; he  becomes  insane  ; drowns 
himself. — Kindness  of  Major-General  C.  M.  Hay. — Escape  Shipwreck. — Reach 
Home. 

We  left  Tete  at  noon  on  the  22d,  and  in  the  afternoon  arrived 
at  the  garden  of  Senhor  A.  Manoel  de  Gomez,  son-in-law  and 
nephew  of  Bonga.  The  Commandant  of  Tete  had  sent  a letter  to 
the  rebel  Bonga,  stating  that  he  ought  to  treat  me  kindly,  and  he 
had  deputed  his  son-in-law  to  be  my  host.  Bonga  is  not  at  all 
equal  to  his  father  Nyaude,  who  was  a man  of  great  ability.  He 
is  also  in  bad  odor  with  the  Portuguese,  because  he  receives  all 
runaway  slaves  and  criminals.  He  does  not  trust  the  Portuguese, 
and  is  reported  to  be  excessively  superstitious.  I found  his  son-in- 
law,  Manoel,  extremely  friendly,  and  able  to  converse  in  a very  in- 
telligent manner.  He  was  in  his  garden  when  we  arrived,  but  soon 
dressed  himself  respectably,  and  gave  us  a good  tea  and  dinner. 


700 


GORGE  AND  RANGE  OF  LUPATA. 


After  a breakfast  of  tea,  roasted  eggs,  and  biscuits  next  morning, 
he  presented  six  fowls  and  three  goats  as  provisions  for  the  journey. 
When  we  parted  from  him  we  passed  the  stockade  of  Bonga  at  the 
confluence  of  the  Luenya,  but  did  not  go  near  it,  as  he  is  said  to 
be  very  suspicious.  The  Portuguese  advised  me  not  to  take  any 
observation,  as  the  instruments  might  awaken  fears  in  Bonga’s 
mind,  but  Manoel  said  I might  do  so  if  I wished ; his  garden, 
however,  being  above  the  confluence,  could  not  avail  as  a geo- 
graphical point.  There  are  some  good  houses  in  the  stockade. 
The  trees  of  which  it  is  composed  seemed  to  me  to  be  living,  and 
could  not  be  burned.  It  was  strange  to  see  a stockade  menacing 
the  whole  commerce  of  the  river  in  a situation  where  the  guns  of  a 
vessel  would  have  full  play  on  it,  but  it  is  a formidable  affair  for 
those  who  have  only  muskets.  On  one  occasion,  when  Nyaude 
was  attacked  by  Kisaka,  they  fought  for  weeks  ; and  though 
Nyaude  was  reduced  to  cutting  up  his  copper  anklets  for  balls, 
his  enemies  were  not  able  to  enter  the  stockade. 

On  the  24th  we  sailed  only  about  three  hours,  as  we  had  done 
the  day  before ; but  having  come  to  a small  island  at  the  western 
entrance  of  the  gorge  of  Lupata,  where  Dr.  Lacerda  is  said  to  have 
taken  an  astronomical  observation,  and  called  it  the  island  of 
Mozambique,  because  it  was  believed  to  be  in  the  same  latitude, 
or  15°  V , I wished  to  verify  his  position,  and  remained  over  night: 
my  informants  must  have  been  mistaken,  for  I found  the  island  of 
Mozambique  here  to  be  lat.  16°  34'  46"  S. 

Respecting  this  range,  to  which  the  gorge  has  given  a name, 
some  Portuguese  writers  have  stated  it  to  be  so  high  that  snow 
lies  on  it  during  the  whole  year,  and  that  it  is  composed  of  marble. 
It  is  not  so  high  in  appearance  as  the  Campsie  Hills  when  seen 
from  the  Yale  of  Clyde.  The  western  side  is  the  most  abrupt, 
and  gives  the  idea  of  the  greatest  height,  as  it  rises  up  perpen- 
dicularly from  the  water  six  or  seven  hundred  feet.  As  seen 
from  this  island,  it  is  certainly  no  higher  than  Arthur’s  Seat 
appears  from  Prince’s  Street,  Edinburgh.  The  rock  is  compact 
silicious  schist  of  a slightly  reddish  color,  and  in  thin  strata ; the 
island  on  which  we  slept  looks  as  if  torn  off  from  the  opposite 
side  of  the  gorge,  for  the  strata  are  twisted  and  torn  in  every 
direction.  The  eastern  side  of  the  range  is  much  more  sloping 
than  the  western,  covered  with  trees,  and  does  not  give  the  idea 


THE  RIVER  AND  ISLANDS. 


701 


of  altitude  so  much  as  the  western.  It  extends  a considerable 
way  into  the  Maganja  country  in  the  north,  and  then  bends  round 
toward  the  river  again,  and  ends  in  the  lofty  mountain  Morumbala, 
opposite  Senna.  On  the  other  or  southern  side  it  is  straighter, 
but  is  said  to  end  in  Gorongozo,  a mountain  west  of  the  same 
point.  The  person  who  called  this  Lupata  “ the  spine  of  the  world” 
evidently  did  not  mean  to  say  that  it  was  a translation  of  the  word, 
for  it  means  a detile  or  gorge  having  perpendicular  walls.  This 
range  does  not  deserve  the  name  of  either  Cordillera  or  Spine, 
unless  we  are  willing  to  believe  that  the  world  has  a very  small 
and  very  crooked  “back-bone.” 

We  passed  through  the  gorge  in  two  hours,  and  found  it  rather 
tortuous,  and  between  200  and  300  yards  wide.  The  river  is 
said  to  be  here  always  excessively  deep ; it  seemed  to  me  that  a 
steamer  could  pass  through  it  at  full  speed.  At  the  eastern  en- 
trance of  Lupata  stand  two  conical  hills ; they  are  composed  of 
porphyry,  having  large  square  crystals  therein.  These  hills  arc 
called  Moenda  en  Goma,  which  means  a footprint  of  a wild  beast. 
Another  conical  hill  on  the  opposite  bank  is  named  Kasisi  (priest), 
from  having  a bald  top.  We  sailed  on  quickly  with  the  current 
of  the  river,  and  found  that  it  spread  out  to  more  than  two  miles 
in  breadth;  it  is,  however,  full  of  islands,  which  are  generally  cov- 
ered with  reeds,  and  which,  previous  to  the  war,  were  inhabited, 
and  yielded  vast  quantities  of  grain.  We  usually  landed  to  cook 
breakfast,  and  then  went  on  quickly.  The  breadth  of  water 
between  the  islands  was  now  quite  sufficient  for  a sailing  vessel 
to  tack,  and  work  her  sails  in  ; the  prevailing  winds  would 
blow  her  up  the  stream ; but  I regretted  that  I had  not  come 
when  the  river  was  at  its  lowest  rather  than  at  its  highest.  The 
testimony,  however,  of  Captain  Parker  and  Lieutenant  Hoskins, 
hereafter  to  be  noticed,  may  be  considered  conclusive  as  to  the 
capabilities  of  this  river  for  commercial  purposes.  The  Portu- 
guese state  that  there  is  high  water  during  five  months  of  the 
year,  and  when  it  is  low  there  is  always  a channel  of  deep 
water.  But  this  is  very  winding ; and  as  the  river  wears  away 
some  of  the  islands  and  forms  others,  the  course  of  the  channel 
is  often  altered.  I suppose  that  an  accurate  chart  of  it  made  in 
one  year  would  not  be  very  reliable  the  next ; but  I believe, 
from  all  that  I can  learn,  that  the  river  could  be  navigated 


702 


WAR-DRUM  AT  SHIRAMBA. 


ill  a small  flat-bottomed  steamer  during  the  whole  year  as  far  as 
Tete.  At  this  time  a steamer  of  large  size  could  have  floated 
easily.  The  river  was  measured  at  the  latter  place  by  the 
Portuguese,  and  found  by  them  to  be  1050  yards  broad.  The 
body  of  water  flowing  past  when  I was  there  was  very  great,  and 
the  breadth  it  occupied  when  among  the  islands  had  a most 
imposing  effect.  I could  not  get  a glimpse  of  either  shore.  All 
the  right  bank  beyond  Lupata  is  low  and  flat : on  the  north,  the 
ranges  of  hills  and  dark  lines  below  them  are  seen,  but  from  the 
boat  it  is  impossible  to  see  the  shore.  I only  guess  the  breadth 
of  the  river  to  be  two  miles  ; it  is  probably  more.  Next  day  we 
landed  at  Shiramba  for  breakfast,  having  sailed  8|  hours  from 
Lupata.  This  was  once  the  residence  of  a Portuguese  brigadier, 
who  spent  large  sums  of  money  in  embellishing  his  house  and 
gardens : these  we  found  in  entire  ruin,  as  his  half-caste  son  had 
destroyed  all,  and  then  rebelled  against  the  Portuguese,  but  with 
less  success  than  either  Nyaude  or  Ivisaka,  for  he  had  been  seized 
and  sent  a prisoner  to  Mozambique  a short  time  before  our  visit. 
All  the  southern  shore  has  been  ravaged  by  the  Caffres,  who  are 
here  named  Landeens,  and  most  of  the  inhabitants  who  remain 
acknowledge  the  authority  of  Bonga,  and  not  of  the  Portuguese. 
When  at  breakfast,  the  people  of  Shiramba  commenced  beating 
the  drum  of  war.  Lieutenant  Miranda,  who  was  well  acquaint- 
ed with  the  customs  of  the  country,  immediately  started  to  his 
feet,  and  got  all  the  soldiers  of  our  party  under  arms ; he  then 
demanded  of  the  natives  why  the  drum  was  beaten  while  we  were 
there.  They  gave  an  evasive  reply ; and,  as  they  employ  this 
means  of  collecting  their  neighbors  when  they  intend  to  rob 
canoes,  our  watchfulness  may  have  prevented  their  proceeding 
farther. 

We  spent  the  night  of  the  26th  on  the  island  called  Nkuesi, 
opposite  a remarkable  saddle-shaped  mountain,  and  found  that 
we  were  just  on  the  17th  parallel  of  latitude.  The  sail  down  the 
river  was  very  fine ; the  temperature  becoming  low,  it  was  pleas- 
ant to  the  feelings  ; but  the  shores  being  flat  and  far  from  us,  the 
scenery  was  uninteresting.  We  breakfasted  on  the  27th  at  Pita, 
and  found  some  half-caste  Portuguese  had  established  themselves 
there,  after  fleeing  from  the  opposite  bank  to  escape  Ivisaka’s 
people,  who  were  now  ravaging  all  the  Maganja  country.  On  the 


SENNA : ITS  RUINOUS  STATE. 


703 


afternoon  of  the  27th  we  arrived  at  Senna.  (Commandant  Isi- 
dore’s house,  300  yards  S.  W.  of  the  mud  fort  on  the  banks  of  the 
river:  lat.  17°  27'  1"  S.,  long.  35°  10'  E.)  We  found  Senna  to 
be  twenty-three  and  a half  hours’  sail  from  Tete.  We  had  the 
current  entirely  in  our  favor,  but  met  various  parties  in  large 
canoes  toiling  laboriously  against  it.  They  use  long  ropes,  and 
pull  the  boats  from  the  shore.  They  usually  take  about  twenty 
days  to  ascend  the  distance  we  had  descended  in  about  four. 
The  wages  paid  to  boatmen  are  considered  high.  Part  of  the 
men  who  had  accompanied  me  gladly  accepted  employment  from 
Lieutenant  Miranda  to  take  a load  of  goods  in  a canoe  from  Sen- 
na to  Tete. 

I thought  the  state  of  Tete  quite  lamentable,  but  that  of 
Senna  was  ten  times  worse.  At  Tete  there  is  some  life ; here 
every  thing  is  in  a state  of  stagnation  and  ruin.  The  fort,  built 
of  sun-dried  bricks,  has  the  grass  growing  over  the  walls,  which 
have  been  patched  in  some  places  by  paling.  The  Landeens 
visit  the  village  periodically,  and  levy  fines  upon  the  inhabitants, 
as  they  consider  the  Portuguese  a conquered  tribe,  and  very 
rarely  does  a native  come  to  trade.  Senhor  Isidore,  the  com- 
mandant, a man  of  considerable  energy,  had  proposed  to  surround 
the  whole  village  with  palisades  as  a protection  against  the 
Landeens,  and  the  villagers  were  to  begin  this  work  the  day  after 
I left.  It  was  sad  to  look  at  the  ruin  manifest  in  every  building, 
but  the  half-castes  appear  to  be  in  league  with  the  rebels  and 
Landeens ; for  when  any  attempt  is  made  by  the  Portuguese  to 
coerce  the  enemy  or  defend  themselves,  information  is  conveyed  at 
once  to  the  Landeen  camp,  and,  though  the  commandant  prohibits 
the  payment  of  tribute  to  the  Landeens,  on  their  approach  the  half- 
castes  eagerly  ransom  themselves.  When  I was  there,  a party  of 
Kisaka’s  people  were  ravaging  the  fine  country  on  the  opposite 
shore.  They  came  down  with  the  prisoners  they  had  captured, 
and  forthwith  the  half-castes  of  Senna  went  over  to  buy  slaves. 
Encouraged  by  this,  Kisaka’s  people  came  over  into  Senna  fully 
armed  and  beating  their  drums,  and  were  received  into  the  house 
of  a native  Portuguese.  They  had  the  village  at  their  mercy, 
yet  could  have  been  driven  off  by  half  a dozen  policemen.  The 
commandant  could  only  look  on  with  bitter  sorrow.  He  had 
soldiers,  it  is  true,  but  it  is  notorious  that  the  native  militia  of 


704 


ATTEMPTS  TO  REVIVE  TRADE. 


both  Senna  and  Kilimane  never  think  of  standing  to  fight,  but 
invariably  run  away,  and  leave  their  officers  to  be  killed.  They 
are  brave  only  among  the  peaceable  inhabitants.  One  of  them, 
sent  from  Kilimane  with  a packet  of  letters  or  expresses,  arrived 
while  I was  at  Senna.  He  had  been  charged  to  deliver  them 
with  all  speed,  but  Senhor  Isidore  had  in  the  mean  time  gone  to 
Kilimane,  remained  there  a fortnight,  and  reached  Senna  again 
before  the  courier  came.  He  could  not  punish  him.  We  gave 
him  a passage  in  our  boat,  but  he  left  us  in  the  way  to  visit  his 
wife,  and,  “ on  urgent  private  business,”  probably  gave  up  the 
service  altogether,  as  he  did  not  come  to  Kilimane  all  the  time 
I was  there.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  miserable  state  of 
decay  into  which  the  Portuguese  possessions  here  have  sunk. 
The  revenues  are  not  equal  to  the  expenses,  and  every  officer  I 
met  told  the  same  tale,  that  he  had  not  received  one  farthing  of 
pay  for  the  last  four  years.  They  are  all  forced  to  engage  in 
trade  for  the  support  of  their  families.  Senhor  Miranda  had  been 
actually  engaged  against  the  enemy  during  these  four  years,  and 
had  been  highly  lauded  in  the  commandant’s  dispatches  to  the 
home  government,  but  when  he  applied  to  the  Governor  of  Kili- 
mane for  part  of  his  four  years’  pay,  he  offered  him  twenty  dol- 
lars only.  Miranda  resigned  his  commission  in  consequence. 
The  common  soldiers  sent  out  from  Portugal  received  some  pay 
in  calico.  They  all  marry  native  women,  and,  the  soil  being 
very  fertile,  the  wives  find  but  little  difficulty  in  supporting  their 
husbands.  There  is  no  direct  trade  with  Portugal.  A consid- 
erable number  of  Banians,  or  natives  of  India,  come  annually  in 
small  vessels  with  cargoes  of  English  and  Indian  goods  from 
Bombay.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  then,  that  there  have 
been  attempts  made  of  late  years  by  speculative  Portuguese  in 
Lisbon  to  revive  the  trade  of  Eastern  Africa  by  means  of  mercan- 
tile companies.  One  was  formally  proposed,  which  was  modeled 
on  the  plan  of  our  East  India  Company ; and  it  was  actually  im- 
agined that  all  the  forts,  harbors,  lands,  etc.,  might  be  delivered 
over  to  a company,  which  would  bind  itself  to  develop  the  re- 
sources of  the  country,  build  schools,  make  roads,  improve  har- 
bors, etc.,  and,  after  all,  leave  the  Portuguese  the  option  of  resum- 
ing possession. 

Another  effort  has  been  made  to  attract  commercial  enterprise 


COUNTRY  ROUND  SENNA. 


705 

to  this  region  by  offering  any  mining  company  permission  to 
search  for  the  ores  and  work  them.  Such  a company,  however, 
would  gain  but  little  in  the  way  of  protection  or  aid  from  the 
government  of  Mozambique,  as  that  can  but  barely  maintain 
a hold  on  its  own  small  possessions;  the  condition  affixed  of 
importing  at  the  company’s  own  cost  a certain  number  of 
Portuguese  from  the  island  of  Madeira  or  the  Azores,  in  order 
to  increase  the  Portuguese  population  in  Africa,  is  impolitic. 
Taxes  would  also  be  levied  on  the  minerals  exported.  It  is 
noticeable  that  all  the  -companies  which  have  been  proposed 
in  Portugal  have  this  put  prominently  in  the  preamble,  “and 
for  the  abolition  of  the  inhuman  slave-trade.”  This  shows 
either  that  the  statesmen  in  Portugal  are  enlightened  and  philan- 
thropic, or  it  may  be  meant  as  a trap  for  English  capitalists ; 
I incline  to  believe  the  former.  If  the  Portuguese  really  wish 
to  develop  the  resources  of  the  rich  country  beyond  their  pos- 
sessions, they  ought  to  invite  the  co-operation  of  other  nations 
on  equal  terms  with  themselves.  Let  the  pathway  into  the  in- 
terior be  free  to  all ; and,  instead  of  wretched  forts,  with  scarcely 
an  acre  of  land  around  them  which  can  be  called  their  own,  let 
real  colonies  be  made.  If,  instead  of  military  establishments, 
we  had  civil  ones,  and  saw  emigrants  going  out  with  their  wives, 
plows,  and  seeds,  rather  than  military  convicts  with  bugles  and 
kettle-drums,  we  might  hope  for  a return  of  prosperity  to  Eastern 
Africa. 

The  village  of  Senna  stands  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Zambesi. 
There  are  many  reedy  islands  in  front  of  it,  and  there  is  much 
bush  in  the  country  adjacent.  The  soil  is  fertile,  but  the  village, 
being  in  a state  of  ruin,  and  having  several  pools  of  stagnant 
water,  is  very  unhealthy.  The  bottom  rock  is  the  akose  of 
Brongniart,  or  granitic  grit,  and  several  conical  hills  of  trap  have 
burst  through  it.  One  standing  about  half  a mile  west  of  the 
village  is  called  Baramuana,  which  has  another  behind  it ; hence 
the  name,  which  means  “carry  a child  on  the  back.”  It  is  300 
or  400  feet  high,  and  on  the  top  lie  two  dismounted  cannon, 
which  were  used  to  *frighten  away  the  Landeens,  who,  in  one 
attack  upon  Senna,  killed  150  of  the  inhabitants.  The  prospect 
from  Baramuana  is  very  fine ; below,  on  the  eastward,  lies  the 
Zambesi,  with  the  village  of  Senna ; and  some  twenty  or  thirty 

Y Y 


706 


JESUIT  STATION. 


miles  beyond  stands  the  lofty  mountain  Morumbala,  probably 
3000  or  4000  feet  high.  It  is  of  an  oblong  shape,  and  from  its 
physiognomy,  which  can  be  distinctly  seen  when  the  sun  is  in 
the  west,  is  evidently  igneous.  On  the  northern  end  there  is  a 
hot  sulphurous  fountain,  which  my  Portuguese  friends  refused 
to  allow  me  to  visit,  because  the  mountain  is  well  peopled,  and 
the  mountaineers  are  at  present  not  friendly  with  the  Portu- 
guese. They  have  plenty  of  garden-ground  and  running  water 
on  its  summit.  My  friends  at  Senna  declined  the  responsibility 
of  taking  me  into  danger.  To  the  north  of  Morumbala  we  have 
a fine  view  of  the  mountains  of  the  Maganja;  they  here  come 
close  to  the  river,  and  terminate  in  Morumbala.  Many  of  them 
are  conical,  and  the  Shire  is  reported  to  flow  among  them,  and 
to  run  on  the  Senna  side  of  Morumbala  before  joining  the 
Zambesi.  On  seeing  the  confluence  afterward,  close  to  a low 
range  of  hills  beyond  Morumbala,  I felt  inclined  to  doubt  the 
report,  as  the  Shire  must  then  flow  parallel  with  the  Zambesi, 
from  which  Morumbala  seems  distant  only  twenty  or  thirty 
miles.  All  around  to  the  southeast  the  country  is  flat,  and  cov- 
ered with  forest,  but  near  Senna  a number  of  little  abrupt  conical 
hills  diversify  the  scenery.  To  the  west  and  north  the  country 
is  also  flat  forest,  which  gives  it  a Sombre  appearance;  but  just 
in  the  haze  of  the  horizon  southwest  by  south,  there  rises  a 
mountain  range  equal  in  height  to  Morumbala,  and  called  Nya- 
monga.  In  a clear  day  another  range  beyond  this  may  be  seen, 
which  is  Gorongozo,  once  a station  of  the  Jesuits.  Gorongozo 
is  famed  for  its  clear  cold  waters  and  healthiness,  and  there  are 
some  inscriptions  engraved  on  large  square  slabs  on  the  top  of 
the  mountain,  which  have  probably  been  the  work  of  the  fathers. 
As  this  lies  in  the  direction  of  a district  between  Manica  and 
Sofala,  which  has  been  conjectured  to  be  the  Ophir  of  King  Solo- 
mon, the  idea  that  first  sprang  up  in  my  mind  was,  that  these 
monuments  might  be  more  ancient  than  the  Portuguese ; but,  on 
questioning  some  persons  who  had  seen  them,  I found  that  they 
were  in  Roman  characters,  and  did  jiot  deserve  a journey  of  six 
days  to  see  them. 

Manica  lies  three  days  northwest  of  Gorongozo,  and  is  the 
best  gold  country  known  in  Eastern  Africa.  The  only  evidence 
the  Portuguese  have  of  its  being  the  ancient  Ophir  is,  that  at 


BOAT-BUILDING. 


707 


Sofala,  its  nearest  port,  pieces  of  wrought  gold  have  been  dug  up 
near  the  fort  and  in  the  gardens.  They  also  report  the  existence 
of  hewn  stones  in  the  neighborhood,  but  these  can  not  have  been 
abundant,  for  all  the  stones  of  the  fort  of  Sofala  are  said  to  have 
been  brought  from  Portugal.  Natives  whom  I met  in  the  country 
of  Sekeletu,  from  Manica,  or  Manoa,  as  they  call  it,  state  that  there 
are  several  caves  in  the  country,  and  walls  of  hewn  stones,  which 
they  believe  to  have  been  made  by  their  ancestors ; and  there  is, 
according  to  the  Portuguese,  a small  tribe  of  Arabs  there,  who 
have  become  completely  like  the  other  natives.  Two  rivers,  the 
Motirikwe  and  Sabia,  or  Sabe,  run  through  their  country  into  the 
sea.  The  Portuguese  were  driven  out  of  the  country  by  the  Lan- 
deens,  but  now  talk  of  reoccupying  Manica. 

The  most  pleasant  sight  I witnessed  at  Senna  was  the  negroes 
of  Senhor  Isidore  building  boats  after  the  European  model,  with- 
out any  one  to  superintend  their  operations.  They  had  been  in- 
structed by  a European  master,  but  now  go  into  the  forest  and 
cut  down  the  motondo-trees,  lay  down  the  keel,  fit  in  the  ribs, 
and  make  very  neat  boats  and  launches,  valued  at  from  £20  to 
£100.  Senhor  Isidore  had  some  of  them  instructed  also  in  car- 
pentry at  Rio  Janeiro,  and  they  constructed  for  him  the  hand- 
somest house  in  Kilimane,  the  woodwork  being  all  of  country 
trees,  some  of  which  are  capable  of  a fine  polish,  and  very  dur- 
able. A medical  opinion  having  been  asked  by  the  commandant 
respecting  a better  site  for  the  village,  which,  lying  on  the  low 
bank  of  the  Zambesi,  is  very  unhealthy,  I recommended  imitation 
of  the  Jesuits,  who  had  chosen  the  high,  healthy  mountain  of  Go- 
rongozo,  and  to  select  a new  site  on  Morumbala,  which  is  perfectly 
healthy,  well  watered,  and  where  the  Shire  is  deep  enough  for  the 
purpose  of  navigation  at  its  base.  As  the  next  resource,  I pro- 
posed removal  to  the  harbor  of  Mitilone,  which  is  at  one  of 
the  mouths  of  the  Zambesi,  a much  better  port  than  Kilimane, 
and  where,  if  they  must  have  the  fever,  they  would  be  in  the 
way  of  doing  more  good  to  themselves  and  the  country  than 
they  can  do  in  their  present  situation.  Had  the  Portuguese  pos- 
sessed this  territory  as  a real  colony,  this  important  point  would 
not  have  been  left  unoccupied ; as  it  is,  there  is  not  even  a na- 
tive village  placed  at  the  entrance  of  this  splendid  river  to  show 
the  way  in. 

J 


708 


CAPTURE  OF  A REBEL  STOCKADE. 


On  the  9th  of  May  sixteen  of  my  men  were  employed  to  car- 
ry government  goods  in  canoes  up  to  Tete.  They  were  much 
pleased  at  getting  this  work.  On  the  11th  the  whole  of  the  in- 
habitants of  Senna,  with  the  commandant,  accompanied  us  to  the 
boats.  A venerable  old  man,  son  of  a judge,  said  they  were  in 
much  sorrow  on  account  of  the  miserable  state  of  decay  into 
which  they  had  sunk,  and  of  the  insolent  conduct  of  the  people 
of  Kisaka  now  in  the  village.  We  were  abundantly  supplied 
with  provisions  by  the  commandant  and  Senhor  Ferrao,  and  sail- 
ed pleasantly  down  the  broad  river.  About  thirty  miles  below 
Senna  we  passed  the  mouth  of  the  River  Zangwe  on  our  right, 
which  farther  up  goes  by  the  name  of  Pungwe ; and  about  five 
miles  farther  on  our  left,  close  to  the  end  of  a low  range  into 
which  Morumbala  merges,  we  crossed  the  mouth  of  the  Shire, 
which  seemed  to  be  about  200  yards  broad.  A little  inland  from 
the  confluence  there  is  another  rebel  stockade,  which  was  attacked 
by  Ensign  Rebeiro  with  three  European  soldiers,  and  captured ; 
they  disarmed  the  rebels  and  threw  the  guns  into  the  water.  This 
ensign  and  Miranda  volunteered  to  disperse  the  people  of  Kisaka 
who  were  riding  roughshod  over  the  inhabitants  of  Senna ; but 
the  offer  was  declined,  the  few  real  Portuguese  fearing  the  disloy- 
al half-castes  among  whom  they  dwelt.  Slavery  and  immorali- 
ty have  here  done  their  work ; nowhere  else  does  the  European 
name  stand  at  so  low  an  ebb  ; but  what  can  be  expected  ? Few 
Portuguese  women  are  ever  taken  to  the  colonies,  and  here  I did 
not  observe  that  honorable  regard  for  the  offspring  which  I no- 
ticed in  Angola.  The  son  of  a late  governor  of  Tete  was  pointed 
out  to  me  in  the  condition  and  habit  of  a slave.  There  is  neither 
priest  nor  school  at  Senna,  though  there  are  ruins  of  churches  and 
convents. 

On  passing  the  Shire  we  observed  great  quantities  of  the  plant 
Alfacinya,  already  mentioned,  floating  down  into  the  Zambesi.  It 
is  probably  the  Pistia  stratiotes,  a gigantic  “ duck-weed.”  It 
was  mixed  with  quantities  of  another  aquatic  plant,  which  the 
Barotse  named  “ Njefu,”  containing  in  the  petiole  of  the  leaf  a 
pleasant-tasted  nut.  This  was  so  esteemed  by  Sebituane  that  he 
made  it  part  of  his  tribute  from  the  subjected  tribes.  Dr.  Hook- 
er kindly  informs  me  that  the  njefu  “is  probably  a species  of 
Trajpa , the  nuts  of  which  are  eaten  in  the  south  of  Europe  and  in 


THE  NJEFU.— MAZARO. 


709 


India.  Government  derives  a large  revenue  from  them  in  Kash- 
mir, amounting  to  £12,000  per  annum  for  128,000  ass-loads  ! 
The  ancient  Thracians  are  said  to, have  eaten  them  largely.  In 
the  south  of  France  they  are  called  water-eliestnuts.”  The  exist- 
ence of  these  plants  in  such  abundance  in  the  Shire  may  show 
that  it  flows  from  large  collections  of  still  water.  We  found  them 
growing  in  all  the  still  branches  and  lagoons  of  the  Leeambye  in 
the  far  north,  and  there  also  we  met  a beautiful  little  floating  plant, 
the  Azolla  Nilotica,  which  is  found  in  the  upper  Nile.  They  are 
seldom  seen  in  flowing  streams. 

A few  miles  beyond  the  Shire  we  left  the  hills  entirely,  and 
sailed  between  extensive  flats.  The  banks  seen  in  the  distance 
are  covered  with  trees.  We  slept  on  a large  inhabited  island, 
and  then  came  to  the  entrance  of  the  River  Mutu  (latitude  18°  3' 
37"  S.,  longitude  35°  46'  E.) : the  point  of  departure  is  called 
Mazaro,  or  “mouth  of  the  Mutu.”  The  people  who  live  on  the 
north  are  called  Baroro,  and  their  country  Bororo.  The  whole  of 
the  right  bank  is  in  subjection  to  the  Landeens,  who,  it  was  imag- 
ined, would  levy  a tribute  upon  us,  for  this  they  are  accustomed  to 
do  to  passengers.  I regret  that  we  did  not  meet  them,  for,  though 
they  are  named  Cafffes,  I am  not  sure  whether  they  are  of  the 
Zulu  family  or  of  the  Mashona.  I should  have  liked  to  form  their 
acquaintance,  and  to  learn  what  they  really  think  of  white  men. 
I understood  from  Sekwebu,  and  from  one  of  Changamera’s  people 
who  lives  at  Linyanti,  and  was  present  at  the  attack  on  Senna, 
that  they  consider  the  whites  as  a conquered  tribe. 

The  Zambesi  at  Mazaro  is  a magnificent  river,  more  than 
half  a mile  wide,  and  without  islands.  The  opposite  bank  is 
covered  with  forests  of  fine  timber ; but  the  delta  which  begins 
here  is  only  an  immense  flat,  covered  with  high,  coarse  grass 
and  reeds,  with  here  and  there  a few  mango  and  cocoanut 
trees.  This  was  the  point  which  was  reached  by  the  late  la- 
mented Captain  Parker,  who  fell  at  the  Sulina  mouth  of  the 
Danube.  I had  a strong  desire  to  follow  the  Zambesi  farther, 
and  ascertain  where  this  enormous  body  of  water  found  its  way 
into  the  sea ; but  on  hearing  from  the  Portuguese  that  he  had 
ascended  to  this  point,  and  had  been  highly  pleased  with  the 
capabilities  of  the  river,  I felt  sure  that  his  valuable  opinion 
must  be  in  possession  of  the  Admiralty.  On  my  arrival  in 


710 


CAPTAIN  HYDE  PARKER  ON  THE 


England  I applied  to  Captain  Washington,  Hydrographer  to  the 
Admiralty,  and  he  promptly  furnished  the  document  for  publica- 
tion by  the  Royal  Geographical  Society. 

The  river  between  Mazaro  and  the  sea  must  therefore  be  judged 
of  from  the  testimony  of  one  more  competent  to  decide  on  its  merits 
than  a mere  landsman  like  myself. 

On  the  Quilimane  and  Zambesi  Rivers.  From  the  Journal  of 

the  late  Capt.  Hyde  Parker,  R.N.,  H.M.  Brig  “Pantaloon.” 

“ The  Luabo  is  the  main  outlet  of  the  Great  Zambesi.  In 
the  rainy  season — January  and  February  principally — the  whole 
country  is  overflowed,  and  the  water  escapes  by  the  different 
rivers  as  far  up  as  Quilimane  \ but  in  the  dry  season  neither 
Quilimane  nor  Olinda  communicates  with  it.  The  position  of 
the  river  is  rather  incorrect  in  the  Admiralty  chart,  being  six 
miles  too  much  to  the  southward,  and  also  considerably  to  the 
westward.  Indeed,  the  coast  from  here  up  to  Tongamiara  seems 
too  far  to  the  westward.  The  entrance  to  the  Luabo  River  is 
about  two  miles  broad,  and  is  easily  distinguishable,  when  abreast 
of  it,  by  a bluff  (if  I may  so  term  it)  of  high,  straight  trees,  very 
close  together,  on  the  western  side  of  the  entrance.  The  bar  may 
be  said  to  be  formed  by  two  series  of  sand-banks ; that  running 
from  the  eastern  point  runs  diagonally  across  (opposite  ?)  the  en- 
trance and  nearly  across  it.  Its  western  extremity  is  about  two 
miles  outside  the  west  point. 

“ The  bank  running  out  from  the  west  point  projects  to  the 
southward  three  miles  and  a half,  passing  not  one  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  the  eastern  or  cross  bank.  This  narrow  passage  is  the 
bar  passage.  It  breaks  completely  across  at  low  water,  except 
under  very  extraordinary  circumstances.  At  this  time — low  water 
— a great  portion  of  the  banks  are  uncovered;  in  some  places  they 
are  seven  or  eight  feet  above  water. 

“ On  these  banks  there  is  a break  at  all  times,  but  in  fine 
weather,  at  high  water,  a boat  may  cross  near  the  east  point. 
There  is  very  little  water,  and,  in  places,  a nasty  race  and  bub- 
ble, so  that  caution  is  requisite.  The  best  directions  for  going  in 
over  the  regular  bar  passage,  according  to  my  experience,  are  as 
follows  : Steer  down  well  to  the  eastward  of  the  bar  passage, 
so  as  to  avoid  the  outer  part  of  the  western  shoals,  on  which 


QUILIMANE  AND  ZAMBESI. 


711 


there  is  usually  a bad  sea.  Whpn  you  get  near  the  cross-bar , 
keep  along  it  till  the  bluff  of  trees  on  the  west  side  of  the  entrance 
bears  ISLE. ; you  may  then  steer  straight  for  it.  This  will  clear 
the  end  of  the  cross-bar,  and,  directly  you  are  within  that,  the 
water  is  smooth.  The  worst  sea  is  generally  just  without  the 
bar  passage. 

“Within  the  points  the  river  widens  at  first  and  then  contracts 
again.  About  three  miles  from  the  Tree  Bluff  is  an  island ; the 
passage  up  the  river  is  the  right-hand  side  of  it,  and  deep.  The 
plan  will  best  explain  it.  The  rise  and  fall  of  the  tide  at  the 
entrance  of  the  river  being  at  springs  twenty  feet,  any  vessel  can 
get  in  at  that  time,  but,  with  all  these  conveniences  for  traffic, 
there  is  none  here  at  present.  The  water  in  the  river  is  fresh 
down  to  the  bar  with  the  ebb  tide,  and  in  the  rainy  season  it  is 
fresh  at  the  surface  quite  outside.  In  the  rainy  season,  at  the 
full  and  change  of  the  moon,  the  Zambesi  frequently  overflows 
its  banks,  making  the  country  for  an  immense  distance  one  great 
lake,  with  only  a few  small  eminences  above  the  water.  On  the 
banks  of  the  river  the  huts  are  built  on  piles,  and  at  these  times 
the  communication  is  only  in  canoes ; but  the  waters  do  not 
remain  up  more  than  three  or  four  days  at  a time.  The  first 
village  is  about  eight  miles  up  the  river,  on  the  western  bank, 
and  is  opposite  to  another  branch  of  the  river  called  ‘ Muselo,’ 
which  discharges  itself  into  the  sea  about  five  miles  to  the  east- 
ward. 

“ The  village  is  extensive,  and  about  it  there  is  a very  large 
quantity  of  land  in  cultivation  ; calavances,  or  beans,  of  different 
sorts,  rice,  and  pumpkins,  are  the  principal  things.  I saw  also 
about  here  some  wild  cotton,  apparently  of  very  good  quality, 
but  none  is  cultivated.  The  land  is  so  fertile  as  to  produce 
almost  any  (thing?)  without  much  trouble. 

“At  this  village  is  a very  large  house,  mud-built,  with  a court- 
yard. I believe  it  to  have  been  used  as  a barracoon  for  slaves, 
several  large  cargoes  having  been  exported  from  this  river.  I 
proceeded  up  the  river  as  far  as  its  junction  with  the  Quilimane 
River,  called  ‘Boca  do  Rio,’  by  my  computation  between  70  and 
80  miles  from  the  entrance.  The  influence  of  the  tides  is  felt 
about  25  or  30  miles  up  the  river.  Above  that,  the  stream,  in 
the  dry  season,  runs  from  to  2£  miles  an  hour,  but  in  the 


712 


CAPTAIN  HYDE  PARKER  ON  THE 


rains  much  stronger.  The  banks  of  the  river,  for  the  first  30 
miles,  are  generally  thickly  clothed  with  trees,  with  occasional 
open  glades.  There  are  many  huts  and  villages  on  both  sides, 
and  a great  deal  of  cultivation.  At  one  village,  about  17  miles 
up  on  the  eastern  bank,  and  distinguished  by  being  surrounded 
by  an  immense  number  of  bananas  and  plantain-trees,  a great 
quantity  of  excellent  peas  are  cultivated  ; also  cabbages,  tomatoes, 
onions,  etc.  Above  this  there  are  not  many  inhabitants  on  the 
left  or  west  bank,  although  it  is  much  the  finest  country,  being 
higher,  and  abounding  in  cocoanut  palms,  the  eastern  bank  be- 
ing sandy  and  barren.  The  reason  is,  that  some  years  back  the 
Landeens,  or  Caffres,  ravaged  all  this  country,  killing  the  men 
and  taking  the  women  as  slaves,  but  they  have  never  crossed  the 
river;  hence  the  natives  are  afraid  to  settle  on  the  west  bank, 
and  the  Portuguese  owners  of  the  different  ‘prasos’  have  virtu- 
ally lost  them.  The  banks  of  the  river  continue  mostly  sandy, 
with  few  trees,  except  some  cocoanut  palms,  until  the  southern 
end  of  the  large  plantation  of  Nyangue,  formed  by  the  river  about 
20  miles  from  Maruru.  Here  the  country  is  more  populous  and 
better  cultivated,  the  natives  a finer  race,  and  the  huts  larger  and 
better  constructed.  Maruru  belongs  to  Senor  Asevedo,  of  Quil- 
imane,  well  known  to  all  English  officers  on  the  east  coast  for  his 
hospitality. 

“ The  climate  here  is  much  cooler  than  nearer  the  sea,  and 
Asevedo  has  successfully  cultivated  most  European  as  wrell  as 
tropical  vegetables.  The  sugar-cane  thrives,  as  also  coffee  and 
cotton,  and  indigo  is  a weed.  Cattle  here  are  beautiful,  and 
some  of  them  might  show  with  credit  in  England.  The  natives 
are  intelligent,  and  under  a good  government  this  fine  country 
might  become  very  valuable.  Three  miles  from  Maruru  is  Me- 
san,  a very  pretty  village  among  palm  and  mango  trees.  There 
is  here  a good  house  belonging  to  a Senor  Ferrao ; close  by  is 
the  canal  (Mutu)  of  communication  between  the  Quilimane  and 
Zambesi  rivers,  which  in  the  rainy  season  is  navigable  (?).  I 
visited  it  in  the  month  of  October,  which  is  about  the  dryest  time 
of  the  year ; it  was  then  a dry  canal,  about  30  or  40  yards  wide, 
overgrown  with  trees  and  grass,  and,  at  the  bottom,  at  least  16 
or  17  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Zambesi,  which  was  running  be- 
neath. In  the  rains,  by  the  marks  I saw,  the  entrance  rise  of  the 


QUILIMANE  AND  ZAMBESI.  713 

river  must  be  very  nearly  30  feet,  and  the  volume  of  water  dis- 
charged by  it  (the  Zambesi)  enormous. 

“Above  Maruru  the  country  begins  to  become  more  hilly,  and 
the  high  mountains  of  Boruru  are  in  sight ; the  first  view  of 
these  is  obtained  below  Nyangue,  and  they  must  be  of  considera- 
ble height,  as  from  this  they  are  distant  above  40  miles.  They 
are  reported  to  contain  great  mineral  wealth  ; gold  and  copper  be- 
ing found  in  the  range,  as  also  coal  (?).  The  natives  (Landeens) 
are  a bold,  independent  race,  who  do  not  acknowledge  the  Portu- 
guese authority,  and  even  make  them  pay  for  leave  to  pass  un- 
molested. Throughout  the  whole  course  of  the  river  hippopota- 
mi were  very  abundant,  and  at  one  village  a chase  by  the  natives 
was  witnessed.  They  harpoon  the  animal  with  a barbed  lance, 
to  which  is  attached,  by  a cord  3 or  4 fathoms  long,  an  inflated 
bladder.  The  natives  follow  in  their  canoes,  and  look  out  to  fix 
more  harpoons  as  the  animal  rises  to  blow,  and,  when  exhausted, 
dispatch  him  with  their  lances.  It  is,  in  fact,  nearly  similar  to 
a whale-hunt.  Elephants  and  lions  are  also  abundant  on  the 
western  side;  the  latter  destroy  many  of  the  blacks  annually, 
and  are  much  feared  by  them.  Alligators  are  said  to  be  numer- 
ous, but  I did  not  see  any. 

“ The  voyage  up  to  Maruru  occupied  seven  days,  as  I did  not 
work  the  men  at  the  oar,  but  it  might  be  done  in  four ; we  re- 
turned to  the  bar  in  two  and  a half  days. 

“ There  is  another  mouth  of  the  Zambesi  seven  miles  to  the 
westward  of  Luabo,  which  was  visited  by  the  ‘ Castor’s  pinnace 
and  I was  assured  by  Lieutenant  Hoskins  that  the  bar  was  better 
than  the  one  I visited.” 

The  conclusions  of  Captain  Parker  are  strengthened  by  those 
of  Lieut.  A.  H.  H.  Hoskins,  who  was  on  the  coast  at  the  same 
time,  and  also  visited  this  spot.  Having  applied  to  my  friend 
for  his  deliberate  opinion  on  the  subject,  he  promptly  furnished 
the  following  note  in  January  last : 

“ The  Zambesi  appears  to  have  five  principal  mouths,  of  which 
the  Luabo  is  the  most  southern  and  most  navigable ; Cumana, 
and  two  whose  names  I do  not  know,  not  having  myself  visited 
it,  lying  between  it  and  the  Quilimane,  and  the  rise  and  fall  at 
spring  tides  on  the  bar  of  the  Luabo  is  22  feet ; and  as,  in  the 


714 


LIEUTENANT  HOSKINS’  REMARKS. 


passage,  there  is  never  less  than  four  feet  (I  having  crossed  it  at 
dead  low-water — springs),  this  would  give  an  average  depth  suffi- 
cient for  any  commercial  purposes.  The  rise  and  fall  is  six  feet 
greater,  the  passages  narrow  and  more  defined,  consequently  deeper 
and  more  easily  found  than  that  of  the  Quilimane  River.  The 
river  above  the  bar  is  very  tortuous,  but  deep ; and  it  is  observ- 
able that  the  influence  of  the  tide  is  felt  much  higher  in  this 
branch  than  in  the  others ; for  whereas  in  the  Catrina  and  Cu- 
raana  I have  obtained  drinkable  water  a very  short  distance  from 
the  mouth,  in  the  Luabo  I have  ascended  seventy  miles  without 
finding  the  saltness  perceptibly  diminished.  This  would  facilitate 
navigation,  and  I have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  little  difficulty 
would  be  experienced  in  conveying  a steam-vessel  of  the  size  and 
capabilities  of  the  gunboat  I lately  commanded  as  high  as  the 
branching  off  of  the  Quilimane  River  (Mazaro),  which,  in  the  dry 
season,  is  observed  many  yards  above  the  Luabo  (main  stream) ; 
though  I have  been  told  by  the  Portuguese  that  the  freshes  which 
come  down  in  December  and  March  fill  it  temporarily.  These 
freshes  deepen  the  river  considerably  at  that  time  of  the  year,  and 
freshen  the  water  many  miles  from  the  coast.  The  population  of 
the  delta,  except  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  Portu- 
guese, appeared  to  be  very  sparse.  Antelopes  and  hippopotami 
were  plentiful ; the  former  tame  and  easily  shot.  I inquired  fre- 
quently of  both  natives  and  Portuguese  if  slavers  Were  in  the 
habit  of  entering  there  to  ship  their  cargoes,  but  could  not  ascer- 
tain that  they  have  ever  done  so  in  any  except  the  Quilimane. 
With  common  precaution  the  rivers  are  not  unhealthy ; for,  dur- 
ing the  whole  time  I was  employed  in  them  (off  and  on  during 
eighteen  months),  in  open  boats  and  at  all  times  of  the  year,  fre- 
quently absent  from  the  ship  for  a month  or  six  weeks  at  a time, 
I had  not,  in  my  boat’s  crew  of  fourteen  men,  more  than  two,  and 
those  mild,  cases  of  fever.  Too  much  importance  .can  not  be 
ascribed  to  the  use  of  quinine,  to  which  I attribute  our  compara- 
tive immunity,  and  with  which  our  judicious  commander,  Commo- 
dore Wyvill,  kept  us  amply  supplied.  I hope  these  few  remarks 
may  be  of  some  little  use  in  confirming  your  views  of  the  utility 
of  that  magnificent  river. 


“A.  H.  H.  Hoskins.” 


THE  MUTU. 


715 


It  ought  to  be  remembered  that  the  testimony  of  these  gentle- 
men is  all  the  more  valuable,  because  they  visited  the  river  when 
the  water  was  at  its  lowest,  and  the  surface  of  the  Zambesi  was 
not,  as  it  was  now,  on  a level  with  and  flowing  into  the  Mutu, 
but  sixteen  feet  beneath  its  bed.  The  Mutu,  at  the  point  of  de- 
parture, was  only  ten  or  twelve  yards  broad,  shallow,  and  filled 
with  aquatic  plants.  Trees  and  reeds  along  the  banks  overhang 
it  so  much,  that,  though  we  had  brought  canoes  and  a boat  from 
Tete,  we  were  unable  to  enter  the  Mutu  with  them,  and  left 
them  at  Mazaro.  During  most  of  the  year  this  part  of  the 
Mutu  is  dry,  and  we  were  even  now  obliged  to  carry  all  our 
luggage  by  land  for  about  fifteen  miles.  As  Kilimane  is  called, 
in  all  the  Portuguese  documents,  the  capital  of  the  rivers  of 
Senna,  it  seemed  strange  to  me  that  the  capital  should  be  built 
at  a point  where  there  was  no  direct  water  conveyance  to  the 
magnificent  river  whose  name  it  bore ; and,  on  inquiry,  I was  in- 
formed that  the  whole  of  the  Mutu  was  large  in  days  of  yore,  and 
admitted  of  the  free  passage  of  great  launches  from  Kilimane  all 
the  year  round,  but  that  now  this  part  of  the  Mutu  had  been 
filled  up. 

I was  seized  by  a severe  tertian  fever  at  Mazaro,  but  went 
along  the  right  bank  of  the  Mutu  to  the  N.N.E.  and  E.  for  about 
fifteen  miles.  We  then  found  that  it  was  made  navigable  by  a 
river  called  the  Pangazi,  which  comes  into  it  from  the  north. 
Another  river,  flowing  from  the  same  direction,  called  the  Luare, 
swells  it  still  more ; and,  last  of  all,  the  Likuare,  with  the  tide, 
make  up  the  river  of  Kilimane.  The  Mutu  at  Mazaro  is  simply 
a connecting  link,  such  as  is  so  often  seen  in  Africa,  and  neither 
its  flow  nor  stoppage  affects  the  river  of  Kilimane.  The  waters 
of  the  Pangazi  were  quite  clear  compared  with  those  of  the 
Zambesi.* 

* I owe  the  following  information,  of  a much  later  date,  also  to  the  politeness 
of  Captain  Washington.  H.  M.  sloop  “Grecian”  visited  the  coast  in  1852-3,  and 
the  master  remarks  that  “the  entrance  to  the  Luabo  is  in  lat.  18°  5T  S.,  long.  36° 
12' E.,  and  may  be  known  by  a range  of  hummocks  on  its  eastern  side,  and  very 
low  land  to  the  S.W.  The  entrance  is  narrow,  and,  as  with  all  the  rivers  on  this 
coast,  is  fronted  by  a bar,  which  renders  the  navigation,  particularly  for  boats,  very 
dangerous  with  the  wind  to  the  south  of  east  or  west.  Our  boats  proceeded  twenty 
miles  up  this  river,  2 fathoms  on  the  bar,  then  2\ — 5 — 6 — 7 fathoms.  It  was  navi- 
gable farther  up,  but  they  did  not  proceed.  It  is  quite  possible  for  a moderate-sized 


716 


EFFECTS  OF  FEVER, 


My  fever  became  excessively  severe  in  consequence  of  travel- 
ing in  the  hot  sun,  and  the  long  grass  blocking  up  the  narrow 
path  so  as  to  exclude  the  air.  The  pulse  beat  with  amazing 
force,  and  felt  as  if  thumping  against  the  crown  of  the  head. 
The  stomach  and  spleen  swelled  enormously,  giving  me,  for  the 
first  time,  an  appearance  which  I had  been  disposed  to  laugh  at 
among  the  Portuguese.  At  Interra  we  met  Senhor  Asevedo,  a 
man  who  is  well  known  by  all  who  ever  visited  Kilimane,  and 
who  was  presented  with  a gold  chronometer  watch  by  the  Ad- 
miralty for  his  attentions  to  English  officers.  He  immediately 
tendered  his  large  sailing  launch,  which  had  a house  in  the  stern. 
This  was  greatly  in  my  favor,  for  it  anchored  in  the  middle  of 
the  stream,  and  gave  me  some  rest  from  the  musquitoes,  which 
in  the  whole  of  the  delta  are  something  frightful.  Sailing  corn- 

vessel  to  cross  the  bar  at  spring  tides,  and  be  perfectly  landlocked  and  hidden 
among  the  trees. 

“The  Maiiido,  in  18°  52'  S.,  36°  12'  E.,  is  not  mentioned  in  Horsburgh,  nor 
laid  down  in  the  Admiralty  chart,  but  is,  nevertheless,  one  of  some,  importance, 
and  appears  to  be  one  of  the  principal  stations  for  shipping  slaves,  as  the  boats 
found  two  barracoons,  about  20  miles  up,  bearing  e-^ery  indication  of  having  been 
very  recently  occupied,  and  which  had  good  presumptive  evidence  that  the  ‘Cau- 
raigo,’  a brig  under  American  colors,  had  embarked  a cargo  from  thence  but  a 
short  time  before.  The  river  is  fronted  by  a portion  of  the  Elephant  Shoals,  at 
the  distance  of  three  or  four  miles  outside.  The  eastern  bank  is  formed  by  level 
sea-cliffs  (as  seen  from  the  ship  it  has  that  appearance),  high  for  this  part  of  the 
coast,  and  conspicuous.  The  western  side  is  composed  of  thick  trees,  and  termi- 
nates in  dead  wood,  from  which  we  called  it  ‘ Dead-wood  Point.’  After  crossing 
the  bar  it  branches  off  in  a W.  and  N.W.  direction,  the  latter  being  the  principal 
arm,  up  which  the  boats  went  some  30  miles,  or  about  10  beyond  the  barracoon. 
Fresh  water  can  be  obtained  almost  immediately  inside  the  entrance,  as  the  stream 
runs  down  very  rapidly  with  the  ebb  tide.  The  least  water  crossing  the  bar  (low- 
water — springs)  was  ]1  fathom,  one  cast  only  therefrom  from  2 to  5 fathoms, 
another  7 fathoms  nearly  the  whole  way  up. 

“The  Catrina,  latitude  18°  50'  south,  longitude  36°  24'  east.  The  exter- 
nal appearance  of  this  river  is  precisely  similar  to  that  of  the  Maiudo,  so 
much  so  that  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  them  by  any  feature  of  the  land. 
The  longitude  is  the  best  guide,  or,  in  the  absence  of  observation,  perhaps 
the  angles  contained  by  the  extremes  of  land  will  be  serviceable.  Thus,  at 
nine  miles  off  the  Maiudo  the  angle  contained  by  the  above  was  seven  points, 
the  bearing  being  N.E.  W.  of  N.W.  (?)  ; while  off  the  Catrina,  at  the  same 
distance  from  shore  (about  nine  miles),  the  angle  was  only  31  to  4 points,  be- 
ing N.  to  N.W.  As  we  did  not  send  the  boats  up  this  river,  no  information 
was  obtained.” 


THE  AUTHOR’S  OBLIGATIONS. 


717 


fortably  in  this  commodious  launch  along  the  river  of  Kilimane, 
we  reached  that  village  (latitude  17°  53'  8"  S.,  longitude  36° 
40'  E.)  on  the  20th  of  May,  1856,  which  wanted  only  a few  days 
of  being  four  years  since  I started  from  Cape  Town.  Here  I 
was  received  into  the  house  of  Colonel  Galdino  Jose  Nunes,  one 
of  the  best  men  in  the  country.  I had  been  three  years  without 
hearing  from  my  family ; letters  having  frequently  been  sent, 
but  somehow  or  other,  with  but  a single  exception,  they  never 
reached  me.  I received,  however,  a letter  from  Admiral  Trot- 
ter, conveying  information  of  their  welfare,  and  some  newspapers, 
which  were  a treat  indeed.  Her  majesty’s  brig  the  “Frolic” 
had  called  to  inquire  for  me  in  the  November  previous,  and  Cap- 
tain Nolluth,  of  that  ship,  had  most  considerately  left  a case  of 
wine  ; and  his  surgeon,  Dr.  James  Walsh,  divining  what  I should 
need  most,  left  an  ounce  of  quinine.  These  gifts  made  my  heart 
overflow.  I had  not  tasted  any  liquor  whatever  during  the  time 
I had  been  in  Africa ; but  when  reduced  in  Angola  to  extreme 
weakness,  I found  much  benefit  from  a little  wine,  and  took 
from  Loanda  one  bottle  of  brandy  in  my  medicine  chest,  intend- 
ing to  use  it  if  it  were  again  required ; but  the  boy  who  car- 
ried it  whirled  the  box  upside  down,  and  smashed  the  bottle,  so 
I can  not  give  my  testimony  either  in  favor  of  or  against  the 
brandy. 

But  my  joy  on  reaching  the  east  coast  was  sadly  imbittered 
by  the  news  that  Commander  MacLune,  of  H.  M.  brigantine 
“ Dart,”  on  coming  in  to  Kilimane  to  pick  me  up,  had,  with 
Lieutenant  Woodruffe  and  five  men,  been  lost  on  the  bar.  I 
never  felt  more  poignant  sorrow.  It  seemed  as  if  it  would  have 
been  easier  for  me  to  have  died  for  them,  than  that  they  should 
all  be  cut  off  from  the  joys  of  life  in  generously  attempting  to 
render  me  a service.  I would  here  acknowledge  my  deep  obli- 
gations to  the  Earl  of  Clarendon,  to  the  admiral  at  the  Cape, 
and  others,  for  the  kind  interest  they  manifested  in  my  safety ; 
even  the  inquiries  made  were  very  much  to  my  advantage.  I 
also  refer  with  feelings  of  gratitude  to  the  Governor  of  Mozam- 
bique for  offering  me  a passage  in  the  schooner  “Zambesi,” 
belonging  to  that  province ; and  I shall  never  forget  the  gener- 
ous hospitality  of  Colonel  Nunes  and  his  nephew,  with  whom 
I remained.  One  of  the  discoveries  I have  made  is  that  there 


718 


DEVELOPING  RESOURCES  OF  INTERIOR. 


are  vast  numbers  of  good  people  in  the  world,  and  I do  most 
devoutly  tender  my  unfeigned  thanks  to  that  Gracious  One  who 
mercifully  watched  over  me  in  every  position,  and  influenced  the 
hearts  of  both  black  and  white  to  regard  me  with  favor. 

With  the  united  testimony  of  Captain  Parker  and  Lieutenant 
Hoskins,  added  to  my  own  observation,  there  can  be  no  reason- 
able doubt  but  that  the  real  mouth  of  the  Zambesi  is  available 
for  the  purposes  of  commerce.  The  delta  is  claimed  by  the 
Portuguese,  and  the  southern  bank  of  the  Luabo,  or  Cuama,  as 
this  part  of  the  Zambesi  is  sometimes  called,  is  owned  by  inde- 
pendent natives  of  the  Caffre  family.  The  Portuguese  are  thus 
near  the  main  entrance  to  the  new  central  region ; and  as  they 
have  of  late  years  shown,  in  an  enlightened  and  liberal  spirit, 
their  desire  to  develop  the  resources  of  Eastern  Africa  by  pro- 
claiming Mozambique  a free  port,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  same 
spirit  will  lead  them  to  invite  mercantile  enterprise  up  the  Zam- 
besi, by  offering  facilities  to  those  who  may  be  led  to  push  com- 
merce into  the  regions  lying  far  beyond  their  territory.  Their 
wish  to  co-operate  in  the  noble  work  of  developing  the  resources 
of  the  rich  country  beyond  could  not  be  shown  better  than  by 
placing  a village  with  Zambesian  pilots  at  the  harbor  of  Mitilone, 
and  erecting  a light-house  for  the  guidance  of  seafaring  men.  If 
this  were  done,  no  nation  would  be  a greater  gainer  by  it  than 
the  Portuguese  themselves,  and  assuredly  no  other  needs  a resus- 
citation of  its  commerce  more.  Their  kindness  to  me  personally 
makes  me  wish  for  a return  of  their  ancient  prosperity  ; and 
the  most  liberal  and  generous  act  of  the  enlightened  young  king 
II.  M.  Don  Pedro,  in  sending  out  orders  to  support  my  late 
companions  at  the  public  expense  of  the  province  of  Mozam- 
bique until  my  return  to  claim  them,  leads  me  to  hope  for 
encouragement  in  every  measure  for  either  the  development  of 
commerce,  the  elevation  of  the  natives,  or  abolition  of  the  trade  in 
slaves. 

As  far  as  I am  myself  concerned,  the  opening  of  the  new 
central  country  is  a matter  for  congratulation  only  in  so  far  as  it 
opens  up  a prospect  for  the  elevation  of  the  inhabitants.  As 
I have  elsewhere  remarked,  I view  the  end  of  the  geographical 
feat  as  the  beginning  of  the  missionary  enterprise.  I take  the 
latter  term  in  its  most  extended  signification,  and  include  every 


THE  AUTHOR’S  OBJECTS. 


719 


effort  made  for  the  amelioration  of  our  race,  the  promotion  of  all 
those  means  by  which  God  in  His  providence  is  working,  and 
bringing  all  His  dealings  with  man  to  a glorious  consummation. 
Each  man  in  his  sphere,  either  knowingly  or  unwittingly,  is  per- 
forming the  will  of  our  Father  in  heaven.  Men  of  science,  search- 
ing after  hidden  truths,  which,  when  discovered,  will,  like  the  elec- 
tric telegraph,  bind  men  more  closely  together — soldiers  battling 
for  the  right  against  tyranny — sailors  rescuing  the  victims  of 
oppression  from  the  grasp  of  heartless  men-stealers — merchants 
teaching  the  nations  lessons  of  mutual  dependence — and  many 
others,  as  well  as  missionaries,  all  work  in  the  same  direction, 
and  all  efforts  are  overruled  for  one  glorious  end. 

If  the  reader  has  accompanied  me  thus  far,  he  may,  perhaps, 
be  disposed  to  take  an  interest  in  the  objects  I propose  to  myself, 
should  God  mercifully  grant  me  the  honor  of  doing  something 
more  for  Africa.  As  the  highlands  on  the  borders  of  the  central 
basin  are  comparatively  healthy,  the  first  object  seems  to  be  to 
secure  a permanent  path  thither,  in  order  that  Europeans  may 
pass  as  quickly  as  possible  through  the  unhealthy  region  near 
the  coast.  The  river  has  not  been  surveyed,  but  at  the  time 
I came  down  there  was  abundance  of  water  for  a large  vessel, 
and  this  continues  to  be  the  case  during  four  or  five  months  of 
each  year.  The  months  of  low  water  still  admit  of  navigation  by 
launches,  and  would  permit  small  vessels  equal  to  the  Thames 
steamers  to  ply  with  ease  in  the  deep  channel.  If  a steamer 
were  sent  to  examine  the  Zambesi,  I would  recommend  one  of 
the  lightest  draught,  and  the  months  of  May,  June,  and  July 
for  passing  through  the  delta ; and  this  not  so  much  for  fear  of 
want  of  water  as  the  danger  of  being  grounded  on  a sand  or 
mud  bank,  and  the  health  of  the  crew  being  endangered  by  the 
delay. 

In  the  months  referred  to  no  obstruction  would  be  incurred 
in  the  channel  below  Tete.  Twenty  or  thirty  miles  above  that 
point  we  have  a small  rapid,  of  which  I regret  my  inability  to 
speak,  as  (mentioned  already)  I did  not  visit  it.  But,  taking  the 
distance  below  this  point,  we  have,  in  round  numbers,  300  miles 
of  navigable  river.  Above  this  rapid  we  have  another  reach  of 
300  miles,  with  sand,  but  no  mud  banks  in  it,  which  brings  us  to 
the  foot  of  the  eastern  ridge.  Let  it  not,  however,  be  thought 


720 


THE  AUTHOE’S  OBJECTS. 


that  a vessel  by  going  thither  would  return  laden  with  ivory  and 
gold-dust.  The  Portuguese  of  Tete  pick  up  all  the  merchandise 
of  the  tribes  in  their  vicinity,  and,  though  I came  out  by  trav- 
ersing the  people  with  whom  the  Portuguese  have  been  at  war, 
it  does  not  follow  that  it  will  be  perfectly  safe  for  others  to  go  in 
whose  goods  may  be  a stronger  temptation  to  cupidity  than  any 
thing  I possessed.  When  we  get  beyond  the  hostile  population 
mentioned,  we  reach  a very  different  race.  On  the  latter  my 
chief  hopes  at  present  rest.  All  of  them,  however,  are  willing 
and  anxious  to  engage  in  trade,  and,  while  eager  for  this,  none 
have  ever  been  encouraged  to  cultivate  the  raw  materials  of 
commerce.  Their  country  is  well  adapted  for  cotton ; and  I 
venture  to  entertain  the  hope  that  by  distributing  seeds  of  better 
kinds  than  that  which  is  found  indigenous,  and  stimulating  the 
natives  to  cultivate  it  by  affording-  them  the  certainty  of  a market 
for  all  they  may  produce,  we  may  engender  a feeling  of  mutual 
dependence  between  them  and  ourselves.  I have  a twofold 
object  in  view,  and  believe  that,  by  guiding  our  missionary  la- 
bors so  as  to  benefit  our  own  country,  we  shall  thereby  more 
effectually  and  permanently  benefit  the  heathen.  Seven  years 
were  spent  at  Kolobeng  in  instructing  my  friends  there ; but 
the  country  being  incapable  of  raising  materials  for  exportation, 
when  the  Boers  made  their  murderous  attack  and  scattered  the 
tribe  for  a season,  none  sympathized  except  a few  Christian 
friends.  Had  the  people  of  Kolobeng  been  in  the  habit  of  rais- 
ing the  raw  materials  of  English  commerce,  the  outrage  -would 
have  been  felt  in  England ; or,  what  is  more  likely  to  have  been 
the  case,  the  people  would  have  raised  themselves  in  the  scale  by 
barter,  and  have  become,  like  the  Basutos  of  Moshesh  and  people 
of  Kuruman,  possessed  of  fire-arms,  and  the  Boers  would  never 
have  made  the  attack  at  all.  We  ought  to  encourage  the  Afri- 
cans to  cultivate  for  our  markets,  as  the  most  effectual  means, 
next  to  the  Gospel,  of  their  elevation. 

It  is  in  the  hope  of  working  out  this  idea  that  I propose  the 
formation  of  stations  on  the  Zambesi  beyond  the  Portuguese 
territory,  but  having  communication  through  them  with  the 
coast.  A chain  of  stations  admitting  of  easy  and  speedy  inter- 
course, such  as  might  be  formed  along  the  flank  of  the  eastern 
ridge,  would  be  in  a favorable  position  for  carrying  out  the 


ARRANGEMENTS  ON  LEAVING  AFRICA. 


721 


objects  in  view.  The  London  Missionary  Society  has  resolved 
to  have  a station  among  the  Makololo  on  the  north  bank,  and 
another  on  the  south  among  the  Matebele.  The  Church — Wes- 
leyan, Baptist,  and  that  most  energetic  body,  the  Free  Church — 
could  each  find  desirable  locations  among  the  Batoka  and  adja- 
cent tribes.  The  country  is  so  extensive  there  is  no  fear  of 
clashing.  All  classes  of  Christians  find  that  sectarian  rancor 
soon  dies  out  when  they  are  working  together  among  and  for  the 
real  heathen.  Only  let  the  healthy  locality  be  searched  for  and 
fixed  upon,  and  then  there  will  be  free  scope  to  work  in  the  same 
cause  in  various  directions,  without  that  loss  of  men  which  the 
system  of  missions  on  the  unhealthy  coasts  entails.  While  re- 
spectfully submitting  the  plan  to  these  influential  societies,  I can 
positively  state  that,  when  fairly  in  the  interior,  there  is  perfect 
security  for  life  and  property  among  a people  who  will  at  least 
listen  and  reason. 

Eight  of  my  men  begged  to  be  allowed  to  come  as  far  as  Kili- 
mane,  and,  thinking  that  they  would  there  see  the  ocean,  I 
consented  to  their  coming,  though  the  food  was  so  scarce  in 
consequence  of  a dearth  that  they  were  compelled  to  suffer  some 
hunger.  They  would  fain  have  come  farther;  for  when  Sekeletu 
parted  with  them,  his  orders  were  that  none  of  them  should  turn 
until  they  had  reached  Ma  Robert  and  brought  her  back  with 
them.  On  my  explaining  the  difficulty  of  crossing  the  sea,  he 
said,  “ Wherever  you  lead,  they  must  follow.”  As  I did  not 
know  well  how  I should  get  home  myself,  I advised  them  to  go 
back  to  Tete,  where  food  was  abundant,  and  there  await  my 
return.  I bought  a quantity  of  calico  and  brass  wire  with  ten 
of  the  smaller  tusks  which  we  had  in  our  charge,  and  sent  the 
former  back  as  clothing  to  those  who  remained  at  Tete.  As 
there  were  still  twenty  tusks  left,  I deposited  them  with  Colonel 
Nunes,  that,  in  the  event  of  any  thing  happening  to  prevent  my 
return,  the  impression  might  not  be  produced  in  the  country 
that  I had  made  away  with  Sekeletu’s  ivoiy.  I instructed 
Colonel  Nunes,  in  case  of  my  death,  to  sell  the  tusks  and  deliver 
the  proceeds  to  my  men;  but  I intended,  if  my  life  should  be 
prolonged,  to  purchase  the  goods  ordered  by  Sekeletu  in  En- 
gland with  my  own  money,  and  pay  myself  on  my  return  out  of 
the  price  of  the  ivory.  This  I explained  to  the  men  fully,  and 

Z z 


722 


THE  AUTHOR’S  POSITION. 


they,  understanding  the  matter,  replied,  “ Nay,  father,  you  -will 
not  die ; you  will  return  to  take  us  back  to  Sekeletu.”  They 
promised  to  wait  till  I came  back,  and,  on  my  part,  I assured 
them  that  nothing  but  death  would  prevent  my  return.  This  I 
said,  though  while  waiting  at  Ivilimane  a letter  came  from  the 
Directors  of  the  London  Missionary  Society  stating  that  “they 
were  restricted  in  their  power  of  aiding  plans  connected  only 
remotely  with  the  spread  of  the  Gospel,  and  that  the  financial 
circumstances  of  the  society  were  not  such  as  to  afford  any 
ground  of  hope  that  it  would  be  in  a position,  within  any  definite 
period,  to  enter  upon  untried,  remote,  and  difficult  fields  of 
labor.”  This  has  been  explained  since  as  an  effusion  caused  by 
temporary  financial  depression ; but,  feeling  perfect  confidence 
in  my  Makololo  friends,  I was  determined  to  return  and  trust  to 
their  generosity.  The  old  love  of  independence,  which  I had  so 
strongly  before  joining  the  society,  again  returned.  It  was  roused 
by  a mistaken  view  of  what  this  letter  meant ; for  the  directors, 
immediately  on  my  reaching  home,  saw  the  great  importance  of 
the  opening,  and  entered  with  enlightened  zeal  on  the  work  of 
sending  the  Gospel  into  the  new  field.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that 
their  constituents  will  not  only  enable  them  to  begin,  but  to 
carry  out  their  plans,  and  that  no  material  depression  will  ever 
again  be  permitted,  nor  appearance  of  spasmodic  benevolence 
recur.  While  I hope  to  continue  the  same  cordial  co-operation 
and  friendship  which  have  always  characterized  our  intercourse, 
various  reasons  induce  me  to  withdraw  from  pecuniary  dependence 
on  any  society.  I have  done  something  for  the  heathen,  but  for 
an  aged  mother,  who  has  still  more  sacred  claims  than  they,  I 
have  been  able  to  do  nothing,  and  a continuance  of  the  connection 
would  be  a perpetuation  of  my  inability  to  make  any  provision 
for  her  declining  years.  In  addition  to  “ clergyman’s  sore 
throat,”  which  partially  disabled  me  from  the  work,  my  father’s 
death  imposed  new  obligations ; and  a fresh  source  of  income 
having  been  opened  to  me  without  my  asking,  I had  no  hesita- 
tion in  accepting  what  would  enable  me  to  fulfill  my  duty  to  my 
aged  parent  as  well  as  to  the  heathen. 

If  the  reader  remembers  the  way  in  which  I was  led,  while 
teaching  the  Bakwains,  to  commence  exploration,  he  will,  I 
think,  recognize  the  hand  of  Providence.  Anterior  to  that,  when 


RETROSPECT. 


723 


Mr.  Moffat  began  to  give  the  Bible — the  Magna  Charta  of  all  the 
rights  and  privileges  of  modern  civilization — to  the  Bechuanas, 
Sebituane  went  north,  and  spread  the  language  into  which  he  was 
translating  the  sacred  oracles  in  a new  region  larger  than  France. 
Sebituane,  at  the  same  time,  rooted  out  hordes  of  bloody  savages, 
among  whom  no  white  man  could  have  gone  without  leaving  his 
skull  to  ornament  some  village.  He  opened  up  the  way  for  me 
— let  us  hope  also  for  the  Bible.  Then,  again,  while  I was  labor- 
ing at  Kolobeng,  seeing  only  a small  arc  of  the  cycle  of  Provi- 
dence, I could  not  understand  it,  and  felt  inclined  to  ascribe 
our  successive  and  prolonged  droughts  to  the  wicked  one.  But 
when  forced  by  these  and  the  Boers  to  become  explorer,  and 
open  a new  country  in  the  north  rather  than  set  my  face  south- 
ward, wdiere  missionaries  are  not  needed,  the  gracious  Spirit  of 
God  influenced  the  minds  of  the  heathen  to  regard  me  with 
favor ; th$  Divine  hand  is  again  perceived.  Then  I turned  away 
westward  rather  than  in  the  opposite  direction,  chiefly  from 
observing  that  some  native  Portuguese,  though  influenced  by  the 
hope  of  a reward  from  their  government  to  cross  the  continent, 
had  been  obliged  to  return  from  the  east  without  accomplishing 
their  object.  Had  I gone  at  first  in  the  eastern  direction,  which 
the  course  of  the  great  Leeambye  seemed  to  invite,  I should  have 
come  among  the  belligerents  near  Tete  when  the  war  was  raging 
at  its  height,  instead  of,  as  it  happened,  when  all  was  over.  And 
again,  when  enabled  to  reach  Loanda,  the  resolution  to  do  my 
duty  by  going  back  to  Linyanti  probably  saved  me  from  the  fate 
of  my  papers  in  the  “Forerunner.”  And  then,  last  of  all,  this  new 
country  is  partially  opened  to  the  sympathies  of  Christendom, 
and  I find  that  Sechele  himself  has,  though  unbidden  by  man, 
been  teaching  his  own  people.  In  fact,  he  has  been  doing  all  that 
I was  prevented  from  doing,  and  I have  been  employed  in  explor- 
ing— a work  I had  no  previous  intention  of  performing.  I think 
that  I see  the  operation  of  the  unseen  hand  in  all  this,  and  I hum- 
bly hope  that  it  will  still  guide  me  to  do  good  in  my  day  and 
generation  in  Africa. 

Viewing  the  success  awarded  to  opening  up  the  new  country 
as  a development  of  Divine  Providence  in  relation  to  the  African 
family,  the  mind  naturally  turns  to  the  probable  influence  it 
may  have  on  negro  slavery,  and  more  especially  on  the  practice 


724 


COMMERCIAL  STATIONS. 


of  it  by  a large  portion  of  our  own  race.  We  now  demand  in- 
creased supplies  of  cotton  and  sugar,  and  then  reprobate  the 
means  our  American  brethren  adopt  to  supply  our  wants.  We 
claim  a right  to  speak  about  this  evil,  and  also  to  act  in  reference 
to  its  removal,  the  more  especially  because  we  are  of  one  blood. 
It  is  on  the  Anglo-American  race  that  the  hopes  of  the  world  for 
liberty  and  progress  rest.  Now  it  is  very  grievous  to  find  one 
portion  of  this  race  practicing  the  gigantic  evil,  and  the  other 
aiding,  by  increased  demands  for  the  produce  of  slave  labor,  in 
perpetuating  the  enormous  wrong.  The  Mauritius,  a mere  speck 
on  the  ocean,  yields  sugar,  by  means  of  guano,  improved  ma- 
chinery, and  free  labor,  equal  in  amount  to  one  fourth  part  of 
the  entire  consumption  of  Great  Britain.  On  that  island  land  is 
excessively  dear  and  far  from  rich : no  crop  can  be  raised  except 
by  means  of  guano,  and  labor  has  to  be  brought  all  the  way 
from  India.  But  in  Africa  the  land  is  cheap,  the  soil  good,  and 
free  labor  is  to  be  found  on  the  spot.  Our  chief  hopes  rest  with 
the  natives  themselves ; and  if  the  point  to  which  I have  given 
prominence,  of  healthy  inland  commercial  stations,  be  realized, 
where  all  the  produce  raised  may  be  collected,  there  is  little  doubt 
but  that  slavery  among  our  kinsmen  across  the  Atlantic  will, 
in  the  course  of  some  years,  cease  to  assume  the  form  of  a neces- 
sity to  even  the  slaveholders  themselves.  Natives  alone  can 
collect  produce  from  the  more  distant  hamlets,  and  bring  it  to 
the  stations  contemplated.  This  is  the  system  pursued  so  suc- 
cessfully in  Angola.  If  England  had  possessed  that  strip  of  land, 
by  civilly  declining  to  enrich  her  “frontier  colonists”  by  “ Caffre 
wars,”  the  inborn  energy  of  English  colonists  would  have  de- 
veloped its  resources,  and  the  exports  would  not  have  been 
£100,000  as  now,  but  one  million  at  least.  The  establishment 
of  the  necessary  agency  must  be  a work  of  time,  and  greater  diffi- 
culty will  be  experienced  on  the  eastern  than  on  the  western  side 
of  the  continent,  because  in  the  one  region  we  have  a people  who 
know  none  but  slave-traders,  while  in  the  other  we  have  tribes 
who  have  felt  the  influence  of  the  coast  missionaries  and  of  the 
great  Niger  expedition ; one  invaluable  benefit  it  conferred  was 
the  dissemination  of  the  knowledge  of  English  love  of  commerce 
and  English  hatred  of  slavery,  and  it  therefore  was  no  failure. 
But  on  the  east  there  is  a river  which  may  become  a good  path- 


VILLAGE  OF  KILIMANE. 


725 


way  to  a central  population  who  are  friendly  to  the  English  ; and 
if  we  can  conciliate  the  less  amicable  people  on  the  river,  and  in- 
troduce commerce,  an  effectual  blow  will  be  struck  at  the  slave- 
trade  in  that  quarter.  By  linking  the  Africans  there  to  ourselves 
in  the  manner  proposed,  it  is  hoped  that  their  elevation  will  event- 
ually be  the  result.  In  this  hope  and  proposed  effort  I am  joined 
by  my  brother  Charles,  who  has  come  from  America,  after  seven- 
teen years’  separation,  for  the  purpose.  We  expect  success 
through  the  influence  of  that  Spirit  who  already  aided  the  efforts 
to  open  the  country,  and  who  has  since  turned  the  public  mind 
toward  it.  A failure  may  be  experienced  by  sudden  rash  specu- 
lation overstocking  the  markets  there,  and  raising  the  prices 
against  ourselves.  But  I propose  to  spend  some  more  years  of 
labor,  and  shall  be  thankful  if  I see  the  system  fairly  begun  in  an 
open  pathway  which  will  eventually  benefit  both  Africa  and  En- 
gland. 

The  village  of  Kilimane  stands  on  a great  mud  bank,  and  is 
surrounded  by  extensive  swamps  and  rice-grounds.  The  banks 
of  the  river  are  lined  with  mangrove  bushes,  the  roots  of  which, 
and  the  slimy  banks  on  which  they  grow,  are  alternately  exposed 
to  the  tide  and  sun.  The  houses  are  well  built  of  brick  and  lime, 
the  latter  from  Mozambique.  If  one  digs  down  two  or  three  feet 
in  any  part  of  the  site  of  the  village,  he  comes  to  water ; hence 
the  walls  built  on  this  mud  bank  gradually  subside ; pieces  are 
sometimes  sawn  off  the  doors  below,  because  the  walls  in  which 
they  are  fixed  have  descended  into  the  ground,  so  as  to  leave  the 
floors  lusher  than  the  bottom  of  the  doors.  It  is  almost  need- 

O 

less  to  say  that  Kilimane  is  very  unhealthy.  A man  of  plethoric 
temperament  is  sure  to  get  fever,  and  concerning  a stout  person 
one  may  hear  the  remark,  “Ah ! he  will  not  live  long ; he  is  sure 
to  die.” 

A Hamburgh  vessel  was  lost  near  the  bar  before  we  came 
down.  The  men  were  much  more  regular  in  their  habits  than 
English  sailors,  so  I had  an  opportunity  of  observing  the  fever 
acting  as  a slow  poison.  They  felt  “out  of  sorts”  only,  but 
gradually  became  pale,  bloodless,  and  emaciated,  then  weaker 
and  weaker,  till  at  last  they  sank  more  like  oxen  bitten  by 
tsetse  than  any  disease  I ever  saw.  The  captain,  a strong,  robust 
young  man,  remained  in  perfect  health  for  about  three  months, 


726 


VALUE  OF  QUININE. 


but  was  at  last  knocked  down  suddenly  and  made  as  helpless  as 
a child  by  this  terrible  disease.  He  had  imbibed  a foolish  prej- 
udice against  quinine,  our  sheet-anchor  in  the  complaint.  This 
is  rather  a professional  subject,  but  I introduce  it  here  in  order  to 
protest  against  the  prejudice  as  almost  entirely  unfounded.  Qui- 
nine is  invaluable  in  fever,  and  never  produces  any  unpleasant  ef- 
fects in  any  stage  of  the  disease,  if  exhibited  in  combination  with 
an  ajperient.  The  captain  was  saved  by  it,  without  his  knowl- 
edge, and  I was  thankful  that  the  mode  of  treatment,  so  efficacious 
among  natives,  promised  so  fair  among  Europeans. 

After  waiting  about  six  weeks  at  this  unhealthy  spot,  in 
which,  however,  by  the  kind  attentions  of  Colonel  Nunes  and  his 
nephew,  I partially  recovered  from  my  tertian,  11. M.  brig  “Frol- 
ic” arrived  off  Kilimane.  As  the  village  is  twelve  miles  from 
the  bar,  and  the  weather  was  rough,  she  was  at  anchor  ten  days 
before  we  knew  of  her  presence  about  seven  miles  from  the 
entrance  to  the  port.  She  brought  abundant  supplies  for  all  my 
need,  and  £150  to  pay  my  passage  home,  from  my  kind  friend 
Mr.  Thompson,  the  Society’s  agent  at  the  Cape.  The  admiral 
at  the  Cape  kindly  sent  an  offer  of  a passage  to  the  Mauri- 
tius, which  I thankfully  accepted.  Sekwebu  and  one  attend- 
ant alone  remained  with  me  now.  He  was  very  intelligent,  and 
had  been  of  the  greatest  service  to  me ; indeed,  but  for  his  good 
sense,  tact,  and  command  of  the  language  of  the  tribes  through 
which  we  passed,  I believe  we  should  scarcely  have  succeeded 
in  reaching  the  coast.  I naturally  felt  grateful  to  him ; and 
as  his  chief  wished  all  my  companions  to  go  to  England  with 
me,  and  would  probably  be  disappointed  if  none  went,  I thought 
it  would  be  beneficial  for  him  to  see  the  effects  of  civilization, 
and  report  them  to  his  countrymen ; I wished  also  to  make  some 
return  for  his  very  important  services.  Others  had  petitioned 
to  come,  but  I explained  the  danger  of  a change  of  climate  and 
food,  and  with  difficulty  restrained  them.  The  only  one  who 
now  remained  begged  so  hard  to  come  on  board  ship  that  I 
greatly  regretted  that  the  expense  prevented  my  acceding  to  his 
wish  to  visit  England.  I said  to  him,  “You  will  die  if  you  go 
to  such  a cold  country  as  mine.”  “ That  is  nothing,”  he  re- 
iterated ; “let  me  die  at  your  feet.” 

When  we  parted  from  our  friends  at  Kilimane,  the  sea  on  the 


ROUGH  PASSAGE  TO  THE  “FROLIC.’ 


727 


bar  was  frightful  even  to  the  seamen.  This  was  the  first  time 
Sekwebu  had  seen  the  sea.  Captain  Peyton  had  sent  two  boats 
in  case  of  accident.  The  waves  were  so  high  that,  when  the 
cutter  was  in  one  trough,  and  we  in  the  pinnace  in  another,  her 
mast  was  hid.  We  then  mounted  to  the  crest  of  the  wave, 
rushed  down  the  slope,  and  struck  the  water  again  with  a blow 
which  felt  as  if  she  had  struck  the  bottom.  Boats  must  be  sin- 
gularly well  constructed  to  be  able  to  stand  these  shocks.  Three 
breakers  swept  over  us.  The  men  lift  up  their  oars,  and  a wave 
comes  sweeping  over  all,  giving  the  impression  that  the  boat  is 
going  down,  but  she  only  goes  beneath  the  top  of  the  wave, 
comes  out  on  the  other  side,  and  swings  down  the  slope,  and  a 
man  bales  out  the  water  with  a bucket.  Poor  Sekwebu  looked 
at  me  when  these  terrible  seas  broke  over,  and  said,  “ Is  this 
the  way  you  go  ? Is  this  the  way  you  go  ?”  I smiled  and 
said,  “ Yes ; don’t  you  see  it  is  ?”  and  tried  to  encourage  him. 
He  was  well  acquainted  with  canoes,  but  never  had  seen  aught 
like  this.  When  we  reached  the  ship — a fine,  large  brig  of  six- 
teen guns  and  a crew  of  one  hundred  and  thirty — she  was  rolling 
so  that  we  could  see  a part  of  her  bottom.  It  was  quite  impos- 
sible for  landsmen  to  catch  the  ropes  and  climb  up,  so  a chair 
was  sent  down,  and  we  were  hoisted  in  as  ladies  usually  are,  and 
received  so  hearty  an  English  welcome  from  Captain  Peyton  and 
all  on  board  that  I felt  myself  at  once  at  home  in  every  thing 
except  my  own  mother  tongue.  I seemed  to  know  the  lan- 
guage perfectly,  but  the  words  I wanted  would  not  come  at  my 
call.  When  I left  England  I had  no  intention  of  returning,  and 
directed  my  attention  earnestly  to  the  languages  of  Africa,  paying 
none  to  English  composition.  With  the  exception  of  a short 
interval  in  Angola,  I had  been  three  and  a half  years  without 
speaking  English,  and  this,  with  thirteen  years  of  previous  par- 
tial disuse  of  my  native  tongue,  made  me  feel  sadly  at  a loss  on 
board  the  “Frolic.” 

We  left  Kilimane  on  the  12  th  of  July,  and  reached  the  Mauritius 
on  the  12th  of  August,  1856.  Sekwebu  was  picking  up  English, 
and  becoming  a favorite  with  both  men  and  officers.  He  seemed  a 
little  bewildered,  every  thing  on  board  a man-of-war  being  so  new 
and  strange;  but  he  remarked  to  me  several  times,  “Your  coun- 
trymen are  very  agreeable,”  and,  “What  a strange  country  this  is 


728 


DEATH  OF  SEKWEBU.— VOYAGE  HOME. 


— all  water  together!”  lie  also  said  that  he  now  understood  why 
I used  the  sextant.  When  we  reached  the  Mauritius  a steamer 
came  out  to  tow  us  into  the  harbor.  The  constant  strain  on  his 
untutored  mind  seemed  now  to  reach  a climax,  for  during:  the 
night  he  became  insane.  I thought  at  first  that  he  was  intoxi- 
cated. He  had  descended  into  a boat,  and,  when  I attempted 
to  go  down  and  bring  him  into  the  ship,  he  ran  to  the  stern  and 
said,  “No!  no!  it  is  enough  that  I die  alone.  You  must  not 
perish  ; if  you  come,  I shall  throw  myself  into  the  water.”  Per- 
ceiving that  his  mind  was  affected,  I said,  “Now,  Sekwebu,  we 
are  going  to  Ma  Robert.”  This  struck  a chord  in  his  bosom, 
and  he  said,  “ Oh  yes ; where  is  she,  and  where  is  Robert  ?”  and 
he  seemed  to  recover.  The  officers  proposed  to  secure  him  by 
putting  him  in  irons;  but,  being  a gentleman  in  his  own  country, 

I objected,  knowing  that  the  insane  often  retain  an  impression  of 
ill  treatment,  and  I could  not  bear  to  have  it  said  in  Sekeletu’s 
country  that  I had  chained  one  of  his  principal  men  as  they  had 
seen  slaves  treated.  I tried  to  get  him  on  shore  by  day,  but  he  , 
refused.  In  the  evening  a fresh  accession  of  insanity  occurred ; 
he  tried  to  spear  one  of  the  crew,  then  leaped  overboard,  and, 
though  he  could  swim  well,  pulled  himself  down  hand  under  hand 
by  the  chain  cable.  We  never  found  the  body  of  poor  Sekwebu. 

At  the  Mauritius  I jvas  most  hospitably  received  by  Major 
General  C.  M.  Hay,  and  he  generously  constrained  me  to  remain 
with  him  till,  by  the  influence  of  the  good  climate  and  quiet 
English  comfort,  I got  rid  of  an  enlarged  spleen  from  African 
fever.  In  November  I came  up  the  Red  Sea ; escaped  the  dan- 
ger of  shipwreck  through  the  admirable  management  of  Captain 
Powell,  of  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Steam  Company’s  ship 
“Candia,”  and  on  the  12th  of  December  was  once  more  in  dear 
old  England.  The  Company  most  liberally  refunded  my  passage- 
money.  I have  not  mentioned  half  the  favors  bestowed,  but  I may 
just  add  that  no  one  has  cause  for  more  abundant  gratitude  to  his 
fellow-men  and  to  his  Maker  than  I have ; and  may  God  grant 
that  the  effect  on  my  mind  be  such  that  I may  be  more  humbly 
devoted  to  the  service  of  the  Author  of  all  our  mercies  ! 


APPENDIX— LATITUDES  AND  LONGITUDES  OF  POSITIONS. 


LATITUDES  AND  LONGITUDES. 


729 


Latitudes  and  Longitudes  of  Positions — continued. 


730 


LATITUDES  AND  LONGITUDES. 


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Latitudes  and  Longitudes  of  Positions — continued. 


I 


732  LATITUDES  AND  LONGITUDES. 


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WITH  ENGLISH  AND  AMERICAN  ADDITIONS, 

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COMPRISING  SELECTIONS  FROM  THE  FOLLOWING 

AUTHORS. 

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Seward — Erasmus  Darwin — William  Crowe — Thomas  Percy — George  Crabbe — Mary  Tighe — Ann 
Radcliffe — Anna  Letitia  Barbauld — Hannah  More — W.  Lisle  Bowles — Samuel  Rogers — Amelia  Opie 
— William  Spencer — Lord  Byron — Percy  Bysshe  Shelley — John  Keats — Samuel  Taylor  Coleridge 
— William  Wordsworth  — Charles  Lamb  — Henry  Kirke  White  — Washington  Allston  — Richard 
Henry  Dana  — Samuel  Woodworth — Walter  Scott — Thomas  Campbell — Richard  Henry  Wilde — 
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Thomas  Moore  — Charles  Wolfe  — Allan  Cunningham  — Sidney  Walker  — James  Hogg — Charles 
Sprague — Felicia  Hemans — Mary  Russell  Mitford — Lydia  Huntley  Sigourney — Reginald  Heber — 
Robert  Southey — Caroline  Bowles  (Mrs.  Southey) — John  Leyden — John  Clare — John  G.  C.  Brain- 
ard  — Edward  Coate  Pinkney  — Clement  C.  Moore — Bernard  Barton — William  Sotheby — Wiliam 
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SUPERBLY  ILLUSTRATED  WITH  132  ENGRAVINGS. 

FROM  DESIGNS  BY  THE  FOLLOWING 

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Franklin  Square,  N.  Y.,  November,  1857. 


Jmrrcflscft  Attractions ! 

BULWER,  DICKENS,  THACKERAY,  AND 
CHARLES  READE. 

HAMPER’S  MAGAZINE. 

COMMENCEMENT  OF  A NEW  VOLUME. 

Mr.  Thackeray’s  New  Story  “The  Virginians,”  with  many  humorous 
Illustrations  by  the  Author,  is  commenced  in  the  present  (DECEMBER)  Number 
of  Harper’s  Magazine.  It  is  printed  from  early  sheets,  received  from  the  Author 
in  advance  of  publication  in  England — for  which  the  Publishers  pay  Mr.  Thack- 
eray the  sum  of  Two  Thousand  Dollars. 

Mr.  Charles  Reade’s  New  Story,  entitled,  “Jack  of  all  Trades — A 
Matter  of  Fact  Romance,”  written  exclusively  for  Harper’s  Magazine,  is  also 
commenced  in  the  present  Number. 

More  than  One  Hundred  and  Seventy  Thousand  Copies  are  now  issued  of  each  Number  of  Har- 
ter's New  Monthly  Magazine.  This  success,  to  which  the  history  of  Periodical  Literature  af- 
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HARPER’S  WEEKLY. 

The  New  Story  by  Charles  Dickens,  entitled  “The  Lazy  Tour  of 
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(October  31st),  and  will  be  continued  in  the  successive  numbers  till  completion. 

Bulwer’s  Brilliant  Romance,  entitled,  “What  will  he  do  with  it?” 
pronounced  to  be  the  masterpiece  of  this  polished,  witty,  and  learned  novelist,  by 
special  arrangement  with  the  Author,  appears  in  Harper’s  Weekly  simultaneous- 
ly with  its  publication  in  England. 

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wise  and  the  good. 


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